How Jaguar's Design Boss Does a Restomod Mark 2
Jaguar’s Director of Design Ian Callum has turned out a beautiful restomod of a Jaguar Mark II after an 18-month build. How cool is it? It’s freaking cool. First of all, if you don’t know who Ian Callum is, he is currently working for Jaguar (since 1999) but also used to do design for Aston Martin and Ford. In fact, his little brother is head of design for Ford Americas. You can thank him for most of the awesomeness coming out of Jaguar lately, namely the F-Type.
But I digress. It turns out Callum had always wanted a classic Mark II, and a couple of years ago he decided to do something about it. He turned to the skilled hands at Classic Motor Cars Limited, arguably the world’s finest Jaguar restoration shop. He commissioned a restored and modified Mark II, and—as you might imagine—he had some ideas.
In his words: “This is a very personal statement. A long-held notion that, although the Mark 2 has always been a beautiful car, it could be even more exciting in shape and performance. Whilst maintaining the purity of the car’s form, I wanted to add a number of modern twists to the design. Simplification and clarity was my objective.”
There are no pictures of the engine, but the specs say they dropped an XK inline-6 mated to a 5-speed manual producing 280 lb-ft at 5,000 RPM. So it’s got some zip. Add to that a custom rack-and-pinion with electric assist, adjustable suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes, and a slew of body mods—this is definitely not your grandpa’s Mark II.
As you might imagine, the interior is completely redone and absolutely gorgeous. The tech has been updated as well, with a Clarion pop-out touchscreen with nav and all the goodies, including a backup camera.
Callum just unveiled this work of art August 23rd, 2014, but already there’s been such interest in this car that CMC has been inundated with requests to buy one just like it. They asked the man for permission to build out a limited run for sale, and Callum gave his blessing. So if you have an extra £375,000 (≈ $616,300 / €473,300) laying around, get in line.
