MY FEEDLY

For Sale: A Defender SVX From The James Bond Film “Spectre”

This is one of the highly specialized vehicles that was built for use in the 2015 James Bond film Spectre. Of the 10 examples of the Defender SVX built for the film, 7 have survived, and this is one of the best we’ve seen.

The Land Rover Defender SVX was built by Land Rover and Bowler Motorsport specifically for Spectre, up until recently Bowler was the pre-eminent independent Land Rover performance company in the world. Land Rover bought the company in 2019 and still operates it as an independent wing.

Fast Facts – The “Spectre” Land Rover Defender SVX

When the producers of Spectre came knocking on Land Rover’s door looking for a highly-stylized Defender for use in their new film a project was initiated, and it resulted in the Defender SVX.
Each of the 10 vehicles built for the film are visually almost identical, they start as a long wheelbase four-door pickup Defender. New suspension, wheels, and tires are then added, along with a winch, a front nudge bar, a full external roll cage, and a slew of other modifications.
The vehicles were used memorably in Spectre (see below), and three were destroyed during filming. The remaining seven are now highly collectible.
The example you see here is due to roll across the auction block with Bonhams on the 24th of June at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

James Bond’s “Spectre”

Spectre was the 24th film in the James Bond franchise, a series that started all the way back in 1962 with the release of the wildly popular Dr No.

Above Film: In this memorable chase scene from the film you can see the Defender SVX vehicles in action.

The films are based on the series of novels written by Ian Fleming, funnily enough the same man who wrote the endearing children’s film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Fleming had been a British naval intelligence officer during WWII, and an important one at that, so his books about a fictional British spy named James Bond always seemed somewhat more believable than they otherwise might have.

The 007 series is now the most successful spy/action franchise in history, and its popularity shows no signs of waning. The most recent Bond film, No Time to Die, was released in 2021 and it grossed over $774 million worldwide.

The Land Rover Defender SVX

Land Rover Defender SVX was developed for use on screen in Spectre with a very specific list of upgrades, particularly important were the notable visual upgrades for cinematic purposes.

The Defender SVXs that were made for the film saw extensive action in the chase scene through the snow covered mountains. Image courtesy of Sony Pictures.

Each of the 10 vehicles started life as a long wheelbase Defender with a pickup truck back, four doors, and seating for five adults. The original front seats were removed and replaced with racing seats with harnesses for the stunt driving scenes, however the standard rear seats remained.

A full external roll cage was added, along with a roof rack, spotlights, a front mounted winch, a front nudge bar, and extended bolt-on wheel arches.

Those wheel arches were necessary to accommodate the chunky 37″ tires that would become one of the vehicle’s most memorable features. New lifted suspension was also fitted, and the engine received a new turbocharger, an uprated intercooler, and a new ECU to match.

Of the 10 that were made for the film 7 have survived, and they’re now considered among the more collectible of the modern James Bond vehicles.

The Land Rover Defender SVX Shown Here

The Defender SVX that you see here is an original built for the film, it’s road-legal in the UK, and amazingly it has just 470 kilometers (292 miles) on the odometer from new.

The lifted suspension and 16″ five-spoke ‘Beadlock’ alloy wheels shod with 37″ off-road tires ensure that this is one Defender that will never fit in on the school run.

Some of the surviving examples of the SVX that we’ve seen come up for sale since filming wrapped have had quite a bit of damage, however this one appears to be in remarkably good shape throughout.

The only major sign of wear are some scratches to the rear cargo area floor, which may have been caused by lugging camera equipment around while filming.

The vehicle is due to cross the auction block with Bonhams on the 24th of June at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The price guide is £150,000 – £200,000, which works out to approximately $185,000 – $247,000 USD.

If you’d like to read more about this Defender SVX or register to bid you can visit the listing here.

Land Rover Defender SVX Spectre James Bond

Images courtesy of Bonhams

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Abandoned In A Parking Lot: A 1989 Ferrari Testarossa

This 1989 Ferrari Testarossa was left unused in a parking lot by its former owner, remaining under a cover for over 20 years after having accumulated just over 22,000 km since new.

