Jaguar's polarising Type 00 concept makes UK public debut at Goodwood

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Plenty happened in 2024. 

President Trump won a controversial second term, Keir Starmer and Labour were voted into number 10, Team GB won 65 medals at the Paris Olympics, Lewis Hamilton moved to Ferrari, and Taylor Swift embarked on the highest grossing music tour of all time.

But the widespread reaction to these events paled in comparison to the stir caused by British car maker Jaguar, which last year hit a supersonic-level reset on its 100-year history with a polarising rebrand that saw it ditch the iconic big cat logo.

It all began with a new 'brand identity' unveiling in November, spearheaded by a 30-second social media video that proposed to 'copy nothing' and 'delete ordinary' using a selection of distinctive models - but not one single car. 

This triggered a - mostly angry - reaction from every man and his dog, with Nigel Farage, Elon Musk and Rory Sutherland casting their verdict on what was widely dubbed a 'woke' move by the legendary British marque.

Then in December, Jaguar unveiled the Type 00 design vision concept at Art Basel in Miami - a super coupe that's a 'result of brave, unconstrained creative thinking, and unwavering determination'. And nothing like Jaguar fans had ever seen before - or anyone for that matter.

Now in the heatwave summer of 2025, after a schedule of high-profile public appearances, the Type 00 has arrived at Goodwood Festival of Speed for its highly anticipated UK public debut.

And This is Money's Freda Lewis-Stempel got a first look at it in the flesh. So, here are the five things to know about the Type 00 from our up close and personal observations - buckle up for the unexpected...

Jaguar has showcased its dramatic Type 00 concept to the British public for the first time at Goodwood Festival of Speed this week. Is it the most high-profile and divisive concept car in modern history?

This is Money's Freda Lewis-Stempel got a first look up at it in the flesh. So, here are the five things to know about the Type 00 from our up close and personal observations 

1. It will spearhead Jaguar's decision to be an EV-only brand

Caught beneath the avalanche of social media and mainstream news agendas bemoaning Jaguar's rebrand campaign calling it 'woke', is the important point that Jaguar is now an electric-only car brand.

Despite being renowned for its iconic engines – the XK in-line six and the V12 to name two of the most famous specimens – Jaguar is one of the first heritage car makers to fully commit to electric models from here on out.

After its hiatus period concludes in 2026 (Jaguar stopped selling cars for 12 months in the UK) the four-door GT that follows the Type 00 prototype will be the first of three new premium EV models the British brand brings to market.

The electric GT is the spearhead of Jaguar's 'Reimagine' strategy that will make the Coventry brand fully electric and more upmarket luxury performance brand.

The announcement was first made by JLR in 2021, with 2025 the deadline date for the switch. Well, it's stuck to that, and the Type 00 is living proof.

So, whatever you think of Jaguar's rebrand, you can't say it does U-turns.

The Concept 00 was originally unveiled at Art Basel in Miami last December. Goodwood Festival of Speed is the UK public's first chance to see the car in the flesh

Crowds gathered around the Concept 00 on Thursday as Goodwood Festival of Speed. Showgoers flocked to get their first glimpse of Jaguar's polarising EV future and rebrand

2. The E-Type link means Jaguar's not completely done with heritage

If you've got the E-Type in the vault, you'd be silly to not reference it now and then, even if just subtly, because well you can.

The E-Type really made Jaguar. It arrived at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show out of nowhere, and was agreed to be one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Its icon status made Jaguar the manufacturer of desirable and beautiful sports cars.

And Jaguar Land Rover chief executive Adrian Mardell says they want the 00 to resurrect that 'same sense of awe that surrounded famed models like the E-Type.' Squint into the sunlight and there's a touch of the E-Type about the Type 00's silhouette and the sweeping fastback roofline.

The 00 name represents it being the first car in the new design line-up, and its zero emissions – ergo two zeros – as well as a nod to the old Jaguar's sudden appearance on the scene.

‹ Slide me ›

The most beautiful car in the world - that's what the E-Type quickly became known as when it arrived at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show (left). Concept 00, which debuted at Art Basel in Miami in December 2024 (right), has triggered a contrasting response

Jaguar has said that the Type 00 is a 'digital detox' because the screens inside can be folded away 

The interior is unlike any car we've ever seen with wool-mix seats and untreated brass frames (that will tarnish as it ages naturally). It's as light and airy as a five star spa

The seats are supported by this travertine stone plinth running through the car

3. It's a digital detox on wheels

Lift those butterfly doors and you enter a futuristic take on a spa.

It's so light and airy you feel like you should waft your way around the interior at all times, channeling your inner Chrissie Rucker.

A travertine stone plinth supports the seats and the centre spine that runs the length of the interior. The strikethrough motif makes its way inside onto the dash and behind the seats.

Three brass bars frame the cabin and accent against the muted white wool-blend seats and door panels. The brass hasn't been treated so over time they'll change cover – a sort of living Feng Shui we suppose?

The spa goes spiritual with these 'totem' physical keys - another way to reduce screen use within the car

Enhancing the Feng Shui further is the way that the two huge screens fold up into the dash – the digital detox in action – with just essential information displayed on a thin screen at the bottom of the windshield.

