Jaguar World Magazine Sportinggreats XK E-type XJS XK8 Back Issue

Though the never-ending advancement
of technology is in most respects both
a blessing and a necessity for car
manufacturers, one aspect of current
computer wizardry must have their designers
permanently cheesed off – the computer
generated images of the next ‘big thing’.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen
the ‘exclusive’ banner across the front of weekly
automotive magazines with an accompanying and
impressive looking shot of the new Mercedes, the
new Aston Martin or, as has been the case on several
occasions recently, the new Jaguar. Turn inside to
read the story and look at the image, however, and in
almost every case there will be a small picture credit
somewhere or other to an anonymous computer
graphics wizard…
After numerous ‘exclusive’ new Jaguar sports
cars and coupes, the latest new model to have been
deemed worthy of computer generated imagery is
the forthcoming XJ. In response, Jaguar has done
something rather smart – which is to release a single
image of the real thing way ahead of its launch in
July. The image in question is a genuine overhead
shot which, though unsullied by
someone else’s imagination, gives
just enough away to intrigue
without making the launch
itself an irrelevance.
And when it comes to
the launch, it will certainly
be an interesting one. I’ve
commented before on how
unfortunate it is that Jaguar
will soon have what should
be its best product line up in
years, but at a time when the global
economy is in meltdown. Nevertheless,
there’s no point in putting things back. I’m sure
Jaguar’s top brass are currently ordering in brave pills
for the months ahead, but I’m equally sure the car
will be exceptional.