Tragically the owner died back in 2012 before having a chance to drive the car again, his family left it under its cover for a further decade, and they’ve now decided to offer it for public sale at the Artcurial Le Mans Classic Sale in early July.

Fast Facts – The Ferrari Testarossa

The Ferrari Testarossa was released at the 1984 Paris Auto Show, it immediately garnered news headlines around the world for its unique styling and its impressive spec sheet.
The name Testarossa was chosen as an homage to the 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, the car that won the World Sportscar Championship. In Italian “testa rossa” means “red head,” a reference to the car’s bright red cam covers.
The Testarossa was developed as the successor to the 512 Berlinetta Boxer and as a modern competitor for the Lamborghini Countach.
The car is powered by a naturally-aspirated 4.9 liter longitudinally-mounted 180° Ferrari flat-12 engine, with double overhead cams, four valves per cylinder. At the time of launch it had an output of 385 hp at 6,300 rpm with 361 lb ft at 4,500 rpm.

The Supercar The Defined The 1980s

Although some may disagree the Testarossa is probably the supercar that defined the 1980s more than any other.

The red cover was pulled up for the purpose of taking some images of the car, otherwise it’s been covered and unused for over 20 years.

Some may point to the Porsche 959, the later versions of the Countach, the Ferrari F40, or the Porsche 930, but the bright red Testarossa with its wide stance, glaring side strakes, and howling flat-12 was something altogether unique.

The design of the Testarossa was developed at Pininfarina by a team consisting of Ian Cameron, Guido Campoli, Diego Ottina, and Emanuele Nicosia all working under the watchful eye of veteran designer Leonardo Fioravanti.

In many respects the Testarossa was developed to answer some of the criticisms leveled at the Ferrari 512 BB. Things like the lack of headroom for taller drivers, the lack of interior room, and the lack of adequate luggage space.

The Testarossa was given an all-new body design that was longer and wider than the 512 BB, with more headroom, more cabin space, and more luggage space in the front trunk. Great attention was paid to aerodynamics, resulting in an aerodynamic drag coefficient of Cd=0.36, notably less than the 0.42 of the Countach.

The car was unveiled at the 1984 Paris Auto Show and it almost immediately became a best-seller for Ferrari, it would be kept in production from 1984 to 1996 with the Testarossa, 512 TR, and F512 M models respectively.

The sound of the Testarossa engine became famous in its own right, it’s a 4.9 liter longitudinally-mounted 180° Ferrari flat-12 engine, with double overhead cams, four valves per cylinder and 385 hp at 6,300 rpm.

Over the course of the production run Ferrari sold almost 10,000 of them, making it one of the company’s best-selling cars up until that point in history.

The Abandoned 1989 Ferrari Testarossa Shown Here

The car you see here is a 1989 Ferrari Testarossa that has just 22,433 kms on the odometer, or approximately 13,939 miles. The reason for this low mileage is that, as mentioned in the introduction above, the car was left largely abandoned in a parking garage for over 20 years.

The exact reason for this isn’t known, however it is mentioned that the former owner had numerous other cars including a Porsche 911 Speedster that he was particularly fond of. The last time this car was driven was on a road trip to to Saint-Tropez in 2003.

After this the Testarossa was left in a parking bay under its red cover, the owner passed away in 2012 and his family kept the car as it was, finally deciding to part with it this year.

It’s clear that after this lengthy period of storage the car will need a full recommissioning by a specialist Ferrari mechanic, after this the new owner will have an excellent example of a low-mileage Testarossa with an interesting backstory.

If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can visit the listing here.

Above Video: This is the 1988 episode of MotorWeek covering the Ferrari Testarossa – back when the car was still in production.

The interior looks largely original with the exception of that aftermarket steering wheel, a new owner may wish to replace it with an OEM unit.

