Ford Escort RS Cosworth
Two men, Ian Callum and Peter Horbury, were responsible for the design of the iconic Cozzi. Because Callum already had experience in designing sports cars, it is not surprising that the project was entrusted to him – Ian outlined a general concept of how a hatchback adapted to the rally should look. Based on this concept, Frank Stevenson made the necessary changes to the Escort’s design.
The four-wheel-drive hatchback has won 10 World Rally Championship titles and countless regional victories. And though the Escort RS Cosworth failed to become as iconic a car as the Sierra from Cosworth, in terms of inherent potential the car was a head above its older sister – there are cases when tuners raised the power of the two-liter “four” from 227 powers to 600 or higher. In the period from 1992 to 1996, slightly more than 7 thousand of these cars were made.
Nissan R390
The Racing Puma version was created with the help of Tom Walkinshaw, a famous automotive engineer who had a hand in many race cars. Most of Wakinshaw’s designs were for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Australian Touring Car Championship, and Ian Callum was involved in creating one of the Le Mans cars – he had left Ford at the time to join TWR, while helping Aston Martin through difficult times.
As for R390, the car turned out to be quite successful: the pole in the debut of 1997 (in the race, however, cars got off because of problems with the gearbox), the third, fifth and sixth place in 1998 – just after the Porsche 911 GT1. After the 1998 season, the GT1 class regulations changed and the R390 was left out. The car was equipped with a 3.5-liter twin-supercharged V8 engine, which developed 650 horsepower. Under homologation rules, one road-going R390 was built, which went through several upgrades during its life and now lives in a Nissan museum.
Aston Martin DB9
Most sources insist that Henrik Fisker is the chief designer of the Aston Martin DB9, even the ubiquitous Wikipedia. However, Callum states the following: “Ninety-nine point nine percent of the DB9 design is mine – he who has eyes will see how much it resembles the Vanquish.” You really can’t argue with that. The DB9 was so successful that it was produced for 12 years, from 2004 to 2016, without any major changes.
The Grand Tourer was produced in both closed and open versions (Volante), equipped with a 5.9-liter V12, the power of which gradually grew. The roots of the engine go back to the days when Aston Martin was owned by Ford. The gearbox was only automatic, but several companies in Great Britain could replace the automatic with a “manual” for a token five-figure fee.
Jaguar F-Type
There is hardly a person who would find the F-Type frankly ugly. And can a car, which is a modern reading of the legendary E-Type, be ugly? The F-Type is one of the two cars that Callum is most proud of. It’s replacing the XK coupe, but I don’t think many people are saddened by that replacement.
The F-Type has a wide range of engines, from four-cylinders to a mighty V8 with a compressor. Drive is both rear and all-wheel drive. Despite the fact that the F-Type was warmly received by both customers and the press, today it has three problems: it is a little outdated, it is expensive and it will be difficult to replace it with something else. Especially when Callum has, by and large, fallen out of favor.
Jaguar I-Pace
Perhaps the biggest “parting gift” from Callum. The car that won the most prestigious European Car of the Year and World Car of the Year awards this year. A car that has been called the first real answer to Tesla – and judging by sales results, it really is. And, finally, the car that opened a new page of history for Jaguar – the company’s first electric car did not turn out to be that puffy, vague pancake.
Although the silhouette of I-Pace significantly differs from other “Jaguars” and is more subordinated to aerodynamics, the crossover unmistakably reads “British cat” – with a characteristic (fake) radiator grille, narrow headlights and spectacular stern. It is propelled by a pair of electric motors, the total output of which is 400 horsepower.