D type lynx?

Author
Discussion

JPF40

Original Poster:

350 posts

230 months

Monday 21st April 2014
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Anyone know this vehicle? Looks stunning.

http://www.modeme-automobiles.com/modeme-automobil...

Flatinfourth

591 posts

137 months

Monday 21st April 2014
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Chris Keith Lucas has to be the man to ask, very nice chap!

a8hex

5,829 posts

222 months

Monday 21st April 2014
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JPF40 said:
Anyone know this vehicle? Looks stunning.

http://www.modeme-automobiles.com/modeme-automobil...
On here Lowdrag in the Lynx specialist, I don't think Chris Keith Lucas ever posts here (I'd second Flatinfouth's comment).
If that really is a Lynx D then it's awfully cheap. CKL are listing a Lynx at £225K currently.

http://www.ckl.co.uk/index_files/Page5720.htm

rallycross

12,747 posts

236 months

Monday 21st April 2014
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The ad says it's a 2010 TWR Proteus/Lynx.

ToneyCaroney

1,032 posts

183 months

Monday 21st April 2014
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It's a Proteus not a Lynx. There is a link between the two companies but they are completely different cars. Price is probably about right then for what it is.

As said, Lowdrag will, no doubt, have the full lowdown.

Elderly

3,486 posts

237 months

Monday 21st April 2014
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a8hex said:
If that really is a Lynx D then it's awfully cheap. CKL are listing a Lynx at £225K currently.
They can list at whatever price they like, but it often bears little relationship to true value.
CKL are also listing a Zealia semi-lightweight e-type @ £82k, that car has been for sale for about 4 years now.
A very similar Zealia creation was sold in auction recently at Bonham's and IIRC it made £46k, probably about the 'right' price.

lowdrag

12,869 posts

212 months

Monday 21st April 2014
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OMG, this car again. No, it is registered as a Lynx but isn't a Lynx. The last car made and built by Lynx was in IIRC 2,001 or thereabouts and was a low drag E-type which is currently on the market here:-

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C469024

I tried to buy it from Lynx new but we were £10,000 apart, but suffice to say about half the asking price which I see has already reduced £30,000 since a couple of months back.

The car in question here is actually constructed from a Polish built Proteus shell, Proteus and Lynx by then having the same owner. I went there to see the new emporium in 2010 and took these photos:-









Instead of torsion bar suspension the car has XJ6 IRS at the front. The quality of the shells we saw there was certainly rudimentary, that is to say OK but nowhere near the quality of a Lynx build of old from 1975 up until the 90s. I am pretty sure that the owner of this car might still be Eric Mathevet who had the shell built up into a Hawthorn 1955 copy by TWR Replicas of Baughurst, he who builds XJ13 replicas, and somehow, don't ask me how, the car managed to get registered in France in Normandy - as a Lynx. After a year it was to be found on the market as a Lynx, and I wrote to M. Mathevet about it. his reply was that he had bought the shell from Lynx as a Lynx shell so it was a Lynx. He seemed to have no idea that it was actually built in Poland by the Gregson family running Proteus. I think, but can't be sure, that Brian Wingfield was involved a bit over there too, helping out for a while, but on this don't quote me.

Anyway, the owner took the car off the market and then it turned up for sale on commission in Paris, again as a Lynx. For some months now it has been on sale by this garage not far from Calais again as a Lynx. Is it a Lynx? In my book no, since apart from the shell, which wasn't even made by Lynx but was sold by Lynx, nothing was built by Lynx since they had no staff to build a car. But it is argued on the other side of the coin that since Lynx owned Proteus and Lynx sold the shell, it is a Lynx. You make up your own mind on the matter.

Whatever, Trevor could build you a car to your own specification at the same price. I know, we had a long discussion about this car and a C-type he built for the two Frenchmen. It looks quite good value, but then I've not seen it, although have every confidence in Trevor. He rebuilt the rear cage and suspension of my E-type recently. nice chap.







