Lunaz, the world’s leading creator of upcycled, restored and electrified classic cars, have unveiled a very special customer commission: a 1952 Jaguar XK120 handed over at the 2022 Concours on Savile Row in London.
The car presented a world-first for a project of this type – a leather-free interior that utilises ocean clean-up materials! This, they tell us, includes carpets that are woven from reclaimed nylon sea-fishing nets. Additionally, the backing of these carpets is upcycled from marine plastic pollution such as plastic bottles.
The process of reclaiming waste materials from the ocean is already being successfully utilised in the worlds of fashion, fine furniture making and high-end watch manufacturing. Global demand for these kinds of sustainable materials is driving significant positive environmental impact: for every tonne of the raw material produced to make the materials that make Lunaz’ carpet, seven barrels of crude oil are saved and nearly seven tonnes of carbon is not emitted.
The very close collaboration between the Lunaz design team and their customer yielded an interior finished in an innovative blend of textiles, traditional woods and upcycled materials. For example, the seat frame is constructed from recyclable aluminium.
The seats are then finished in a super-high-quality fabric material. Subtle reference to the driver-focus of this particular car is made through the addition of a black stripe to the driver’s seat.
The Burr Walnut veneer wood is given contemporary aesthetic through a satin lacquer. Wherever possible, material from the 70-year-old vehicle was painstakingly restored to minimise the requirement to create new materials. This extends to the substrates which were then re-veneered in sustainably sourced timber.
Lunaz’ team of engineers have subtly integrated the latest infotainment and audio technology into the vehicle. This includes the discreet placement of a screen installed with Apple CarPlay to operate the client’s preferred navigation and music streaming apps.
The Jaguar XK120, one of the most celebrated evocations of British sportscar design was unveiled at the Concours on Savile Row, a street universally understood as the global centre of traditional and contemporary tailoring.
Every classic car built by Lunaz undergoes a full bare metal restoration. This takes place at the company’s home in Silverstone, England. This facility has quickly grown into the largest upcycling and electrification campus in Britain.
The Lunaz modular powertrain was developed by a team of engineers drawn from some of the leading names in automotive design and technology and under the leadership of Jon Hilton, former Technical Director of Renault Formula 1. Following his double-world championship winning stint he founded hybrid and electric powertrains pioneer Flybrid. Hilton joined Lunaz Founder David Lorenz in 2018.
It’s certainly a car for those with deep pockets and a place on the A-list. For example, David Beckham recently handed his son Brooklyn a 1954 Jaguar XK140 up-cycled and electrified by Lunaz to mark his marriage to Nicola Peltz following their wedding in Florida.