Images courtesy of Artcurial

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For Sale: The Controversial “Gucci” Lynx Eventer By Paolo Gucci

It isn’t widely known that in the late 1980s Paolo Gucci, the former design director of Gucci, worked with British coachbuilder Lynx to create a limited run of 20 Jaguar XJS shooting brakes.

The car you see here was the first prototype. It started life as a Lynx Eventer, the company’s shooting brake version of the XJS V12. Paolo Gucci lavished it with fine details throughout including blue lacquered burr elm woodwork, Italian calfskin upholstery, semi-precious lapis lazuli stones, and much more.

Fast Facts – The Jaguar XJS V12 By Paolo Gucci

The Jaguar XJS was released in 1975 as the successor (of sorts) to the Jaguar E-Type. In 1982 the British coachbuilding and customization company Lynx developed their own shooting brake version of the XJS.
The car was called the Lynx Eventer, it had a classic shooting brake design with two doors and the estate car rear end – a design originally conceived so that gentleman hunters could lay out their guns while on a hunt.
Paolo Gucci, the former design director of Gucci was living in the UK in the 1980s with his English wife. He obviously liked the Lynx Eventer because he worked with the company to create his own “Gucci” version.
The original plan was to build 20 and sell them for £100,000 apiece. The first prototype was completed and shown to the world at the 1990 Geneva Motor Show, but Gucci sent in the lawyers and shut the project down within 24 hours.

Paolo Gucci

By all accounts Paolo Gucci was a larger than life figure, a charismatic Italian man with an eye for both style and quality. He was well-suited to his role as design director and vice-president of Gucci – roles that he filled for 20 years.

This is Paolo Gucci, he was the design director and vice-president of Gucci for 20 years. More recently he was played by Jared Leto in the film “House of Gucci,” also starring Lady Gaga and Adam Driver.

“After 20 years as design director and product co-ordinator of Gucci, I am now bringing my knowledge and talent to a wider spectrum of the consumer market.”

“Now, designing entirely under my own name, I intend adding my personality and style. I hope with my ‘Firenze’ tradition, my zest, enthusiasm and dedication to quality, to continue to present the finest design to discerning consumers.” – Paolo Gucci

In 1977 after the breakdown of his first marriage, Paolo Gucci married British socialite Jenny Garwood with whom he would have two children. He spent much of his time in the UK and this is likely where he first saw the Lynx Eventer after it was publicly released in 1982.

Within a few years he would be working on his own version of the Eventer, a “Paolo Gucci” version, that was planned to be produced in a series of 20 with a £100,000 price tag.

He was no longer officially working for Gucci at this time, and so when the car was unveiled at the 1990 Geneva Motor Show Gucci’s lawyers wasted no time getting the project shut down.

The interior of the car was significantly modified by Paolo Gucci, the more you look the more of his touches you see.

Within 24 hours all the Gucci branding on the car had been removed, and it was rebranded with the original Lynx logos. Sadly the planned production run never materialized, for perhaps obvious reasons, and Paolo moved onto other things.

The car was later sold to David Andrew Richards but it seems to have remained close to Paolo Gucci’s heart, as in later years he tried to buy it back.

The Lynx Eventer

Founded in 1968, Lynx was originally conceived as a repair and tuning shop that would specialize in the Jaguar C-Type and the Jaguar D-Type.

With the reputation established the company developed its own take on the D-Type, that would be built using more modern E-Type running gear. This car would be released in 1975 and named the Lynx D-Type.

The shooting brake rear end with the hatchback makes this XJS a surprisingly practical classic car.

These Lynx D-Types are now worth a hefty sum and are considered classics in their own right.

After the release of the Jaguar XJS in 1975 the team at Lynx filled a gap in the market by offering a convertible version – something Jaguar wasn’t offering at the time. Later when it became clear that Jaguar was going to release their own open top version Lynx unveiled the Eventer – a modern shooting brake.

The elegant styling of the Lynx Eventer has long been admired, some consider it to be better looking than the standard XJs on which it’s based, and the car proved immediately popular with all the right kinds of people. One of whom was a certain Mr Paolo Gucci whose story is told above.

