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Ex-Jaguar design boss Ian Callum starts his own design firm

A month ago, Ian Callum stepped down from his position as Jaguar's director of design. In a 20-year career with the English sports car maker, Callum's pen has traced the lines of everything from the original XK, the XJ, the F-Type, I-Pace, and more. Before that, he made use of employ at Aston Martin by contributing to the original DB7, the DB9, the previous Vantage, and the first Vanquish. After a career in service to OEMs that's been brilliant enough to earn him a CBE, for Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Callum has stepped up to take the reins at his eponymous design firm, called "Callum." Established with four fellow ex-Jaguar executives, Callum will design and engineer bespoke and limited-edition creations in the worlds of art, audio, automotive, fashion, lifestyle, and motorsports. The other trio of founding members are program director David Fairborn, engineering director Adam Donfrancesco, and commercial director Tom Bird. Fairbarn was the head of bespoke and special commissions at Jaguar Land Rover, where he helped bring the Lightweight E-Type to life. Donfrancesco left his role as engineering manager for JLR 's bespoke and special commissions; before that, he developed road and race cars like the Aston Martin GT8 and GT12. Bird, after stints at PWC and Barclays, had been commercial manager at JLR, where he shepherded the C-X75 concept into the James Bond movie Spectre. Callum said of the venture, "I wanted to get back to the essence of creativity; the challenge of producing something wonderful and personal. To design the alternative has always been my mantra, but always the beautiful alternative and something to enjoy." The man's still contracted to Jaguar as a brand ambassador, but at 64 years old, he feels "I've got maybe 15 years of design aptitude left, and I want to make the most of it." With 18 employees and based in a 20,000-square-foot facility in Warwick, the firm is ready right now with the engineering and manufacturing machinery to create products in-house. Even with the company's wide remit, we expect to see Callum take a stand in the automotive space. He admitted that he'd "like to take some of the cars I've designed and maybe redo them a little bit," but the team will always consider the entire vehicle, looking to upgrade dynamics and handling, too. We're told the first project will be announced soon.

Jay Leno's Garage drives Steve McQueen's 1956 Jaguar XKSS

Steve McQueen might be the coolest American male of the 20th century. With movies like Bullitt and Le Mans, McQueen established himself as the king of cool of his era, and on the list of actors you would pick for a fantasy racing team - he or Paul Newman are the natural first choices. The latest Jay Leno's Garage video highlights one of McQueen's most special cars - a 1956 Jaguar XKSS.
Just 16 XKSS models were made because a fire at the Jaguar factory halted production. It was meant to be a street version of the company's very successful D-Type racer, with a modified version of its 3.4-liter straight-six-engine and a four-speed manual gearbox. McQueen clearly had an eye for great vehicles. He drove his Jag around Los Angeles years after it was a cutting-edge piece of technology. Since then, it became part of the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA. Autoblog's The List even took a ride in it when the show visited the museum.
The XKSS is one of the pinnacles of automotive design of the '50s, and its association with McQueen makes this example even more extraordinary. Leno is in love with the car from the moment he sees it, and it's hard to argue with him. Between its emphasized curves and raspy exhaust, this is one sexy Jag. Scroll down to get an eyeful and earful from one of McQueen's favorite cars.

Why Jaguar Land Rover's Havn ride-hailing service sounds nicer than Uber or Lyft

Havn is a new app-based ride-hailing service that has launched in London, and promises a more upscale experience than Uber, Lyft, or the city's characteristic black cabs. Havn is backed financially by Jaguar Land Rover, and it exclusively uses Jaguar I-Pace electric SUVs, which are definitely a step up from the Camrys and Accords that seem so popular over here. Havn calls itself a chauffeur service, but it functions similarly to an app-based ride-hailing service. One difference is that you need to request a ride at least 30 minutes in advance. When scheduling a ride, customers are able to specify a music playlist, cabin temperature, and — most compelling of all — your preferred level of "chauffeur interaction." Those chauffeurs, interestingly, are all full-time employees, not gig workers. Havn pricing is based on time plus distance, with a 20 GBP (~$25) minimum charge. Hourly rates also are available, while airport runs have a fixed pricing schedule. Heathrow airport to central London is 74 GBP (~$95), for instance, and Gatwick to West London is 108 GBP (~$140). Airport pickups include an hour of wait time, while other scheduled pickups include 30 minutes waiting at no extra charge. It will be interesting to see whether this service succeeds in London, and whether it makes the leap to our side of the Atlantic. Whether it's Havn or some other startup, a trend toward a better ride-hailing experience, both for passengers and for drivers, would be a positive for an industry that has suffered its share of negatives even while quickly becoming part of the fabric of the modern transportation system. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.