Solid wood. ( plank ) has 2 major things wrong with it. First solid wood in the environment of the interior of a car will warp and twist like crazy.
Second, the ground is on the metal in back of the gauges etc.
The reason Jaguar used veneer was not to be cheap but to provide the positive ownership experience you expect with a vehicle of the price of a Jaguar.

 

research will show that figured wood is rated as to the attractiveness (subjective of course) of its grain by terminology/scale honored by the wood-crafting industry. what you might consider is something other the "burl".as it is probably one of the most expensive.

truth is that jaguar and other makers were finding true "burl" veneers, due to their ever-increasing scarcity, becoming more and more expensive as the years progressed, such that by the time my '67 MK2 was made the veener can only be rated as "fancy" not 'burl".

as for your suggestion, the only way i would want to do it, is if i had sufficient woodworking skills and a shop in which to do it.

 

The burls are farmed now a days, see this.

Copied and pasted from here.

"Walnut burl comes usually from the root bole of walnut trees, where a large ball often occurs. This is most common on orchard trees, which are northern California walnut (Juglans hindsii) with the nut producing English walnut (Juglans regia) grafted to it. Some burl may also be found at the graft line of these trees. The burls are sustainably harvested when the trees are removed to replant the orchard"

The place has spectacular examples and it's not to badly priced.
You get to see exactly what you're buying, how many lots there are, and how many sheets in each lot.

Walnut Burl Wood Veneer Sheets (veneersupplies.com)

I easily bought enough large pieces to do my entire car, properly booked matched too of course.

 

I have a house full of this white oak burl. The floor and fireplace pieces at 1” thick and various Timbers are 6”x6”
The burl won’t really POP until I finished it.
It came from one giant burl oak tree the sawmill was going grind up for mulch. I only paid 10 cents per board feet (12”x12” by 1” thick )

 

when i was in my early teens a family member was throwing out some "baby furniture". one piece was a large chest of drawers. i needed one and managed to have it hauled to our home. it was painted all over in ivory colored enamel with "baby" stencils at the corners of all the draws and around the top.

my dad had some old paint remover and so, not knowing what to expect, i gambled. and stripped it. what a surprise! you guessed it!, underneath was the most beautiful book-matched walnut veneer you can imagine; all the drawer fronts, top AND the sides! ...just beautiful.