Continuing our series of guest blog posts, we asked loyal customer Tony Bray to tell us why he chose his XJS, and how KWE helped to make it ‘the best car it could be.’

The Jaguar XJ and XJS are widely acknowledged as one of the most beautiful luxury saloon and all-round accomplished sports cars ever made. So, it’s no surprise that the team at KWE is always on the look out for challenging new projects to work on.

With our engineering expertise and passion for Jaguar cars, we’re able to offer a high-quality restoration service. Our aim is to restore all of our Jaguar XJS and early XJ saloons cars to a ‘better than new’ standard.

Around the same time as the first Jaguar XJ6 (series 1) rolled off the production line, another Great British classic was born. In 1970, the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) entered the music scene with its ambition to create modern rock songs with classical overtones.

In some ways, perhaps this is similar to the Jaguar XK8 – a contemporary twist given to a classic vehicle. Underneath the XK8’s modern curves lies a classic not too dissimilar to its XJS predecessor.

Last year, we worked on many amazing classic Jaguar cars, which makes it difficult to choose our favourites. However, we hold a particular soft spot for this project, and are extremely proud of the finished result – and its owner is delighted, too!

It’s not everyday that we receive a car from Norway, but it goes to show how much some Jaguar enthusiasts are willing to go to get a decent restoration. Our car of the year, an X305 with 6-litre V12 engine, was shipped from Norway with an extremely comprehensive restoration brief – we like a challenge!

As part of a full-scale restoration project, we conducted an expert evaluation for internal and external re-engineering perfection.

We fully stripped the vehicle, top to bottom, inside and out. Our expert engineers rebuilt the V12 6-litre engine, as well as suspension, braking and steering systems to ensure maximised driving pleasure.

As 2016 has been named World Motoring Heritage Year by FIVA, classic cars are to be celebrated around the world, with the UK being no exception. Planning a year of motoring-based merriments to celebrate this landmark? Look no further than our definitive guide to the best classic car shows in 2016.

The London Classic Car Show is the must attend event for any discerning classic car owner, expert or enthusiast. Bringing together an international celebration of the very best dealers, manufacturers, car clubs and products, it’s the perfect day out for all. This year’s event is set to be double the size of the inaugural 2015 show, with more cars than ever being showcased. The show will also feature cars from world’s top six car-producing nations.

http://www.thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk/the-show.

Officially the UK’s fastest growing classic

As part of a new series of blog posts, we will be inviting a number of XJS owners and Jaguar enthusiasts to contribute to our blog, telling us exactly why they love the XJS. This week, we’ve gone across the pond and asked California-based, Rhett Redelings what makes the car so special to him.

• 1988 Jaguar XJ-S coupe in Glacier White with a Mulberry interior, an HE V12 engine [...]
  Read More ...

  British classics, British motoring, classic car, classic car restoration, More Tags

A big thank you to everyone who visited our workshop this weekend for our open day, celebrating 40 years of the Jaguar XJS. The event was a great success, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

We were delighted to welcome customers old and new to our showroom to join in the birthday celebrations, many bringing along their prized XJS cars.

Classic car and Jaguar enthusiasts from across the country were treated to a motoring spectacle, as Greenham Business Park was awash with an array of stunning Jaguar XJS models.

• The very last XJS Eventer ever built – 6.0 litre TWR version
• An XJS currently being upgraded with an Omex Digital Engine Management system
• Six Series XJs and an extensively refurbished X300
• The day before the event a unique car had been collected from us by its owner. This was a test mule

On a hot Friday afternoon, Theresa spotted an XJS on our business park with an RAC van in attendance. Rushing to the rescue, she found that the RAC engineer could only tow it away because there was a big misfire and overheating exhaust. To the owner’s relief, Theresa pointed out that KWE was only a few yards away!

We leapt on the damsel in distress (the car, that is) and found the cause was a big ignition problem, with one bank of the V12 not working at all. In the end, we had to replace a faulty coil, leaking ignition leads and the distributor cap, while the owners basked in the sunshine.

All now being well, the owners went on their way, and we received the following email this morning:

“THERE IS A JAGUAR XJS GOD AFTER ALL… I could not believe my bad luck in breaking down on a lovely hot sunny afternoon,

The Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index notes that classic cars have beaten everything from art, watches and coins over the past 1 year, 5 years and 10 years. This is telling people that classic and vintage cars are a viable investment asset class.

The focus on classic and vintage cars is not about collecting now but about investing. The strong returns have attracted many in the classic and vintage car world seeking financial gain as the primary goal.

Along with buying art or wine, a classic car is one of those investments that can potentially bring you joy while you own it, as well as providing a smart place to hold your money. And let’s face it, when you can take the top down off your very own E-type Jag and cruise