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Based
on an article by Peter Dron- Motor
- March 1982
The Lynx Spyder,
launched 1978, preceded the factory XJS cabrio by a
decade. Much prettier than the coupe, the Lynx version had
rear seats which the factory cabrio lacked. 72 built. |
| The XJ-S
appeared in 1975, during a difficult period in Jaguar's
history: Sir William Lyons had retired, and his brilliant
stylist/aerodynamist Malcolm Sayer had died in 1971.
Jaguar seemed to be choking in the corporate mire of what
was then known as British Leyland. When the XJS was
finally launched in September 1975 it was the first new
Jaguar model whose styling failed to capture the public
imagination. Performance and refinement it had aplenty — even at 150 mph the big coupe was almost silent
— but it was the first
Jaguar whose looks did not match its performance. The
styling was bulky and particularly awkward at the rear,
where ungainly 'flying buttresses' trailed
unfashionably from the edges of the rear
window. |
Worse
still, in many eyes, was the absence of an open-topped
roadster version, suspicions that Jaguar were abandoning
the performance sports car market having
been confirmed by the discontinuation of the E-Type in
December 1974. The E-type, having fist degenerated into its
unlovely V12 form and then disappeared from the lists, thus
had no direct replacement. It seemed a shame that the
effortless but nevertheless extremely rapid performance of
the V12 engine could only be enjoyed in the cocooned
isolation of the coupe's air-conditioned, leather-clad 2x2
cabin, and that it's sound would only be heard by passers
by. There were suggestions at the time that the US would
ban open topped cars on the grounds of safety, which may
have influenced Jaguar’s design decisions |
| When it became
clear after some time had elapsed that Jaguar were not
intending to produce the drophead sports car the world was
waiting for, several private specialists turned their hands
to satisfying the demand. London-based Lynx Engineering's
highly professional XJS Spyder appeared in 1978.
The
XJS Spyder lived up to Lynx's reputation for top-quality
craftsmanship, and a great deal of time and effort was put
into ensuring that the hood did not upset the lines of car,
whether raised or lowered. In fact, many would say that the
car benefited considerably from the conversion. |
The hood
was made from fully-lined, mohair and was operated by a
pair of electrically controlled rams which sat within the
rear side panels. The rear side windows were also
electrically operated. With the hood in place, headroom was
no different to that of the standard car, while rear seat
accommodation was only slightly affected. Lynx also claimed
that the car was completely weatherproof and free from wind
noise, with the added advantage of improved all-round
vision due the removal of the XJS's flying buttresses. |
|
Carburettor version of the Jaguar V12
|
Section of V12 engine- click to enlarge |
| The difficult
part in taking the top away from any car with a monocoque
chassis is to restore to it the stiffness which is thereby
lost. In the case of a Jaguar, this is particularly
important: not only is there a great deal of motor car all
ready to flex and groan when deprived of part of its
structure, but an essential ingredient of Jaguar driving is
the absence of most of the noises that are present in other
cars.
The extra metal involved
in the reinforcement, plus the hood irons and electric
motor, must involve a weight penalty in excess of what is
removed |
The main
area to which attention is given is the sills; at each side
a stiffening sill is welded to the existing ones, threading
its way through each wheel arch to the corners of the car.
The windscreen pillars and door posts are also reinforced,
and there is a considerable amount of cross-bracing.
Having chopped and
stiffened the car, Lynx fit electrically- operated
retractable rear side windows. |
| |
|
| In the
original car the rear side windows are fixed, but of course
this would not do for a drop- head. As a result of this,
and the stowage of the hood, a small amount of rear
shoulder room is lost, though headroom is increased and the
rear legroom, sufficient for two people with absurdly short
legs, is unchanged. Making room for the hood irons to
retract also necessitates lopping off the top inch of the
fuel tank, reducing its capacity to a mere 18 gallons |
Lynx came down
on their initial £8950 estimate for the conversion job, to
a cost in 1982 of £6950 and taking approximately ten
weeks to complete. This cost represented 50% of the
purchase price of the coupe version at that time. |
| The car is a
pleasure to drive, as indeed are all of the range powered
by the V12 engine. Scuttle shake is noticeable on potholed
Irish roads, but of course totally absent on reasonable
surfaces. Fuel consumption is grim, about 17 mpg for normal
touring. I have never been able to replicate the claimed
20mpg in moderate speed driving which is claimed by some,
and would be very sceptical that it is achievable. The
combination of the ultra-smooth V12, plus the three speed
GM400 auto transmission, makes for very refined driving. |
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