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Famed Jaguar XJ13 Receives a Striking Redesign With This Futuristic Study

Occasionally, a concept comes forth that grabs your attention, whatever the reasons. Sometimes it’s the tech, sometimes it’s the look, and sometimes it’s a mixture of both.
Jaguar VL Concept 9 photos
Photo: Jaeheon Lee
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Ladies and gents, I give you the Jaguar VL, a rendering from the mind of Jaeheon Lee, a transportation design student from South Korea. This personal project was created with a focus on Jaguar vehicles, the legendary XJ13 prototype racer more specifically. At first, the 13 may not be so obvious, but upon closer inspection, some of its cues are visible.

The main feature resembling the one-of-a-kind ride from Jag is how the driver and passenger sit well below the wheel wells. That creates an absolutely menacing look, both in this concept and the original vehicle. The second striking feature is the gaping front end. Everything else, on the other hand, is anything but a Le Mans prototype.

To get a better understanding of the VL, a few things need to be mentioned. Like other projects of this kind, this one, too, is meant to investigate the possibilities the future could reveal. In the process, a few technological and design ideas are included.

Jaguar VL Concept
Photo: Jaeheon Lee
One of the VL's most striking features is the massive amount of bodywork that is missing from the front, rear, and sides. Don’t worry, the VL isn’t held together by magnetic systems that could fail, leaving you disassembled on the side of the road. Instead, this design is similar to an EV platform, where four individual motors are attached to a "skateboard." However, Mr. Lee makes no mention that this concept is electric or that this is the way it’s all set up.

As for the roof, it joins the rear wheel wells after hovering over the cockpit. Aside from just looking damn cool, it would appear as if Mr. Lee considered the aerodynamics of such a design. That's because dropping the front of the roof just a tad below the engine compartment results in as little wind resistance as possible. Then again, the entire design revolves around a lack of wind resistance, hence the lack of many body panels. Something you may have never seen before is the floating aileron at the rear; this is where it looks like magnetics might play a role. I don’t really see any other explanation for this feature.

Jaguar VL Concept
Photo: Jaeheon Lee
Now, for the tech, the VL is the sort of vehicle meant for racing, just like the 13 that inspired it. Because of this, the interior is reserved not only for a driver but a technician as well. Remember, this is a car of the future, and in that future, your view of the road will be completely digitalized. Yes, the VL offers no visibility of the road you’re on. Instead, all track conditions are displayed via a digital interface, personalized depending on who the viewer is, a technician or a driver.

The driver is shown information regarding track conditions, speed, and other details pertaining to driving strategy, all on his or her steering wheel. Some information is also presented on the large sweeping panel found at the feet of the crew. As for the technician, information regarding vehicle status, suspension, fuel consumption, and even tire wear is shown on a UI. The information is then relayed to the driver for optimal performance.

Sure, it may be a long shot, but the beauty in ideas such as these is that they offer a glimpse into a possible future. Heck, maybe you’ll never see this actual vehicle on the road someday, but some of its tech and ideas could make it to the real world.
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About the author: Cristian Curmei
Cristian Curmei profile photo

A bit of a nomad at heart (being born in Europe and raised in several places in the USA), Cristian is enamored with travel trailers, campers and bikes. He also tests and writes about urban means of transportation like scooters, mopeds and e-bikes (when he's not busy hosting our video stories and guides).
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