Vintage Thing No.20.1 - the Jetstream SC250
Just by way of a brief update, it's sad to relate that the Jetstream (VT No.20) did not live up to its promise and is no longer available. I saw this machine as a prototype, looking good in bright red at the Royal Cornwall Show in 2008, but it never reached full-scale production from its base in Redruth.
Part of the problem could have been its looks - Car Magazine hated them.
And the guy who was claimed to have designed it, vigorously rejected this claim as this comment on the Car magazine website shows.
"I am Brian Rossi, former Ford Motor Company design executive. Regrettably, the information on the Jetstream SC250 has reached me just recently. I was extremely displeased to find that my name is used in association with this car - all over the web. I should have reacted immediately to clear my name and professional reputation. It may be too late now, but I still want to declare that BRIAN ROSSI HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE "DESIGN" OF JETSTREAM SC250. The appearance of this JETSTREAM is so dreadfully unfortunate I feel sorry for those that have put so much effort and resource into it."
I didn't think it was that bad - it appeared functional and its purpose was to go fast not just be a pose-mobile.
Having re-read my original post I note that two versions were proposed a smooth one and a not so smooth one. The design team went with the not so smooth one as they felt design trends pointed in this direction. Indeed, some of us were beginning to wonder if ugly was "in."
Presumably, somewhere in the execution of the prototype the aesthetics were compromised. Although one or two people have expressed a liking for them, they were always in the minority.
But as Car magazine rather pithily put it, "Who is going to buy it when its rivals are so talented?
At £29,495, its rivals were quite brilliant, namely the Caterham R400 and the Ariel Atom.
Finally, not long after I posted about the Jetstream 250, I heard rumours that the company were in financial difficulties. If they had reached me then no doubt they'd reached prospective customers.
I still feel sad, though, because the Jetstream 250 was to have been made in Cornwall. And its failure could taint other manufacturers down this way.
Part of the problem could have been its looks - Car Magazine hated them.
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| Did the looks of this car sink it? |
"I am Brian Rossi, former Ford Motor Company design executive. Regrettably, the information on the Jetstream SC250 has reached me just recently. I was extremely displeased to find that my name is used in association with this car - all over the web. I should have reacted immediately to clear my name and professional reputation. It may be too late now, but I still want to declare that BRIAN ROSSI HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE "DESIGN" OF JETSTREAM SC250. The appearance of this JETSTREAM is so dreadfully unfortunate I feel sorry for those that have put so much effort and resource into it."
I didn't think it was that bad - it appeared functional and its purpose was to go fast not just be a pose-mobile.
Having re-read my original post I note that two versions were proposed a smooth one and a not so smooth one. The design team went with the not so smooth one as they felt design trends pointed in this direction. Indeed, some of us were beginning to wonder if ugly was "in."
Presumably, somewhere in the execution of the prototype the aesthetics were compromised. Although one or two people have expressed a liking for them, they were always in the minority.
But as Car magazine rather pithily put it, "Who is going to buy it when its rivals are so talented?
At £29,495, its rivals were quite brilliant, namely the Caterham R400 and the Ariel Atom.
Finally, not long after I posted about the Jetstream 250, I heard rumours that the company were in financial difficulties. If they had reached me then no doubt they'd reached prospective customers.
I still feel sad, though, because the Jetstream 250 was to have been made in Cornwall. And its failure could taint other manufacturers down this way.
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