2026 Callum XJ220 GT1 Project
By Lorenzo Bianchi August 8, 2026
Callum Designs, Ian Callum's independent studio, has revealed side-profile and rear three-quarter images of a modern reinterpretation of the Jaguar XJ220, timed to its 35th anniversary.
A second model, the XJ220 GT1, reimagines the GT-racing XJ220-C with a front splitter and prominent rear wing.
Both cars are described by the studio as "portfolio projects" with no confirmed production intent, though a one-off build isn't ruled out for the right client.
Ian Callum has never quite let go of the Jaguar XJ220, and now his own design studio is putting that attachment on display. Callum Designs, the veteran designer's independent studio, has released the first images of a modern reinterpretation of the XJ220, timed to the supercar's 35th anniversary. The XJ220 originally topped out at 217 mph when Jaguar and TWR built it decades ago, a number that made it the fastest production car in the world at the time, and Callum's new project revisits that legacy through a fresh design lens rather than a straight restoration.
A Familiar Silhouette, Reworked in Places
Only the side profile and rear three-quarter angle have been shown so far, and those two views already tell a story of what's changed and what's been kept. The egg-shaped window cutouts that defined the original XJ220 are back, carried over almost as a signature element. The rear fenders, though, have been flattened compared with the more rounded, fluid shape of the 1990s original, giving the new car a slightly different visual weight over the rear haunches.
Echoes of an Earlier Callum Concept
The side vents and overall profile bear a resemblance to the Jaguar CX-75, a concept Callum designed back in 2010 during his time at Jaguar. That earlier concept featured a prominent S-duct running through the hood, a detail that doesn't appear to carry over to this new XJ220 project based on the images released.
A Track-Focused Sibling: The XJ220 GT1
Alongside the road-going reinterpretation, Callum also revealed a second model: the XJ220 GT1, his own take on the XJ220-C that once competed in GT-class racing. The GT1 version adds a front splitter and a noticeably prominent rear wing, aero pieces that push the car's stance toward competition use. Design-wise, the GT1 keeps the same visual trick as its road-going sibling — the bodywork reads as one continuous surface, with the spoiler's uprights appearing to grow directly out of the rear haunches rather than sitting as a separate, bolted-on piece.
Portfolio Project, Not (Yet) a Production Car
Callum Designs is calling both the road car and the GT1 "portfolio projects," a term the studio uses for design studies rather than confirmed production vehicles. As of this release, there's no production intent attached to either model. The studio has floated the idea that a sufficiently motivated — or sufficiently wealthy — client could change that equation and push one of these designs toward an actual one-off build, though nothing beyond that possibility has been confirmed.
Positioning a Design Study Against the Original
Because these are studio-led reinterpretations rather than a Jaguar-backed program, the XJ220 project sits in a different lane than typical revivals from major manufacturers. It's closer in spirit to bespoke coachbuilding work, drawing on Callum's own design history — both his stewardship of the original XJ220 era and his later CX-75 concept — to reimagine what the car might look like today. No pricing, interior details or mechanical specifications have been part of this reveal, and Callum Designs has released only exterior imagery of the two projects so far.