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April Fool!

For my birthday, earlier this year, I was treated to a Heritage Trace Certificate for my XJ40 Sovereign.
When it arrived, I was amused to find that "Tiggy" was built on April Fools Day 1993 -
"Well," I thought "That explains a lot !!!"

Tiggy is now proudly sporting one of our new Xclusively Jaguar window stickers, which sits neatly behind her rear view mirror without impeding my vision. If you would like one of our FREE window stickers for your Jaguar or Daimler, please contact Xclusively Jaguar for details.

 

Xclusively Jaguar - 3 new ways to keep in touch!

Twitter	Facebook	Skype
Twitter XJ News Join XJ News RSS Feed on Twitter	Xclusively Jaguar	You can now contact Xclusively Jaguar by Skype from anywhere in the world! Skype users call Xclusively Jaguar FREE!

 

New from XKZ

XK8/XKR LED Bumper Running Lights	White, Blue, Red or Amber
	XKZ are now producing a version of the standard Bumper Reflector as an LED Illuminated Running Light. Available with: White, Blue, Red or Amber LED’s* under a Clear Lens Cover. (* 12cm 12 LED light Strips) Sold in pairs of Reflector Units at £75 or as a DIY Kit using your existing Reflector Units at £45 plus £5 UK postage.

Jaguar Boot Liners

Size: 100 x 80 x 40cm

XKZ are now producing Heavy Duty, Water Resistant, Nylon, Boot Liners. Designed with the XK8 and X300 body styles in mind, but suitable for other models. Please check for compatibility before purchasing. The liners offer complete protection of the boot area and have an integral organiser pocket and a zipped fold out panel to protect the bumper during loading and unloading. Fitting within the boot area is by sewn in adhesive Velcro strips attached to the back and side panels. The Liner is ideal for carrying garden rubbish, sports equipment, pets etc. Price is £30 inclusive of UK delivery.

Further Details

 

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Quicksilver Automotive Technologies

Xclusively Jaguar was recently contacted by Quicksilver Automotive Technologies with details of an XJS which they have modified and enhanced, as shown below. They are now specializing in Jaguar cars, and this is just one example of the modifications they can perform.

A 10 page e-brochure with further details of the work carried out, along with larger detailed pictures, and contact information can be requested from Xclusively Jaguar, free of charge.

	A brief resume of the personalisation of the XJS of Mr Arnold Baggott by Quicksilver Automotive Technologies
	Once the initial planning is complete, the dismantling can be started. The instrument binnacle has to be removed. Luckily for us, taking cars apart without damage is now made easier by the availability of tool kits specially designed to be kind to car trim. The 17 warning lights were deemed to be bright enough, but the 5 main illumination bulbs were upgraded to white LED units by de-soldering the originals and soldering in the new units. LED’s are polarity-sensitive, so each one has to be individually tested.
	The radio surround also houses the heater and aircon controls, and are dismal. This one has individual bulbs instead of the more usual fibre-optic light source, but the bulbs are not yet available in LED form, so some head-scratching will follow. Stripping apart the centre dash showed a reduction in options as space was so limited. After some clever ideas were tried, and had failed, the viable option left was to custom-make a surface-mount base for ultra slim LED’s to give good illumination through a diffuser layer.
	This is normally only done during prototyping for car manufacturers due to the labour intensive nature of the task, but nothing else will give the same effect. Once everything was assembled and tested, the end result made all the hard work worthwhile. The controls now look beautifully illuminated. The main dash had also responded well to the new illumination.
	The original night-driving assessment showed that the doors have two areas of darkness – the door pockets and the interior handles. The pockets are tricky, because of the style of construction, but the handle recesses look impossibly shallow. The seat controls are normally illuminated in green, but they were upgraded to sapphire blue LED units to match the subtle blue lighting built into the interior door handles - the end results of which, you can see below.
	Because of the overhangs and proximity of the gearshift, installing sat nav on an XJS can be a compromise, and a portable unit in a convertible is asking for the hood to be slashed. The answer came from Alpine! This world-class CD player and radio is also a Europe-wide DVD sat nav system, and neatly replaces the original radio, which was also made by Alpine! Both the integrated door lighting and the floor lighting are adjustable for brightness. The adjuster is carefully sited both for convenience, and to keep an “original” appearance.
	All of the existing interior lights, including these tricky vanity mirror lights, were upgraded to 4Sight synthetic sunlight units. These are different from the normal white-light LED’s in that they are produced specifically to mimic natural sunlight. When you look just at one light, the difference is noticeable, but at night, the combined effect of the new lighting is spectacular! There was no light in the centre console cubby box, so we fitted one, which is ignition live, so that it is always there when you need it!
	The feeble original door lights were replaced with new, high-power LED puddle lights under the door, and 12 LED safety lights in the original positions, along with footwell lighting to complete the ensemble. The end result is an increase in safety and functionality, and no less important, the car now knows how to make an entrance! When the car is being driven, the floor and door lighting dims down to a soft, background level, which can be turned up or down to suit conditions.
	Some comparison pictures were taken of the car with and without daytime running lights to make sure they would not spoil the graceful lines. They didn’t, so they were fitted permanently and wired in. They come on automatically with the ignition, and have their own isolation circuit and fuse so that if ever there is any front-end damage, the car’s ignition system will not be affected. The car is now highly visible in all lighting conditions, and doesn’t it look good?
	The number plate lights worked fine, but they gave a distinctly down-market look to the rear end. Upgrading them to LED white-light units gave a very noticeable improvement, but necessitated some rewiring with resistors to keep the bulb failure warning system happy.
	Try checking your oil in this light! This was the sight that greeted us when we looked under the bonnet at night. The lighting in the boot was similarly dismal, but upgrading the original lights in the boot to high-power LED units and fitting two additional “4Sight Minilights” solved the problem. The installation of an automatic under-bonnet lighting kit solved the problem. Hence the exterior lighting was finished to the same excellent standard as the interior, and the transformation was complete!
	We also design and fit: In-car audio systems Navigation systems Insurance approved vehicle security systems In-car TV and games systems Xenon headlamp conversions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For further details please contact: Quicksilver Trading Co. Birmingham, UK www.BetterCarLighting.co.uk Phone: 0121 773 7000 or 07074 746637 Email: enquiries@bettercarlighting.co.uk

