Owen Sedanca

The Owen Sedanca was a GT-class car built in the United Kingdom in the 1970s. Only two were ever sold.

History

The Sedanca was commissioned by Gerald Ronson, owner of London-based prestigious car dealership HR Owen. The design was heavily inspired by the Lamborghini Espada and was penned by Chris Humberstone.

The Sedanca's hand-crafted body was placed on a Jaguar XJ6 chassis. The bodywork was built by renowned coachbuilders Williams & Pritchard. The car retained the Jaguar 4.2-litre engine.

Sales

The car was unveiled at Kensington in September 1973 and was priced at £8,500 - over twice the price of the car on which it was based. Nevertheless, 80 orders were taken, but the intervening 1973 oil crisis resulted in most of them being cancelled and the project was shelved.

However, in 1978, a Mr. Farid ordered a Sedanca for his son to use on the grounds of his Oxfordshire estate. He later ordered another for his younger son; this car being delivered in 1983. They were both sold, with very low mileage, when the Farid family left Britain in the late 1980s.

The two cars still exist, in addition to the original prototype. In December 2005, the 1978 car was put up for sale on eBay. [1]

References

• Chapman, Giles (2001). The Worst Cars Ever Sold in Britain. Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-2893-X. 
• "The Unofficial Austin-Rover Web Resource". http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/index.htm?chsedancaf.htm. Retrieved 2006-09-09. 
• Intersection Magazine, 2006

Further pics available on the Panther Enthusiasts Club website - here is the relevant page http://www.pantherclub.co.uk/Georges/Jaguar%20Day/Jaguar%20Day.htm