The electrified Jaguar XK120 interior features upcycled ocean plastics..
Lunaz, the world’s leading creator of upcycled, restored and electrified classic cars, is delighted to unveil a very special customer commission: a 1952 Jaguar XK120 handed over at the 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 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.
Personalisation is at the heart of every Lunaz build. This falls to an in-house design department led by Lunaz Design Director, Jen Holloway. Together with her team, they work in close collaboration with customers to understand their aesthetic and personal sensibilities. In the case of this very special build, the client visited Lunaz throughout the commissioning and specification process to understand the way that alternatives to leather and innovative upcycled materials perform from a visual and comfort perspective.
This led to a decision by the customer to create an entirely leather-free interior specified to complement the bespoke Obsidian Blue exterior colour-scheme. This is painted in-house at Lunaz’ home in Silverstone, UK and is one of the limitless palettes of colours available to every Lunaz customer.
This very close collaboration 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. This offers both a contemporary aesthetic and an alternative to traditional classic material palettes while delivering the functional requirements of the seat. 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.
Lunaz’ proposition has created unprecedented global demand from both new classic car owners and existing collectors seeking to rebalance their collections in line with shifting global sensibilities. An independent environmental audit found that, once a Lunaz vehicle undergoes the brand’s process of re-engineering and electrification, it reclaims more than 80% of the embedded carbon of the original car’s manufacture.
Therefore, this approach represents a sustainable means to keep the most celebrated cars in history on the road while addressing the other key barriers to classic car ownership; usability and reliability.
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.
Lunaz’ presence at this very special celebration of the ‘art of bespoke’ was shared with Arthur Sleep, maker of bespoke shoes. Arthur Sleep represents the identical combination of old-world style with new-world technical substance that drives Lunaz.
Arthur Sleep’s status as the most technologically advanced brand on Savile Row is confirmed by its innovative micro-factory approach. Indeed, Arthur Sleep’s manufactory is housed directly below its atelier at Number 7 Savile Row.
Arthur Sleep clients are taken through a full measurement, material selection and design process. Their commission is then communicated directly to the on-site factory where it is made on the same day.
Ahead of the first drive, Lunaz CEO, David Lorenz handed over a pair of beautiful bespoke shoes to the owner of the car. These were made from the same textile material as the seats of the Jaguar XK120. He was measured as part of the handover experience and the shoes were handed over at the end of his day at the Concours on Savile Row.
UPCYCLED AND ELECTRFIED IN SILVERSTONE, ENGLAND Every classic car 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 is also home to Lunaz Applied Technologies (LAT) which takes the Lunaz approach to remanufacturing and electrification and applies it to the upcycling and conversion of global industrial fleets.
The company is among one of the fastest growing in Britain and has attracted investment from leading institutional names including the Barclay, Dalal and Reuben families and David Beckham.
Indeed, David Beckham recently handed his son Brooklyn a 1954 Jaguar XK140 upcycled and electrified by Lunaz to mark his marriage to Nicola Peltz following their wedding in Florida.
Luanz Design is in production with the most celebrated British marques, this include the Aston Martin DB6, Bentley Continental (S1, S2 and S3), Jaguar XK120,140,150, Range Rover Classic and Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and Rolls-Royce Phantom V.