 

The New 2010 XJ Saloon

As you can see from our cover picture, the new XJ saloon is now on sale, and there have already been some sightings of newly acquired examples! One of our readers has promised us a layman's view of the new XJ in contrast to the usual press review - so watch this space!

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Latest News from SC Parts

SC Parts are currently offering a limited stock of Jaguar XK8 Coupe rear wings.
These are the last off the production line so don't miss out!
Our part numbers are 257680 left hand and 257688 right hand.

£990.00 GBP while stocks last

Place Order

Check out SC Parts own website for details of other great offers!

View Details

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BUILDING A JAGUAR LIBRARY – PART 3

Ian Cooling continues his exploration of this fascinating theme

My first two articles introduced some of the principal collecting lines that might stand within any library of Jaguar books. As with all such collections, personal preferences weigh very heavily in the balance. This may be a preference for a particular Jaguar car, a serious interest in the competitive strand in the Jaguar Legend, or simply a liking for the work of a particular writer.

In this article, I shall continue to expand on these themes and introduce some others for you to mull over as your own library grows.

 

Works of an author

The author I have chosen here is Lord Montagu. I introduced Lord Montagu in my opening article of this series, emphasising the pivotal role the present Lord Montague and his father played in the classic car movement in Britain. It was the private collection of the family that formed the core of what is now the National Motor Museum on the Montagu estate at Beaulieu in the New Forest.

The family have long had an interest in Daimlers and after the company was taken over by Jaguar, the link continued and grew. Lord Montagu was therefore an obvious choice when Jaguar were looking for a ‘name’ author to pen a book to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the launch of the SS Jaguar saloon in 1936. The book was “Jaguar, A Biography” and its interest to the Jaguar book-collector is that it has now run through several editions

Much of the research for the first edition was carried out my Michael Sedgewick, the then Curator of the National Motor Museum, with Lord Montagu crafting the words. After the second edition, Lord Montagu stood back from the words and other skilled and experienced Jaguar authors have carried subsequent editions forward. The value of this group of books is to see the way the Jaguar story has been expanded through the years and also the way modern research has supplemented the original work of Michael Sedgewick.

A range of different editions of Lord Montagu’s ground-breaking work “Jaguar – A Biography”. The first edition, published in 1961, is the small deep red book on the far right.

Michael Sedgewick was the Curator of the National Motor Museum and carried out much of the research work for the first edition. This book is Lord Montagu’s personal thanks to Michael for all his help. The dedication reads: “Michael Sedgewick. Any success this book has will be entirely due to you. Many thanks and congratulations on all you did in connection with its realization. Montagu of Beaulieu. September 1961” A unique copy of a fine book.

 

Jaguar books published outside UK

Books published abroad about Jaguars are an essential element of any Jaguar library. The different perspectives of people working with Jaguar – the company and the cars – in different countries are always of great interest. Also, Jaguar’s competitive history abroad is substantial and reaches well beyond the obvious highlights of regular trips to Le Mans. A substantial element of the engineering that underpinned Jaguar’s successful return to Le Mans in the 1980s actually came from work carried out by American engineers working for the Group 44 team. Virtually alone in the world, that team kept the competitive Jaguar flag flying with their highly effective Series 3 E Types racing in the North American SCCA competitions. The V12 engines that powered the 1988 Le Mans winners were the direct descendants of the engines that powered those E Types.

Another aspect of books published elsewhere is the truly fascinating photographs, often never published in the UK. The higher-grade French books about Jaguars are particularly interesting in this respect. The later careers of milestone cars also appear in such books. Many truly historic cars from the UK competition scene in the 1950s and 1960s, subsequently found new homes and a new competitive life in Australia and New Zealand.

