The rumor mill has been turning faster than ever recently with juicy predictions about the next-generation Jaguar F-Type. Some of these rumors hint at BMW powertrains for the new F-Type while some rumors are even more extreme, suggesting the next-generation car will be mid-engined. But these rumors are news for another day because, at the 2020 Chicago Auto Show, Jaguar arrived with the facelifted 2021 F-Type convertible.

At the show, we had a chance to sit down with Dominic Najafi, Chief Creative Exterior Designer at Jaguar and one of the people responsible for styling the facelifted F-Type. The most significant change to the car is clearly the new front end but after walking around with Najafi, we found out that the facelift includes much deeper details.

We asked Najafi what his inspiration was for this new facelift and he says, the F-Type "is a modern-day hero car. It has given the brand such a huge boost, it is a beautiful car that's influenced all our other cars. But we wanted to really enhance the road presence of the car, especially from the front end. Give it a bit more of an assertive look and a wider stance."

Checking out the white show car with its bold red interior, we quickly observed what Najafi meant about giving the car a wider stance. When we first saw the car in press photos, we actually thought it looked softer than the outgoing model. But once we had a chance to get up close and personal, Jaguar's excellent design language made a huge impression.

"The front end has made a huge change, much more than what other brands would usually do," Najafi explains. "We've got the super-slim headlamps that are now horizontal and a larger grille. Obviously, it is a completely new front end, new bonnet, new lamps, front grille, and it's all about not just that presence but as we get closer to the vehicle you see more details, more attention to detail, and more craftsmanship."

Speaking of attention to detail, Najafi points out "on the lamps, you see our monogram pattern, which is repeated on the taillamps and on the interior stitching. This lovely intricate pattern that is unique to Jaguar. The grill has a really cool F-Type script embossed on the bezel that relates to jewelry being engraved or beautiful watches."

Jaguar has recently announced pricing for the 2021 F-Type, which will be available in 27 different colors including the specialized SV hues. But since we had one of the designers of the car on hand, we had to ask which color he would choose for his personal F-Type.

"I've been thinking about this because if I was lucky enough to order one of these cars, it would take me ages to choose - there are some really good combinations. The Sorrento Yellow R has a real kind of quality to it. It's not flat yellow. It's like a real metallic yellowness, especially with the black pack combination. Because now with the black pack, all of the badges go black as well. This adds an extra touch of stealth. So the yellow is cool, but obviously not for shy people," he says.

But although Najafi enjoys the outrageous new yellow, he would personally go with a more "gentleman racer style." He says "there's a beautiful color called Eiger Grey. I think I'd get that with the tan leather. That's just a lovely sophisticated combination, the gray and the natural light picks up a lot blue. And so you get this lovely blue that highlights the gray. The tan leather is really it's a timeless kind of luxury feeling."

Jaguar also pointed out to CarBuzz that it has brought back British Racing Green as an available color for the 2021 F-Type. "It's a new green as well. We really want is to give it new lease of life," Najafi says. "It's actually got much more travel, so it's not as flat as it was. It's really dark in the shadows, almost black, but then in the lights, it is a very vibrant green."

So Sorrento Yellow might be one of the new launch colors and Eiger Grey might be the personal favorite of the car's designer, but put us down as wanting a British Racing Green F-Type with a tan leather interior.