Callum Skye to make public debut on Savile Row
Order books are also open for the futuristic buggy, with prices starting at £80,000.
Warwickshire-based brand Callum has, for the first time, revealed the interior of its new Skye creation and announced its public debut on Savile Row in London this week.
The all-wheel, off-roading electric buggy was first revealed as a prototype in November last year and is Callum’s first own-brand car to be designed and engineered in-house at its Warwick facility. It is powered by a 42kWh battery which can be fully charged in less than 10 minutes. In terms of range, it can achieve around 170 miles and 0-60mph can be done in under four seconds thanks, in part, to its 1,150kg weight - making it one of the lightest EVs on the market.
Prices for the Skye will range between £80,000-£110,000 and will be available in a range of different specs, with some more focussed on off-roading and others tailored to be on the road. Further details will be released as the year progresses.
Callum began life in 2019 and is named after British designer Ian Callum, one of its founders renowned for his work on the Aston Martin Vanquish, DB7 and DB9 as well as 20 years at Jaguar in the role of Director of Design. Before that, he had successful periods designing cars for Ford and TWR.
Ahead of its appearance on Savile Row, Callum has shown us the Skye’s interior for the first time. There are two sporty seats in the front and room for two on the rear bench seat that can be removed for extra luggage space. The centre console is sleek and minimalistic and features touchscreen dials. The central screen is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible.
“In order to maximise the room, it’s essential to keep the interior forms simple,” explains Ian Callum. “The interior design intention is incredibly disciplined; we’ve edited our vision to only include necessary elements, giving the driver and passengers everything they need while avoiding wasted space. It uses clean yet sophisticated geometric shapes that complement the beautiful forms showcased on the exterior. With the elegant simplicity of the interior, we retain the honesty of Skye being a capable and durable lifestyle vehicle, while offering a refined cabin experience.”
According to engineering director Adam Donfrancesco, the Callum Skye release will be an “exclusive low volume production”. May other own brand models follow in the future? Last year, I attended the reveal of Callum’s collaborative effort with Nyobolt. The result was a modern day Lotus Elise capable of charging in less than six minutes. For those sitting on the fence when it comes to making the switch to electric vehicles, these kinds of innovative ideas may go some way to persuading them.
The Callum Skye will make its public debut at the Concours on Savile Row on 22nd May.
words: Mike Booth
pictures: CALLUM