Jaguar developed many great models in the 1980s. But the XJ-S V12 HE Lynx Eventer has undoubtedly the highest fashion score, the result of a collaboration with Paolo Gucci.
1987 Paolo Gucci’s XJ-S V12 HE Lynx Events was intended to be the first in a series of limited edition cars. But a small legal problem halted the project.
Anyone who knows the history of fashion (or has seen the movie House of Gucci) knows that there was a real storm in the Gucci family and its luxury companies in the 1980s.
Fashion designer Paolo Gucci spent most of the decade in a brutal legal battle with his father, Aldo.
He ended up maneuvering the elderly out of the company and then telling the authorities that Aldo had not paid his taxes. Not exactly the perfect son.
The king of fashion
But he was really good at styling, and he was the one who put the famous Gucci logo with the Double G. And of course he wanted to design a car that would go with his luxury bags.
But then not every brand was enough. The choice fell on the prestigious British company Jaguar. Also in choosing the car model, he was picky but eventually stuck with the Jaguar XJ-S Gran Tourer, a car that has been associated with luxury as much as performance.
was paulo However, I didn’t feel like working with any XJ-S, but in the end it caught my eye Eventsa special firing-brake version of the model designed by British Linux.
Unfortunately, the car never went into production despite being shown at the 1990 Geneva Motor Show.
By that time, Paola had already left the family business, but legal problems persisted and the first 20 copies had to be scrapped.
Gucci’s lawyers managed to get past that Paolo was no longer allowed to use the Gucci brand in any way, so in the end it was just One Single rolled copy of tape.
Two shades of blue
But what did the roaring cover look like then? Well, Paulo chose to paint the car in two shades of blue cut in a thin line in orange.
The interior is a mixture of blue stained ash wood and hand-tanned Italian leather upholstery.
The instrument panel has modified discs and the leather steering wheel is inlaid with luxurious semi-precious stones as they suggest. But if you’re a fashion king, so are you.
At some point along the way, the luxury version of the Paolo Gucci and Jaguar collaboration ended up in the hands of enthusiast Ian Berg in 2015. Since then, the car has undergone a complete makeover and has been returned to its former glory.
1987 XJ-S V12 HE Lynx Events by Paolo Gucci and presented by Bonhams and part of this year’s edition of the Goodward Festival of Speed Sale. Rob’s report.
See more photos over here
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