When I saw this brochure cover for a 1958 Jaguar XK150, there was something oddly familiar-feeling about the unusual layout and design. The layout doesn’t really feel automotive, as such. The context of the car is just so far removed from how we deal with cars, as big rolling things that rest on a road, that we get inside. The imagery here, of the car popping eagerly through a hole punched, trompe l’oeil-style, in the cover of the brochure, its wide-eyed, eager face staring wall-eyed out into the world, feels more like, well, the start of an old kids’ television show. The Jag would pop out just after the riotous theme song ended, perhaps honking a couple of times.
You know what this feels like? It feels like this:
Oh, Gonzo, how are you so great?
It reminded me of bits of Laugh In. Or is something only us olds remember?
A trompe l’oeil reference in a car site. Another reason to love The Autopean.
The Great Muppet Caper.
What’s a caper?
I think it’s a small chicken.
Looney Tunes.
I still harbor utterly impractical/financially disastrous dreams of buying an old Jag to work on in my retirement, specifically the XK-120 or XK-150 but more realistically an XJ. This cold start brought those dreams back up, and now I’ve spent time looking online.
Thankfully I have neither the funds, time or space to make this dream happen. Regardless, damn you, Torch.
Fonzie drives a PT Cruiser for sure.
He famously rode a motorcycle.
Hey! I resemble that remark!
I think you mean Fozzie, but he most certainly drives a Studebaker:
Quote from Fozzie in the 1979 classic Muppet Movie: “Ahhh, a bear in his natural habitat – a Studebaker.”
I am here for the car/Muppet crossover content.
It reminds me of my dog when she peeks at the kitchen counter.
Lovely car, indeed.
Given that unfortunate bit of unintended acceleration at the reveal, the marketing team made the best of it.
Also, Animal and Gonzo are the best Muppets.
In the top three, certainly.
Swedish Chef has to be on that list.
It has a great face to be a children’s television character: it looks wide-eyed and the bumper gives the impression of an underbite. The grill gives it a big nose, much like our friend Gonzo. I’d choose a different paint color, but it is otherwise ready for its big break.