Always Remember, Never Forget.(Column)

Byline: Dutch Mandel

As the world mourned the fifth anniversary of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, I was reminded of what took place leading to those fateful, numbing moments. No, they do not begin to approach the global impact we felt, whose reverberation continues to shock, but on another day these moments would last with anyone.

More than a few in the car business were in Frankfurt, Germany, for the biennial motor show. It's an enormous physical footprint spread over 10 buildings. Temperatures usually range from frigid to knockwurst-sweltering; one year a Scandinavian journo keeled over from a heart attack primed by a superheated, un-air-conditioned venue. In 2001 it rained.

Before that day's tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001, I fell in love, and was then heartbroken. And after we pried ourselves from televisions and phone calls home, I was reintroduced to the power of goodness.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Jaguar chief designer Ian Callum unveiled as stunning a car as the world has seen. The R Coupe concept embodied everything right in design: Athletic, lithe, sexy, powerful, emotional and evocative, and it said to everyone it was a Jaguar.

Three hours after a silken sheath rose from hiding its metallic green haunches, the first plane struck the World Trade Center. At that moment the car, the design, ...