Today the many surviving Lynx Eventers make popular daily drivable classics for those who can afford them. I doubt many are still used for hunting purposes but you really never know.

The Paolo Gucci Jaguar XJS Shown Here

The car you see here is the one and only Paolo Gucci XJS. As mentioned further up this car was the prototype of a planned 20 car production run, which each car being styled by former design director of Gucci, Paolo Gucci.

This is the 5.3 liter Jaguar V12, it’s capable of up to 295 hp in stock factory trim, with 295 lb ft of torque.

The slew of changes made to this car include blue lacquered burr elm woodwork with inlaid chevron cross banding, modified instruments, hand-dyed Italian calfskin upholstery, crocodile effect leather on the armrests, blue-stained ash door handles, and an Alcantara suede headlining.

The steering wheel features hand-stitched leather and it’s inlaid with semi-precious lapis lazuli stones, these stones are also inlaid in the gear knob. The car was completed with a one-off woven Jaguar motif in the carpeted boot.

After its tumultuous early life at the 1990 Geneva Motor Show where it drew the ire of the Gucci legal department, this car was sold into private hands. As mentioned further up, Paolo Gucci himself would later try to buy it back for his own personal use.

It’s now due to roll across the auction block with Bonhams on the 24th of June with a price guide of £70,000 – £100,000, or approximately $86,200 – $123,100 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.

Images courtesy of Bonhams

The post For Sale: The Controversial “Gucci” Lynx Eventer By Paolo Gucci appeared first on Silodrome.

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The Recaro Classic LX Star: An Office Chair For Petrolheads

This is the Recaro Classic LX Star, it’s an office chair based on 1980s-era Recaro automobile seats with a swivel base on five wheels, classic checkered fabric upholstery, paddable lumbar support, and an adjustable headrest.

Reutter, Porsche, and Recaro

Recaro is undoubtably the most famous manufacturer of automotive seats in the world, particularly for sports cars, supercars, and GTs. The company was originally founded all the way back in 1906 by Wilhelm Reutter as a coachbuilding company named Stuttgarter Carosserie und Radfabrik.

It was later renamed Stuttgarter Karosseriewerk Reutter & Co., they began building bodies for cars from Daimler-Benz and Chemnitzer Wanderer-Werke, but it would be their work for Porsche that people would best remember them for.

Recaro Classic LX Star Office Chair Collage 3

The Recaro Classic LX Star is designed to look like the company’s classic retro automotive seats from the 1980s, it also offers all the ergonomics you’d expect from a modern office chair.

Reutter had built the bodies for a number of early Porsches, and they were a natural choice for Porsche to choose to manufacture the bodies for their first production cars in 1949 – the Porsche 356. In 1953 they would patent a car seat with a reclining back, no one knew it at the time but this would be the entire future of the company.

Porsche would buy out Reutter’s car body manufacturing facilities in 1963, what remained of the company was renamed Recaro (from REutter CAROsserie), and it would focus on automotive seat manufacturing.

In the years since many of the world’s most memorable cars have been fitted with Recaro seats, and they make a popular aftermarket addition.

Depending on which version you choose the seat comes upholstered in black leather, corduroy, classic checkered fabric, and/or Pepita fabric.

Recaro Classic LX Star

The Recaro Classic LX Star is one of the German company’s newer production lines, the concept is relatively simple – they’ve taken classic 1970s and 1980s era Recaro car seat designs, modified for them for office use, and added an adjustable swivel base with five wheels.

The seats are adjustable for height of course, they also have adjustable lumbar support, an adjustable headrest, and special ergonomically shaped seat cushions. Materials include black leather, corduroy, classic checkered fabric, and Pepita fabric depending on which version you choose.

The only real downside is the cost, at $3,540 USD apiece the seats are beyond the budget of many mere mortals. However if you have one (or more) of the classic cars that was originally fitted with Recaro seats out in your garage then the cost may be chump change for you.

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