Since leaving Jaguar in 2019, former design boss Ian Callum has been busy. Quickly after his shock departure, Callum co-founded the Callum model, a design and engineering consultancy primarily based within the Midlands of the UK. The group hit the bottom operating, asserting a remastered model of the Aston Martin Vanquish—a design he felt deserved a facelift—alongside a handful of initiatives in outdoors sectors.

5 years since its launch, Callum is flourishing. The model debuted its first automotive, the Skye, an electrical off-road coupe, earlier this yr. And he has plans for extra sporty automobiles over the subsequent few years.

Photograph by: Callum

We caught up with Ian Callum to speak about the way forward for his new model.

“It was at all times our ambition [to become an OEM],” he informed Motor1. “In time, I am form of hoping the consultancy takes—not a backseat—however actually a lesser place within the better scheme of issues. Whenever you get into automotive manufacturing, irrespective of how small it’s, it turns into a really large entity.”

Callum’s reasoning is one thing we will all relate to: He sought out the liberty to make what he needed, when he needed.

“As a designer, irrespective of who you are working for or what you are requested to do, you are at all times working for another person, which is ok, that is the secret. It isn’t one thing you may simply delve into as a person. However if you wish to design one thing that you just actually need, you have to do it your self… My solely regrets, in all probability, are that I ought to have accomplished it 5 years earlier,” provides Callum.

The Skye isn’t designed to be a quantity automotive. It’s made for enjoyable somewhat than practicality, as Callum says.

Photograph by: Callum

“It’s an indulgence automotive, there’s no debate about it. It’s not one thing you want however one thing you need—to make use of that outdated cliche. I believe it’s the precise measure of luxurious. I didn’t need it to be tough and tumble and uncooked—I’m certain we’ll do a ‘hose out’ model, however I at all times noticed this as one thing between the 2. If it’s going to be city, the inside deserves to have a way of luxurious about it.”

After its launch in the summertime of 2024, Callum confirmed off the Skye’s inside. A mixture of tactile switches, screens the place essential, and pleasing luxurious. “The controls are easy,” says Callum, “They’re mechanical, not a one-touchscreen-does-all form of situation. We have now rotaries on it, and we’ve got column stalks. I am an important believer in controls being bodily useful somewhat than one thing you are trying to find on an iPad, and,” quips Callum, “as a result of it’s a pleasure.”

Photograph by: Callum

Photograph by: Callum

Photograph by: Callum

“It’s an indulgence automotive, there’s no debate about it.”

Response to the Skye has been constructive, Callum notes that he hasn’t heard a single derogatory remark about it. He says it’ll be a hoot to drive, and fairly fast—although the person together with his identify above the door would say that, in fact. Its viewers? The Skye gained’t be designed for the entire household, however he hopes they may all discover blissful properties.

“It’s clearly a 3rd or fourth automotive,” Callum notes. “Perhaps a second automotive. I hope it takes on an air of the unique given there’s not going to be an enormous variety of them. We do intend to do one thing past this,” he continues, “which I am not going to speak about as a result of I do not fairly know but.”

We are able to, nevertheless, wildly speculate. Which is way extra enjoyable than realizing.

Photograph by: Callum

The Skye often is the agency’s future, however its current is, partly, linked to Callum’s previous. This yr we noticed the discharge of not one, however two road-legal, totally realized Jaguar C-X75 supercars. The unique automotive, full with electricity-generating jets and appears to kill, was a birthday current from Jaguar to Jaguar for its seventy fifth anniversary.

The C-X75 debuted on the 2010 Paris Motor Present and the concept was that Jaguar would make it in restricted numbers for a discerning few. It will have sat within the Porsche 918, McLaren P1, and Ferrari LaFerrari triumvirate, and regardless that it obtained fairly far into improvement (with the hybrid setup—no jet generators), the undertaking was killed. However because of a reprieve because the baddie’s automotive within the Bond flick Spectre, not solely did a prototype or two see the sunshine of day, however a handful of stunt automobiles have been really constructed with Jag’s supercharged 5.0-liter V-8, a true-to-life C-X75 physique, and… little else.

A few of these stunt automobiles, although, did discover their means into personal fingers. House owners needed them made actual, and hoo boy, did they get what they needed.

“There was a need to convey the automotive as much as a degree of specification that was driveable,” Callum notes. “It was a movie automotive, not nice high quality. The inside was fairly uncooked, and it was made to drive a selected means—it was really structured to roll up on its roof and survive, so it was closely over-engineered by way of construction and possibly under-engineered by way of functionality… We rebuilt the entire automotive.”

