One of the more curious things about the convergence of money and cars is how the world’s elite really like to have companies build wagon versions of their favorite sports cars and coupes. Aston Martins, Porsches, Bentleys – there are numerous coffee table books from the 1980s that showcase these vehicles that, while seemingly fairly ordinary in appearance, actually represent a tremendous amount of money and energy committed to a handful of vehicles reserved for a select few. This 1983 Jaguar XJS Lynx Eventer listed here on the LBI Limited website is a classic example of a custom creation limited to a handful of examples – and this one has been sorely neglected.
To create the Eventer, the rear of the XJS was substantially overhauled. The rear bulkhead was modified to accommodate a full rear hatch, which then triggered a variety of structural changes. The factory fuel tank was removed, and a modified unit that wrapped around the spare tire was installed. A false floor then sat atop the spare tire, and a proper rear backseat that could lay flat was installed so as to accommodate both passengers and lengthy cargo when required. Six feet of cargo space became available when the Jaguar was converted into a wagon, which isn’t bad considering what Lynx started with.
These Eventers were custom-built at the future owner’s request, with all manners of trimmings decided at time of ordering. The conversion of the coupe into an Eventer could take upwards of 14 weeks, so patience was required when ordering one of these custom conversions. Ultimately, despite its very OEM-correct appearance, Jaguar did not sell the vehicles through their dealerships but would honor the factory warranty on any unmodified parts. With the luxurious interior largely unaltered from the factory, owners of these limited-production Eventers still enjoyed acres of wood trim, leather, and thick carpeting.
Sadly, this Eventer has fallen on hard times despite its desirability and rarity. The story of this unusual wagon creation has floated around the internet for years, with little known about its previous owner or why he let it go to rot after importing it from the UK. It seems the car was promptly parked and abandoned not long after arriving via cargo ship, and given the extensiveness of the rust that is seemingly everywhere, all I can figure is the Eventer arrived in worse condition than presented and the U.S.-based importer quickly lost interest in the project. It appears to have been sold by LBI Limited, so hopefully, it has a new caretaker who is bringing it back to life.
Nice article Jeff. I bet this was a looker in the day. To bad now.
“Offered in Seldom Seen “Field Find” Condition” – the website
thats a nice way to say its in rough condition..
Mossy Oak Edition
The siting says sold, there is no mention of what the asking price. Did anyone take note?
This would have been a gorgeous car.
Steve R
That’s a real shame. I’d agree with Steve R, these Lynx conversions are nicely done and if this car was in good running, driving condition, I’d love to have it. The Lynx was marketed to the posh crowd, horse-riding, hunting, shooting types as a ‘shooting brake’ type vehicle – hence the equestrian themed name, “Eventer”. I’ve always had the XJS on my list of cars I’d love to own some day, if I could find a good one, and having the extra shooting brake space would be cool.
You wonder what the future of this particular car will be…. I’d suspect it will take a lot of expensive work to get this back in good shape. They are not cheap or easy cars to work on, complex. Although the car might get a thumbs up from enthusiasts on a site like this, I still doubt it would attract big money on the collector car circuit because its too niche…so unless someone buys this to sink a ton of money into bringing it back to life for their own personal reasons…I can’t see it being worth it economically.
Like I said, a real shame that an interesting and rare care like this was not stored more sympathetically.
From the looks of the interior, this must have been a Jaguar XJS Spider.
This is one of my personal unicorns. Apalled that it was left outside to rot, given rarity and desirability. Good thing it is already sold; I might have made an unwise decision financially and domestically. Wonder what it sold for.
Look Ma I have this rare car its going to be valuable some day so I’m going to let it sit outside and rot so we can retire from its value
I can smell the mold from here.
I love the custom estate nature of this car – surely a sexy machine before it found this field. No asking price, and I don’t agree with the seller’s blue “average sale” line. It seems highly influenced by one outlier sale while ignoring dozens of RNM non-sales. Not to mention, condition of this car is a challenge. Still, cool to see.
The Lynx Eventeer is very sought after. So this will justify a £100,000 rebuild. I expect it cost half that to buy as well….
But this side of a DB5 Shooting Brake, nothing matches the Eventeer.
That’s why the previous owners stored it in the “better” part of that field. They knew what they had.
Well that’s different, I love it though.
These look very similar to the Volvo P1800ES?
This is an easy job , you go to bed one night and it gets done in your dreams , in the morning you realize its going to be a nightmare ! This pile of mouse piss will generate a lot of money for some lucky guy , not so for the new owner !
YOLO
Very attractive start but the tailend? Nope,the p1800 sportwagon,Now there’s a finnish!