Edited by lowdrag on Monday 21st April 17:17

thegreenhell

15,115 posts

218 months

Monday 21st April 2014
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Whatever it is or isn't, it's a stunning looking automobile. Le Mans '55 spec has to be the ultimate D-type configuration for me: long-nose, fin and the single wraparound windscreen.


lowdrag

12,869 posts

212 months

Monday 21st April 2014
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Fabriquée en Angleterre par TWR entre 2010 et 2012 pour le compte d'un gentleman-driver Français, cette voiture a une particularité importante: sa carrosserie tout ALU et son châssis ont été achetés chez LYNX / PROTEUS
Cette carrosserie a été formée à la main, au marteau, à l'ancienne !

Je dois être ici très clair: cette voiture n'est pas une LYNX, ni une PROTEUS, mais une fantastique reconstruction de la mythique Type D, un travail fantastique réalisé par TWR sur une base exceptionnelle. Cet état de fait m'a été confirmé personellement, par écrit, par Nigel FORSYTH, l'actuel propriétaire de LYNX et de PROTEUS.

I took the time to read the above and I am amazed how brutally honest it is in this day and age. My hat is off to Eric with whom I spoke a year ago. Here's the translation:-

Built in England by TWR between 2010 and 2012 for a French gentleman driver this car is particularly important. An aluminium body made by hand as in the day by LYNX/PROTEUS.

I must here be very specific; this car is neither a Lynx nor a Proteus but a superb reconstruction of this mythical D-type, a fantastic reconstruction by TWR based on a good chassis. This was personally confirmed to me by Nigel Forsyth, who owned both Lynx and Proteus.

Personally speaking, as someone immersed in classic cars for thirty years and somewhat of a specialist in Lynx (but nothing in comparison to CKL of course) I find that this advert is refreshingly honest. The owner has taken on board what I told him and the advert, if it isn't a contradiction in terms, is honest.


Flatinfourth

591 posts

137 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
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lowdrag said:
Fabriquée en Angleterre par TWR entre 2010 et 2012 pour le compte d'un gentleman-driver Français, cette voiture a une particularité importante: sa carrosserie tout ALU et son châssis ont été achetés chez LYNX / PROTEUS
Cette carrosserie a été formée à la main, au marteau, à l'ancienne !

Je dois être ici très clair: cette voiture n'est pas une LYNX, ni une PROTEUS, mais une fantastique reconstruction de la mythique Type D, un travail fantastique réalisé par TWR sur une base exceptionnelle. Cet état de fait m'a été confirmé personellement, par écrit, par Nigel FORSYTH, l'actuel propriétaire de LYNX et de PROTEUS.

I took the time to read the above and I am amazed how brutally honest it is in this day and age. My hat is off to Eric with whom I spoke a year ago. Here's the translation:-

Built in England by TWR between 2010 and 2012 for a French gentleman driver this car is particularly important. An aluminium body made by hand as in the day by LYNX/PROTEUS.

I must here be very specific; this car is neither a Lynx nor a Proteus but a superb reconstruction of this mythical D-type, a fantastic reconstruction by TWR based on a good chassis. This was personally confirmed to me by Nigel Forsyth, who owned both Lynx and Proteus.

Personally speaking, as someone immersed in classic cars for thirty years and somewhat of a specialist in Lynx (but nothing in comparison to CKL of course) I find that this advert is refreshingly honest. The owner has taken on board what I told him and the advert, if it isn't a contradiction in terms, is honest.
It certainly is nice that the ad doesn't appear to seek to mislead, which is refreshing indeed.
Before anyone runs away with the idea that this could be a underpriced replica, however, it perhaps needs a little reminder that the tosion bar fron t suspension is missing, which ultimately feeds the weight of the vehicle and suspension vertical loads straight through the other end of the torsion bar, way back under the car, whereas the engine frame is bearing all the loading and the weight of the car with coilovers and wishbones, when it is supposed to be there to locate the steering, wheels and engine but not carry the load. That is quite a departure from the original design, or any torsion bar jaguar, and i'm afraid as such it renders this pretty creation a kit car.

lowdrag

12,869 posts

212 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
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To add to that, the Lynx is in any case a kit car, resembling a D-type but underneath pure E-type, apart from one or two they built to order with solid rear axles that is. They don't have the same chassis or rear suspension, the D-type gearbox with Plessy pump to actuate the brakes, they don't have triple DCO3 carbs, they don't have a wide-angle head, and so on. The point was to create an affordable replica and it has to be said that they are pretty well built. I've had two and loved them both. But a replica they are albeit nowadays a collectable make in their own right, and prices seem to reflect it. What I am seeing are Lynx D-types being converted to XKSS format (yes, I did it too) but those I know which are being converted aren't going to be at all accurate in the body department, theirs being a cheaper conversion which may just devalue the make somewhat.

