A historic brand in cars. A historic signature in design. Put the two together and you get an explosive new concept car called the Jaguar B 99 (B stands for Bertone), which 99 year old Bertone, one of the most ancient design brand in the world, will present in its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show (March 3-13).
The B 99 projects Jaguar's classic style into the future with refined Bertone elegance, exploring a fascinating new form language with sleek lines and smooth volumes. The result is a compact, four-door sedan (4.5 m long, 1.35 m tall, and 1.95 m wide) that fits perfectly into the D segment. Starting with a classic three-volume architecture, Bertone designers have shaped a taut, muscular body with strong character, entirely constructed with handmade aluminum panels in true Italian "coachbuilder" tradition. The unique personality of the luxury sports sedan is emphasized by the sophisticated minimalism outside and in, with the exclusive use of prestigious materials inside the cockpit such as soft Italian leather, brushed aluminum and high-gloss African wood.
Bertone will present not only the luxury sedan in Geneva but also a full GT2 race version, maintaining the exceptional "double soul" tradition of the Jaguar brand, adding high speed aero appendages and aggressive graphics to the jet set wafting car.
In terms of technological innovation, the B 99 uses a full hybrid long range power system tuned by Bertone Energy (the newest Bertone division dedicated to renewable energy research). Bertone has been studying alternative powertrains for the past twenty years, with many examples including full electric "extreme" concept cars like the 1992 Blitz or 1994 Zer record car, which was the first full electric car to break the 300 km/h speed barrier in the world.
With the 2011 Jaguar B99 concept car, Bertone establishes a new record in its 99 year history as the only Italian designer to have created five different Jaguars. The previous models are the 1957 XK 150, produced in a limited edition of four copies, the 1966 Jaguar FT concept car, the 1967 Jaguar Pirana, and 1977Jaguar Ascot.
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