The demise of Lynx replicas
Discussion
After many years of discussion and hope that the name of Lynx would rise like the Phoenix, it is sad to report that I believe all hope has now been extinguished, There have bee a few attempts including a few cars built in Czechoslovakia and recently a new unit opened in Browns Lane Coventry, latterly the home of Jaguar and the Jaguar Museum until sold for a building site. However, that unit is now empty and phone calls are transferred. As the owner of three Lynx cars over the years, I was hopeful of seeing an XKSS and even possibly an Eventer, but I know now that my hope was in vain.
It is always a shame when small manufacturers fall by the wayside but unfortunately in these tough times it is more likely to happen than not.
If you are at all familiar with the demise of TVR who had a strong customer base and money behind them if they could not get going again what hope have the smaller builders got.
If you are at all familiar with the demise of TVR who had a strong customer base and money behind them if they could not get going again what hope have the smaller builders got.
Longnose said:
That's a surprise! It seems only weeks ago that you visited them. I remember a picture of a C-Type on one of the FB groups and reports of an XKSS and other projects soon to be revealed. It seems to have fallen apart very quickly.
We still have hope of course, but getting funding is very difficult.I did quite a bit of work with Lynx around 20 years ago. They had some really experienced & talented people back then, most of which moved on & started their own businesses once the company changed hands. One of them described the business as having become 'the Tetra Pak family garage ..! '
They pioneered a lot of stuff and probably invented the 'tool room copy;' something that has become the mainstay of historic racing. They deserve their place in history, and everything I saw was very nice.
They pioneered a lot of stuff and probably invented the 'tool room copy;' something that has become the mainstay of historic racing. They deserve their place in history, and everything I saw was very nice.
That was probably up to 2002 when they folded, being reborn in Czechoslovika in about 2005. They built five rather poor XKSS models before folding. The old MD of Lynx quit in 1999 a d founded CKL Developments Ltd and took a number of old Lynx with him. Some of them are still with him.
lowdrag said:
That was probably up to 2002 when they folded, being reborn in Czechoslovika in about 2005. They built five rather poor XKSS models before folding. The old MD of Lynx quit in 1999 a d founded CKL Developments Ltd and took a number of old Lynx with him. Some of them are still with him.
Yes, it would have been around 2000 / 2001. Chris Keith Lucas, Andrew, and Tim Card were great guys to work with. First (allegedly) D-type replica built by Lynx, subsequently converted to XKSS has just appeared on BAT: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1966-jaguar-xkss.... Alloy bodied and looks lovely!
I see that the GRRC are offering a factory tour of CKL developments so if there are any GRRC members on here that fancy having a nose around. I see there are still spaces if you want to enter the ballot to join the trip.
https://www.goodwood.com/motorsport/grrc-membershi...
https://www.goodwood.com/motorsport/grrc-membershi...
Edited by A993LAD on Tuesday 21st January 20:14
Edited by A993LAD on Wednesday 22 January 12:20
Edited by A993LAD on Wednesday 22 January 12:23
I'd love an XKSS like that, I remember sitting in an original one, courtesy of Peter Hugo at Racing Green, it is how I imagined sitting in a four wheeled spitfire would be like, then I got to drive Arthur Grogan's C-type around Sydney for an hour and I always promised myself that one day I would get one of these cars, I think a promise I unfortunately will never keep...
V10Mike said:
First (allegedly) D-type replica built by Lynx, subsequently converted to XKSS has just appeared on BAT: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1966-jaguar-xkss.... Alloy bodied and looks lovely!
That's the first time I've seen one with the roof up. What sort of contortionist would you have to be to get in and out of that?Some interesting comments here. I am not sure that the car for sale on BAT was converted by Lynx since Lynx (or actually CKL (but the same workforce) have not done such a conversion since they did mine in 2012. This car is not the first conversion which was the Roland Urban car converted in 1982, and that sports a different colour scheme and even Lynx admitted to me that it wasn't brilliantly done but more a prototype as was Lynx #1 long nose D-type built in 1974. That too became an XKSS a few years back but it is easy to spot the difference because the door shuts remain as a D-type and not an XKSS.
As regards getting in the car with the roof up, a friend has a photo of mine showing me getting in the car head first, then a "knees-up" contortion to get the legs in. The hood was never designed for driving and water pours in everywhere with it up. For those who know, you will find my car for sale at Bonhams shortly in Paris. A sad parting after 23 years, but anno domini means that it must be so, and the E-type, mine for nearly forty years, will probably follow at the Revival.
But as for the Lynx mark, a new company situated near Moreton in the Marsh is now building such cars, with three D-type shells and two C-type shells being built. Jaguar never followed through on their threats to sue, It would have been difficult since Jaguar owned several replicas themselves. One, a C-type, was supposedly cut into pieces, one, a lovely XKSS, sold to the father of a well-known F1 driver having lost their court case against the Magnussons, and the D-type sold at Silverstone and even during all this affair cars were still being built in the UK and sold in the USA. AK are also building replica XKSS's but they have to go through the IVA process to get registered.
As regards getting in the car with the roof up, a friend has a photo of mine showing me getting in the car head first, then a "knees-up" contortion to get the legs in. The hood was never designed for driving and water pours in everywhere with it up. For those who know, you will find my car for sale at Bonhams shortly in Paris. A sad parting after 23 years, but anno domini means that it must be so, and the E-type, mine for nearly forty years, will probably follow at the Revival.
But as for the Lynx mark, a new company situated near Moreton in the Marsh is now building such cars, with three D-type shells and two C-type shells being built. Jaguar never followed through on their threats to sue, It would have been difficult since Jaguar owned several replicas themselves. One, a C-type, was supposedly cut into pieces, one, a lovely XKSS, sold to the father of a well-known F1 driver having lost their court case against the Magnussons, and the D-type sold at Silverstone and even during all this affair cars were still being built in the UK and sold in the USA. AK are also building replica XKSS's but they have to go through the IVA process to get registered.
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