MARKS6900

306 posts

201 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
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I watched your forum about your d type to xkss with great interest, thanks for sharing, is that yours at O-R-C, i will keep an eye open for your e type when you visit heartbeat country.

lowdrag

12,869 posts

212 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
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Thanks for your kind comments. No, one of the the cars at ORC is an actual original Lynx XKSS in black which theoretically is for sale but won't sell. Apparently the owner's wife wants him to sell but he doesn't want to, so he asks about £100,000 over the current value if anyone asks! They have for sale two black ones, but the one on their front page was a Lynx long nose D-type and changed by them to an XKSS. Looks good, but I am led to understand not quite pukka in that the original doors were used and the B posts not altered. The other one they've had for sale for ages is the one I describe above. Mine is a copy of the McQueen "Green Rat" and actually has the spare bumper set from his car. I may well have some rather important photos later this year of my car with someone closely associated in the day, but we'll see and more of that anon. Still putting things together, and it'll be an interesting story if it comes about.

MikeE

1,826 posts

283 months

Saturday 28th January 2023
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Surely this fibreglass bodied replica can’t be a Lynx? It has V12 E-type wheels too by the look of it!


Here

CanAm

9,115 posts

271 months

Saturday 28th January 2023
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MikeE said:
Surely this fibreglass bodied replica can’t be a Lynx? It has V12 E-type wheels too by the look of it!


Here
And still registered as a JAGUAR MK IX.

lowdrag

12,869 posts

212 months

Sunday 29th January 2023
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When the price of a new Lynx D-type hit £100,000 Roger Ludgate, a Lynx director, experimented with a chassis and a fibreglass shell, moulded from an alloy Lynx bodyshell. Only one was made and it is a very good car too, as you would expect from Lynx. Here are some photos of this car:-











I stress, this car was built by Lynx, and is the only fibreglass car they made and the above car is in no way a Lynx. To start wht it has a long nose and not a short nose body. I hope to have a Lynx director coming to stay shortly to update me on their new plans. Could be interesting. But then again..........

Edited by lowdrag on Sunday 29th January 06:03

a8hex

5,829 posts

222 months

Sunday 29th January 2023
quotequote all
lowdrag said:
---- 8< ------ Roger Ludgate, a Lynx director, experimented with a chassis and a fibreglass shell, moulded from an alloy Lynx bodyshell. Only one was made ---- 8< ------
Was this in keeping with Jaguar experimenting with making a fibreglass D type, of which only one was made? biggrin

lowdrag

12,869 posts

212 months

Sunday 29th January 2023
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The Jaguar fibreglass shell was made as an experiment in 1955 but it was not as good as an alloy shell. The Lynx had a full, not partial. chassis and naturally the centre section was not part of the strength of the car. And it was built by Lynx, from memory, about 35 years after the Jaguar one, in around 1990.



Edited by lowdrag on Sunday 29th January 12:03

MikeE

1,826 posts

283 months

Sunday 29th January 2023
quotequote all
Makes you wonder what the vendor of the current fibreglass replica is on then, claiming it's a Lynx when it's not, has terrible wheels, A registered and yet based on a 1959 MK IX ?!?!


lowdrag

12,869 posts

212 months

Sunday 29th January 2023
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It's easy to spot if you know your cars, even from a distance. A proper alloy shell, including Lynx, has a fin that rises by 7° from headrest to tail. Realm, the most popular fibreglass replica D-type, has a flat fin. Also many of them, on cost grounds, use 15" and not 16" wheels. Easy to see in that if you can see the top of the rear wheel rim it is a 15", whereas, as in this photo, the top of the rim is hidden under the wing. This is my car, a Lynx, and you'll see the angled fin.