Caterham turns to Jannarelly for Chief Designer
Creator of the Design-1 and Seven owner brought in to lead a Caterham design revolution
That Caterham is marking 50 years in 2023 with huge leaps forward like factory expansion and senior recruitment reflects what a significant anniversary it is. The half-century will not simply be marked by a stripes-and-stickers anniversary special (though that’d be nice as well); it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to see 2023 as the dawn of a new Caterham era.
Now it’s been confirmed that Anthony Jannarelly, founder of Jannarelly Automotive and designer of the Design-1, is Caterham’s new Chief Designer. He boasts a career that includes jewellery, architecture and yacht design, but it will surely be his eponymous sports car for which Jannarelly will have been hired. The Design-1 neatly incorporated classic styling cues with the requirements of modern design, which is exactly what Caterham will need when it comes to updating the Seven. It would be daft to ditch half a century of heritage (not least because previous attempts to do so haven’t always been popular), but as Caterham seeks to reinvent its back-to-basics appeal under VT Holdings, so it doesn’t want to trade too heavily on what’s gone before. Jannarelly, as the owner of a Seven and with the Design-1 to his name, should be well placed to understand the brief.
“My vision for a future Caterham will explore my retro-futuristic design philosophy. I want to take the best of both worlds, the elegance and simplicity of the past combined with the proportions and precision details of a modern sports car”, he said.
Jannarelly will work with CEO Bob Laishley on a consultancy basis ‘as the brand looks to shape the design language of future products beyond the existing Seven model range.’ It’s really happening, people - how exciting. Laishley added: “We are incredibly excited to have Anthony on board. He understands Caterham as a brand, is a proven designer in the sports car space, and shares the vision of the future that I, Kazuho Takahashi and the rest of the board at VT Holdings have for the company going forward. He is the perfect fit for us.” Good news indeed - expect more during this very important year for Caterham.
Jannarelly managed to make a mid-engined car look like a classic front-engined coupe (and a roadster version). He should be able to do what the 21 the AeroSeven failed to do. Create a modern design that has the style of a classic.
Although if Caterham is planning an EV future, I don’t think a stylish design will be enough to save it.
Jannarelly managed to make a mid-engined car look like a classic front-engined coupe (and a roadster version). He should be able to do what the 21 the AeroSeven failed to do. Create a modern design that has the style of a classic.
Although if Caterham is planning an EV future, I don’t think a stylish design will be enough to save it.
If I am right, that could be a life saver for Caterham along with Jannarelly on board.
This design has been doing the rounds for the past 4 years though (at least)
I'd love to see some of that on the roads, but is it progressing?
ETA link
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
J are making stunning looking little (important) cars.
Their website is still working, but surely Caterham wouldn't be employing one of their founders if he was still involved with building what effectively is a competitor?
Their website is still working, but surely Caterham wouldn't be employing one of their founders if he was still involved with building what effectively is a competitor?
As for this move, well, he can clearly design a pretty car, but I'm not sure I envy anyone trying and come up with a Caterham that isn't a Seven. As someone said above, Caterham is the Seven. They're going to need big investment to take on any of the big players too.
I really hope this venture is a success all the same though, as I love Caterhams. Definitely a bucket list car for me.
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