For Bill H. Lyon, luxury cars are a family affair. His love of cars started when his father, Major General William Lyon, introduced him to the joys of speeding over asphalt at one hundred miles per hour. The two Lyons enjoyed spending time together driving and racing their collection of luxury cars; one memorable moment was when their 1965 Alfa Romeo GTZ2 won the Gran Turismo award at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

That same Alfa Romeo played a pivotal role in Bill Lyon’s friendship and working relationship with JAMAH designer Nancy Gale. Bill and Nancy met in March of 2022 on the tracks at the BMW Performance Driving School in Thermal, California. They weren’t there to learn the rules of the road; rather, they were both pushing their driving skills to the limit. Bill and Nancy immediately connected over a handful of unexpected commonalities, but it was the easy conversation and fun banter that solidified their friendship.

The next day, once he was home in Orange County and she in Los Angeles, Bill sent Nancy a picture of the Alfa Romeo, which is one of only 11 of its model ever made.

“What kind of bag would you design for a car like this?” he asked.  Bill had a vision: he wanted Nancy to craft a handbag for his designer wife Nichole that would perfectly complement the Alfa Romeo. Nichole has been Bill’s biggest champion and an exceptionally dedicated supporter of his enthusiasm for the car world, and he wanted her to be able to hold a piece of the car that was her own.

Nancy immediately went to work on a design that would capture the essence of the Alfa Romeo in the elegance of a JAMAH bag as part of the new JAMAH Motorcar Collection. She selected a supple anaconda skin to reflect the Visconti serpent in the Alfa Romeo logo, which was dyed to a vivid vermillion to match the paint on the car. Gale chose to use yellow leather for the left side panel of the bag to reflect the yellow wheel well on the Alfa Romeo. A personal inscription from Bill to his wife is tucked away inside the bag, sharing the sentiments of love and appreciation that inspired him to commission the bag from Nancy after they met at Thermal.

In August of 2022, Bill returned to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the place where he and his father experienced the Gran Turismo victory, with a renewed excitement about sharing his love of luxury cars with his family. With Nancy looking on, Bill showed Nichole the Making Of video about the creation of her new bag; her initial confusion at seeing her name on the screen transformed into giddy excitement when the video ended and Bill presented her with the gift. Nichole was thrilled; in that moment, the glow on her face radiated the vivaciousness and inclusivity that are Nichole’s best qualities.

That weekend at the Concours was special to the Lyon family for another reason: Bill’s fourteen-year-old son Duke joined Bill and Nichole in Pebble Beach and Bill was able to carry on the father-son tradition, driving the Concours in the Alfa Romeo with Duke. Now that this bespoke JAMAH handbag has entered the Lyon family’s collection, when the car passes down to Bill’s children, they will also inherit a piece that represents the love shared between Bill and Nichole. Now, it is not only luxury cars, but also luxury handbags, that have become a family affair for the Lyons.

Learn more about the JAMAH Motorcar Collection here.