Jaguar Looks Forward at Pebble Beach With One-Of-A-Kind XJ

Jaguars design legacy is being celebrated this weekend as the brand is a featured marque at this Sunday's (August 15, 2010) Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

This celebration is as much about looking forward as it is savoring the past. The 2011 Jaguar XJ on display at Pebble's Peter Hay Hill has already been called a design triumph by those who know great design, and that includes Jaguar's customers!

Representing the yet‑to‑be‑classic this weekend will be a special concept version of the brand's latest masterpiece XJ. The XJ75 Platinum Design Concept will be on display on the Pebble Beach Concept Car Lawn.

The XJ75 Platinum Design Concept was created by Jaguar Cars' design team as an anniversary present to the company and as eye candy for Jaguar buffs at Pebble Beach.

Starting with an XJL Supercharged, the design team chose a striking white and black contrast theme to suggest precious platinum metal. Inspired by the matte paint finishes seen on personalized luxury cars, Giles Taylor, Chief Designer, Jaguar Cars, and his team painted the car in a lustrous Satin Matte Pearlescent White and changed the exterior chrome to either a dark chrome or gloss black.

The gray, damp, very English weather in Monterey this weekend turned out to be a great backdrop for this car as it really added some drama to the overall look.

All Jaguars have a "road hungry" stance, but Giles wanted this one‑of‑a‑kind XJ to look like it could devour an Interstate in one bite. Ground‑hugging front, rear and side sills give it that look, helped by a set of bespoke 22‑inch wheels painted black with a brushed contrast finish. "Bespoke" is one of those great British terms, it means custom but sounds so much better.

Giles and his design team really enjoy their work and they definitely let it show in this concept. Giles said, "On the inside, we played up the XJ's combination of high‑end materials and British flair to really have some fun."

With a full Jet Softgrain leather interior as the artist's canvas, the design team applied "bespoke" details, including gloss pearlescent white air vents, veneers and diamond stitch suede inserts to the seats and headliner. The suede accents on the door armrests and instrument binnacle exemplifies the level of detail Giles put into this masterpiece. Highlighting the near obsession with "bespokeness" are the mauvine purple flashes, which line the center console and glove box.

The final touch was a unique clock Jaguar designed in partnership with the Bremont Watch Company. Like Bremont mechanical watches, the clock was designed in Britain and hand assembled in Switzerland.

If you are not among the lucky people at Pebble Beach this weekend to see the XJ75 Platinum Concept, be sure to look for it at future auto aficionado events.