“Having a classic Jaguar sourced and restored by us is like buying a new car but with all the pride of ownership and driving pleasure of a classic car. We offer turn-key cars which incorporate all your individuality – colour, trim, engine enhancements, handling and more”. Chris Knowles, M.D.First, we go through the basic specification – engine size, body type, colour etc. – and buy the best quality donor car we can find, thoroughly assessed against a checklist of potential defects in areas such as rust, bodywork, interior, repairs and electrical systems.We then strip out the engine, braking, steering and suspension systems.The engine is externally stripped and sent off for complete internal renewal by machining specialists. Meanwhile the body is thoroughly cleaned and any minor repairs carried out.The body is stripped of all internal and external accessories. We begin treating rust and repairing any structural and body imperfections. At this point the body is taken to our off-site spray booth [...]

Why is that so important? Because, using a re-manufactured car reduces the cumulative environmental impact in building yet another brand new car. A re-manufactured car is the green way to achieve personal transport. And a KWE car is the most desirable choice.In choosing to re-manufacture the Jaguar Series 3 XJ and the XJS, KWE sought to provide the most beautiful and accomplished cars as alternatives to new vehicles – but with negligible cost to the Earth. The manufacture of new cars consumes enormous amounts of irreplaceable raw materials – platinum, palladium, indium and tin for example. Not to mention the energy cost of manufacturing and supplying new cars in a global market. None of these can ever be replaced for future generations.KWE’s manufacturing costs in energy and resources are tiny compared to the continuous waste involved in producing the equivalent number of new cars every year. Most of which are crushed and scrapped within years. Contrary to common belief, the materials recycled from scrapped cars are not re-used to make new cars, and the rarest minerals are lost forever. KWE continues to redevelop older designs by using modern technology. The result? Improved economy and lower CO2 emissions.

We have the following vacancies:KWE is undergoing significant growth at the moment and we need an additional technician to join our happy team of 4 experienced technicians. You will need to have good skills in a wide range of car-related activities, be interested in cars at least from the 1970s to 2000s, and be keen to learn and improve continuously. KWE has a strong reputation world-wide and this is dependent on the skill and enthusiasm of our technician team. We normally allocate each restoration project to an individual technician so you get to have 'ownership' of the job and the satisfaction of knowing it was 'one of yours' once it's finished! Our most frequent restorations are of the Jaguar XJS, but we also work on the XJ saloons, XK8 and the occasional E Type. We think the work is fun and varied - join us! Apart from basic spannering, desirable skills include: welding, electrical/electronic, trimming, test-driving & fault analysis, hydraulics, suspension alignment etc Wage rates are from £13/hour to over £17/hour depending on skill and aptitude. Please send your CV to Chris Knowles ([email protected]) with a covering email. Need more Information? < [...]

Modern cars have become more and more alike - inside and out, and with only few exceptions have evolved into characterless if competent transport. Modern legislation has forced designers along a narrow path and given the discerning car enthusiast a dull range of saloons to choose from. Selling points tend to be minor improvements in gadgetry, and devices that may improve road holding for inexperienced drivers but which detract from the sense of control that expert drivers crave. Successive U.K. governments have penalised those whose employers provide an expensed vehicle or equivalent additional remuneration. This Benefit In Kind (BIK) taxation is now based on a compound of exhaust emissions and new price, making the personal taxation cost of running luxury cars very high - typically £10,000 per annum. One can only assume this situation will worsen. However, for cars registered before April 2001 BIK is based purely on the original price or 'fair value', so KWE cars will attract approximately half the BIK tax of a comparable new car.The finest classic cars are either very expensive or are an unknown quantity in terms of reliability and corrosion. KWE has created an alternative by bringing the price for re-engineered classics down [...]

Starting with just the founders Chris Knowles and Paul Wilkins in 2002, the company has grown to 9 employees with over 6,000 square feet of workshops. Chris has privately owned and maintained XJ saloons and XJS cars throughout most of his life but his career has been in electronics manufacturing and management. As his 50th birthday approached he decided to change tracks and start a new business. Paul Wilkins is no longer part of the company. In 2004, Theresa Knowles joined the company full time and now looks after all the purchasing, production administration and finance. Since then we have taken on four senior mechanics and a workshop manager. Our engineers all have long experience in classic cars and have become highly proficient in the re-manufacturing of classic Jaguars. We continue to grow in size and capability, and look forward to working on an increasing variety of cars over the foreseeable future. 30 years in UK high technology manufacturing industry has given Chris broad experience both in World Class production techniques and in Business Management. “I believe very strongly in the future of re-manufacturing and our twin goals are to provide an exciting alternative to new luxury cars, and to market [...]

We developed the theme of ‘rebirth’ for cars, and our logo depicts the double headed serpent Quetzcoatl – the god of rebirth and fertility.In 2004 James May was looking to make a film for BBC Top Gear demonstrating that along with the Parthenon, Stonehenge and Liverpool's Liver building, the Jaguar XJS is a World Heritage car! He chose the KWE demonstration XJS V12 to illustrate his theme in a 10 minute feature. Since then the film has been repeated many times all over the world and seen by 100s of millions of viewers. This certainly put KWE very quickly on the map of classic car specialists.Also in 2004 KWE moved to premises near Newbury, Berkshire. The business park is the old Greenham Common airbase, famous (or notorious) for hosting USAAF B52 bombers with nuclear weapons through the Cold War, to which protesters took great exception. The Americans left in 1991 and the site is now run as a Charitable Trust.KWE moved to larger premises in 2005, installing 6 lifts and workbays. In 2008 we took on an additional building (the site’s original firestation) as offices and showroom. We reached a peak of output in mid 2008 at which point came the world financial crash and UK recession. KWE’s order book was cut back significantly and [...]

KWE has become the go-to company for work on Eventers in the UK, and for cars from abroad.

Our latest commission is to bring a very good example up to top condition with KWE suspension/brakes/steering, power enhancement, mid-level engine overhaul and a range of restoration and rust-preventative measures.

KWE Unit 3, Pipers Court, Berkshire Drive, Thatcham, RG19 4ER Google Plus: 9QWH+MQ Telephone: +44 (0) 1635 30030 Fax: +44 (0) 1635 45541 Info: [email protected] (8.30am to 5pm, Mon – Fri GMT) Our postcode should get you to our Thatcham address RG19 4ER From the SOUTH M4 and LONDON From the M4 junction 12, join the A4 at Theale, heading towards Newbury. Follow A4 to Thatcham (approx 15-20 mins). At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Pipers Way/Station Rd. Take the 1st left onto Enterprise Way. Take the first right onto Berkshire Dr. Follow the road down to Pipers Court. From SOUTH M3 Use the M3 to Basingstoke. Join the A339 at Basingstoke, heading towards Newbury. Follow A339 to Headley (approx 15-20 mins). At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Thornford Rd. At the end of the road turn left onto Crookham Common Rd. Follow the road down the hill and across the level crossing at Thatcham station. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Pipers Way/Station Rd. Take the 3rd right onto Enterprise Way. Take the first right onto Berkshire Dr. Follow the road down to Pipers Court. From the SOUTH A34 From Winchester, exit onto A34 towards Newbury, coming off at TOT HI [...]

The experience you have with us is very important, so this year we decided to measure our customer satisfaction. In a survey we asked: ‘how likely is it you’d recommend KWE to a friend or colleague?’ The result was four-times the national average and something we are very proud of. Read more in our blog post.We receive a lot of feedback from happy customers who are thrilled to be reunited with their ‘new’ cars. We hope you enjoy reading this selection of testimonials, and that the cars’ affectionate nicknames make you smile.