The auto world's attention is currently turned to the dryness of the desert thanks to the 2012 SEMA Show going on in Las Vegas. At least one automaker is making a splash in the water, however. Jaguar has followed the lead of Mercedes-Benz in introducing a boat concept.
The 20-foot-long (6.1 m) Concept Speedboat is a complementary showpiece designed for the international driving debut of the XF Sportbrake. Jaguar has no intention of getting into the boat business, but it uses the concept boat to highlight the XF Sportbrake's recreational versatility.
"We recognize that both our existing and future customers enjoy diverse and active lifestyles," explains Ian Callum, Jaguar design director. "With the launch of the new Jaguar XF Sportbrake, we had an opportunity to create a vision of how our design philosophy might be applied to an alternative product, in which speed and beauty are also priorities."
To reach its vision of a powerful but sleekly styled sea vessel, Jaguar partnered with yacht design outfit Ivan Erdevicki Naval Architecture & Yacht Design Inc. and design firm Seventy Seven Design. The simple but compelling design is defined by a shiny fiberglass hull and teak decking. A carbon fiber fin interrupts the wood decking, providing a visual cue that's reminiscent of the D-Type race car and its aerodynamic driver-side fin. The red 2+1 cabin and Series 1 XJ-style fuel caps provide further evidence of the boat's Jag lineage.
As convincing as it looks, the Concept Speedboat is but a design study shell that's ill prepared for real water transit. Jaguar uses a polished aluminum propeller and pop-up mooring post to allude to the how the boat could be powered and docked.
While Jaguar explicitly states that it has no plans to build or commercialize a boat of any kind, the XF Sportbrake will hit the European market in November.
Source: Jaguar