The inside was… one thing else. It took fairly a while for Ian and his group to place it again collectively.

“We might have emulated or copied the inside of the unique present automotive, however the prototype automobiles by no means actually obtained a really subtle, full inside. So we determined to start out once more. Now, I’ve at all times cherished what I name the ski slope; the concept of the sprint operating right down to the middle console, providing you with a pure place for management switches and such. That units up the visible structure. I might say it is a conventional make-up… I’ve at all times mentioned that easy, robust structure makes an important inside, as a result of you may then put extra work into particulars.”

Callum revealed that the automobiles took about 18 months to rework from idea to actuality, which isn’t any small activity. And if one thing breaks? They’re prototype components, however they’ve been designed to be remade if wanted. There are different C-X75 stunt automobiles on the market—although not many—however their house owners have but to knock on Callum’s doorways. After the primary two, you’d hope they do.

The response to the automotive has clearly happy Ian. Though the unique idea brought on such fanfare when it was launched, it appeared destined to finish up as a mannequin in a museum. Almost 15 years after it first got here out, although, it’s lastly a dwelling, respiration automotive in the actual world.

“The very fact we introduced this automotive that was destined to die, now it’s not going to… it refuses to,” muses Callum, “And even the Jaguar skeptics flip round and say: ‘It’s simply essentially the most stunning factor,’ could be very satisfying. Magnificence is timeless, you realize. It labored in 2010 and it nonetheless works now… I at all times have a really robust view—you may’t actually understand to know one thing till you see it within the correct atmosphere.”

“The very fact we introduced this automotive that was destined to die, now it’s not going to… it refuses to.”

Callum is a design consultancy by definition. So when it’s not bringing legendary idea automobiles again to life or designing chairs, whisky bottles, and way more, it’s additionally working with shoppers who’ve particular wants. One such group is the UK’s Motability Operations.

Motability helps disabled folks get into automobiles and preserve shifting, pointing patrons in the precise route of automobiles that can swimsuit their wants. The corporate will do its finest to assist in another way abled folks get on the highway. Callum is working with Motability Operations to create eVITA, an idea for the proper electrical car for disabled drivers.

Photograph by: Callum

“That is all concerning the shopper,” says Callum, “for somebody who’s disabled, in a wheelchair… to present them a greater high quality of life. We examined what’s at the moment obtainable, and with the most effective will on the planet, they’re not preferrred. There’s plenty of effort and engineering that goes into a few of them. However from the notion of the patron, they’re compromised by the character of the origins.”

There’s solely a lot that may be accomplished to a manufacturing car, and with that comes limitations. Callum, however, has a clean sheet of paper to make a car totally match for objective.

Being an EV comes with packaging challenges, however as soon as the group found out the place to place the batteries for max vary, work started on making it as accessible as doable. For wheelchair customers, entry is vital—they want area for his or her chair and a ramp to get themselves into the car. There are third-party options available on the market, however Callum’s automotive can have it inbuilt from the beginning; It’s going to fold itself out as and when wanted, and be a part of the material of the car when it’s not.

Photograph by: Callum

Photograph by: Callum

The Callum group even considered a wise means to verify nobody blocks entry to it whereas the occupants are parked.

“We have a light-weight that shines behind the car if you park up. It lights out a disabled wheelchair patch on the bottom to maintain clear, and it is at all times there on the car if you depart it someplace, leaving markings on the bottom to maintain the realm clear for wheelchair use.”

The group has designed it with wheelchair use on the forefront. Callum notes that in transformed automobiles, usually the wheelchair consumer is on the very again of the automotive, excessive up, and much from any form of enjoyable. The trip isn’t good and it may be isolating. Right here, they’ll be in the course of the second row of seats, a part of the expertise. Incapacity, Callum notes, has no prejudice—it could possibly have an effect on anybody, irrespective of who they’re, or the place they’re from. It’s solely proper to cater for everybody.

Photograph by: Callum

Does that imply it’ll develop into a manufacturing car? The numbers could also be sufficiently big to justify it, however… “When you took the world market, or the European market itself, it [the numbers] type of justifies a manufacturing car. I am not suggesting that is the last word reply, as a result of that is purely to display what might be accomplished.”

Callum’s comparatively quick existence thus far has been one among headline, luxurious, model, and expertise. Its concepts have made headlines, certain, but in addition raised smiles, and evoked heat, fuzzy feelings. Ian Callum and his group are treading a path that others have fallen off—and are making it work.

With Skye, the Motability undertaking, and the whole lot else coming from the manufacturers, there’s tons to look ahead to. And be assured that in one other 5 years, we’ll be trying again on some incredible achievements.