We always enjoy Ian Callum stopping by and answering our important questions. I mean, who else puts up with pickup-shooting brake-DB7 revival questions like he does?
Some of you had slightly more intelligent questions, though, and were worth pulling out in a very special COTD in honor of Ian taking time out of his busy Detroit Auto Show schedule.
Here are the best of your questions/Ian's replies:
Do you think a design can still be a work of art if it is designed by multiple people?
Also, what do you think of Virgil Exner's work?
Thanks :)
Ian:
Yes.
Great admirer of Virgil's work, especially the Ghia stuff. Some beautiful Chryslers. I use to work with his son actually.
Sometimes, when I see an F-Type, I get a really strange feeling in my pants. Does this happen to you? Or is it more like a "father-child" relationship with you and that design?
Ian:
Go see a psych.
Ray Wert, Editor Emeritus 2
Who's your favorite British villain? Is it Benedict Cumberbatch, Ben Kingsley, or Peter Horbury?
Ian:
Definitely Peter Horbury.
will the CX75 jet turbine concept ever make it to the build stage - or at least the turbine mechanics make it to another car?
also i cant thank you enough for the F type....utterly astoundingly gorgeously amazing..
Ian:
We're developing the turbines for a possible range extending concept, but no sign of them yet.
And thanks.
Hi Ian! Big fan of your designs and Jaguar's new direction. The F-Type is one of my all time favourite cars.
Where do you and your team seek inspiration for your designs? Also, how do you and your team balance management structure, financial concerns, and freestyle creativity?
Ian:
I just get inspiration from great things. Beautiful things. But inspiration is not about copying, it's about being inspired. When I see something I love, I'm inspired to do something as good as, if I can.
Ian, great to have you here. I'm a huge fan of the E-Type and DB7 (and similarly the XK8), and it seems to me that modern-day sportscar design has become rather fussy, concerned with all kinds of vents and creases everywhere. Do you think that the elegance of simplicity found in those designs will make a comeback anytime soon?
Ian:
Yes it's called the F-Type
What would be your top 5 all time of cars you've helped design?
Ian:
F-Type Coupe, XF, Vanquish, DB9, XJ
What are your thoughts on the new Corvette Z06?
Ian:
Really like it. Like the proportions. I like the new model, I think it could be a little tidier, but I love the stance of the car. How you could get a hood line that low is beyond my understanding.
Photo: Getty Images