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

According to Wikipedia, a Grand Tourer can be defined as: “a performance and luxury automobile capable of high speed or spirited long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement”.

The term derives from the Italian ‘gran turismo’, and is a tribute to the tradition of the grand tour, which sees GTs of various marques and models embarking on long-distance, high-speed journeys in both style and comfort.

According to author Sam Dawson, “the ideal is a car with the ability to cross a continent at speed and in comfort, yet provide driving thrills when demanded”, and it should exhibit the following:

• The GT should have been devised by its designers specifically as a Grand Tourer
• It should be able to transport at least two in comfort with their luggage and have room to spare

We received this video from YouTube vlogger, Martyn Stanley. Hear what he had to say about the increasingly popular XJS, and why he thinks restoring with KWE is the way forward.

In line with growing investment potential, and as the car comes up to its landmark 40th anniversary, the XJS continues to get drivers’ hearts racing.

If, like Martyn, you’d like to restore a classic car back to its former glory, get in touch. We pride ourselves on our ability to back to ‘better-than-new’ quality, in line with your specifications.Call us on 01635 30030, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

This 1989 convertible XJS exudes sophistication with its sleek chrome and tan leather interior. Travelling thousands of miles from Malta, this fine specimen, fondly known as Jeremy, has made quite a journey, and is a far cry from the tired looking car we started work on earlier this year.

On arrival at KWE, it quickly became apparent that the bodywork was in much worse condition than was originally suspected. We found out that the car had been involved in a frontal collision, large amounts of rust were present, and much of it had been disguised with filler and newspaper!

We conducted a full-scale refurbishment that took many months to complete. The engine was stripped and sent to a specialist for internal cleaning and machining. The front and rear suspension assemblies were removed and rebuilt with completely new

Many of us dream of owning a classic car, but we don’t always consider the potential difficulties associated with restoring it back to its former glory. Without careful planning or specialist expertise, your restoration dream could turn into more of a nightmare, so we’ve compiled a list of ‘must dos’ for ensuring that your restoration project doesn’t get stuck in its tracks.