Adjusting interior features like ambient lighting and screen displays requires you to select a 'totem' physical key, made from brass, travertine and alabaster, from the Type 00's 'prism case' and slot it into the central cubby.

Jaguar says its future model will no longer be sold in conventional car showrooms as part of its plans for 'reframing the customer relationship'

Paris' 8th arrondissement will be home to Jaguar's first 'curated brand store' which will see the production GT sold there. Expect a quiet luxury shopping experience

The boutique showrooms in which Jaguar's future EV's will be sold will adopt a designer shopping experience - think induvial appointments with champagne and amuse-bouche

This tie-in with fashion, design and the designer mirrors Jaguar unveiling the Type 00 at Art Basel to connect with the younger, creative audience that attends the annual Miami art week

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Jaguar's new EV officially revealed: Type 00 comes in Miami Pink or London Blue - would YOU snap one up?

4. The Type 00 will not be sold in a traditional showroom

Well it is a prototype so not being sold is expected. The production GT however will be.

But the Type 00 unveil also comes with Jaguar's promise that, while it's not ditching its current customers and dealers, it is 'reframing the customer relationship'.

Jaguar plans to slash its UK dealership network by around 75 per cent from 80 to around 20 concentrated in the most affluent areas - as part of its radical plans to go electric-only in 2026, selling around 60,000 cars a year of its new more expensive line up, say bosses.

The first of its curated brand stores will be located in Paris' Golden Triangle, the 8th arrondissement fashion district.

We're expecting a designer shopping experience - individual appointments with champagne and amuse-bouche no doubt.

This tie-in with fashion, design and the designer mirrors Jaguar unveiling the Type 00 at Art Basel to connect with the younger, creative audience that attends the annual Miami art week.

When Jaguar unveiled its new brand campaign it used the words of founding father Sir William Lyons: 'A Jaguar should be a a copy of nothing'

Jaguar says 'Exuberant Modernism' is the new design language and everything else is out the window

The cars' unveiling in Florida comes after Jaguar bosses admitted going out of their way to court controversy with a similarly 'exuberant' but polarising rebranding and marketing campaign designed to get the car-firm 'talked about'

5. Exuberant Modernism is the name of the Jaguar game

The four-door GT promises be a 'copy of nothing' - words Jaguar's founding father, Sir William Lyons, memorably first said.

At over five metres long and carrying enough metal to rival the Eiffel Tower it certainly is a one-of-one.

The long bonnet, broad stance, clean shaved angles, square face and sleek rear haunches and slinky tail give a Rolls-Royce Spectre meets Pink Panther look, especially in the 'Rhodon Rose' (or Miami Pink as it's been redubbed) colourway.

Not to mention those 23-inch wheels to beef it up.

It teases what the real production GT will be like when it arrives in 2026.

The road car is rumoured to start from around £100,000 and to have a range of 478 miles from its electric motor.

Until it hits the streets we won't know for certain, but expect it to be the most anticipated launch we've had in decades.

Jaguar bosses admitted they happily courted controversy with the 'exuberant' but polarising rebranding and marketing campaign, and wanted to get the British brand 'talked about'

Petrolheads visiting Goodwood's Festival of Speed on Thursday were the first to have the opportunity to view the Type 00 in the flesh

The concept signals the look of future Jaguar EVs. It features an enormously long bonnet, sweeping roofline, no rear window, two upwardly-mobile butterfly-wing doors, flush surfaces and a slatted panoramic roof

The new era for Jaguar will start with a four-door GT grand tourer already seen in camouflage disguise on test set to be revealed in late 2025 ahead of first sales in 2026. It will have a promised electric-only range of 478 miles on a single charge and be able to add 200 miles with just 15 minutes of rapid charging

Public opinion on the new dawn of Jaguar - and why the brand is a believer that all publicity is good publicity 

Jaguar bosses admitted they happily courted controversy with the 'exuberant' but polarising rebranding and marketing campaign, and wanted to get the British brand 'talked about'. 

The social media ad featured a diverse range of colourfully dressed models on a barren rocky pink alien landscape resembling Mars - but no actual car – with slogans such as: 'create exuberance, 'live vivid', 'delete ordinary'.

It was designed to 'shock, surprise and polarise', and to 'divide opinion'. 

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First glimpse of Jaguar's make-or-break £100k electric car as British firm gears up for EV-only rebrand in 2026

So, Jaguar said it was a 'mission accomplished' but the rest of the world - marketing specialists, petrol heads and Jaguar owners, members of the general public, even MPs - dismissed it as 'ridiculous', 'woke', 'weird', 'unhinged', and 'a car crash in slow motion.' 

Leading classic Jaguar enthusiast and owner' clubs accused Jaguar bosses of having a 'death wish' for the century-old firm.

Jaguar managing director Rawdon Glover said some of the criticism displayed a 'level of vile hatred and intolerance' and, in a pointed rebuttal of Reform Party leader Nigel Farage's prediction that Jaguar 'will now go bust', said: 'The average age of the Jaguar client is quite old and getting older. We've got to access a completely different audience.

'That audience isn't centred around people of the demographic of Mr Farage.

Executives say they are starting from 'a clean sheet' to reinvent the company because most of its future customers, it argues, don't even know about current Jaguar or its rich heritage

And, as with any good gamble ever made, there is 'no plan B'.