 

This selection of books is all published in the USA and includes two milestone books for the Jaguar bibliophile. The book “Travels with a Jaguar” by Amos Ball (open in the centre) was privately published in Washington DC in a limited edition of 500 in 1954. I believe this is the first book published anywhere in the world solely devoted to Jaguar. Second is the small book “Jaguar Guide” by John Bentley (on the right). This was published in 1957 and tells the story of the company and the cars forward from Swallow Sidecars days in Blackpool. So far as I have been able to discover, this was the first book to tread this now well-worn path.

 

The engineers

All too often, these gentlemen remain in the background while the racing drivers and the VIP customers take the limelight. It is too easy to forget the absolutely crucial role played by engineers in the Jaguar story, whether it was the designers of those two world-beating engines the XK and the V12, or engineers like Bob Knight whose skill in suspension design left even Rolls Royce scratching their heads. All were fundamental players in the team.

This group of books celebrates a representative selection of these men. “Climax in Coventry” (on the left) tells the story of Walter Hassan: mechanic to the pre-war Bentley Boys, Wally was the engineering genius behind the Coventry Climax Formula 1 engines that ruled the world in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The story goes that Sir William bought Coventry Climax just to secure the services of Wally for the team he was setting up to design the Jaguar V12.

“Lucky all my Life” by Harry Weslake tells the story of an engineer who was not employed by a single firm but who was contracted by many of the biggest to solve particular engine problems. He worked extensively with Jaguar on the development of the XK engines and I understand that his name is on no fewer than 28 patents related to the cylinder head for that engine.

A group of books celebrating the input of key engineers into Jaguar cars. Each of the gentlemen whose careers are recorded here worked with or for many other companies apart from Jaguar, but at some key stage their work was central to the development of Jaguar cars.

 

The engineering

This group of books widens the engineering theme to embrace the whole discipline of automotive engineering beyond the work of individual engineers dealt with above. They all focus on sports cars built during the 1950s and early 1960s, but apart from Bob Berry’s book at the foot, they all range across the whole market. This makes for interesting reading. There is always a danger that an over-enthusiastic focus on a single marque can screen out the achievements of others. Books like these force comparisons with the competitors and some are pretty interesting!

 

A group of books that examine the engineering underpinning a wide range of sports cars on the market in the 1950s and early 1960s. The comparisons inherent in such a group of books make for interesting reading. The way, for example, the XK engine lost its racing competitiveness is well-told. Also interesting is the different opinions of the various authors on the importance of certain engineering innovations.

 

The publisher

This is a less common theme for Jaguar book collectors, but worth looking at one or two publishers to illustrate good and bad practice in terms of choice of authors, design of covers and the open page, use of illustrations and basics such as an index.

The illustrative group I have chosen here are all by Osprey which is, I suggest, one of the better publishers in the field. They commission top-grade authors, design and illustrate the books well with a pleasing, unfussy house style. The E Type book on the right is especially good. It was written by no less an author than Denis Jenkinson and instead of the usual stuff about where to look for rust and the spares situation, much of the book is given over to his experiences criss-crossing Europe in his own E Type as he followed the Grand Prix circus.

 

A group of Jaguar books published by Osprey. “What” you may well ask, “is that Lamborghini Espada book doing in there?” This is a personal hobby-horse of mine. In my opinion, the Jaguar “Pirana” built by Bertone on a 2+2 E Type base remains one of the most beautiful Jaguars of all time. It was a one-off built for a Daily Telegraph competition in 1967 and along with the Lamborghini Marzal, a one-off shown at the 1967 Geneva Motor Show, provided the genes that fed into the Espada, the only one of these three Bertone-designed cars to go into production. If only!

 

Ian Cooling has produced a unique and informative book entitled "Jaguar Collectibles"
which can be ordered direct from his website.

Visit Ian's website

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KUH started this month with a bit of a headache...........
Early one morning, I checked the oil in KUHs engine only to find the oil filler cap and tube completely covered in what I can only refer to as Mayonnaise! Of course, what immediately sprung to mind was Head Gasket failure, so all plans for the weekend were cancelled as, aided by Joe, we eliminated all possibilities before pulling KUH’s head off.

There were a few signs that weren’t adding up, for example, the lack of oil in the water, and it was really only going to be solved by some proper testing. As it happened, the weekend is really not the best time to discover problems like this, and as I was unable to find the proper testing equipment, locally, to buy and use myself, I phoned up garages nearby, to see if there were any that had the appropriate testing equipment for head gaskets.

In the mean time I had contacted Rob Jenner, who is always the person to contact when you have an XJ40 problem. His advice was simple, and included cleaning out the mayo from the breather tubes and filler tube, and checking that there is no increase in oil level. Nothing seemed to be pointing to the head gasket, but Rob, and several local garages, had also explained that this was quite a common problem over the last few months. With the massive changes in temperature, condensation build up inside was becoming a common problem, and the best advice was to just take the car out and drive her but keep a strict eye on the oil pressure and engine temperature.

I topped up KUHs oil and took her for a 40 mile drive – she behaved perfectly. For the following week I used her for her normal activities, which include an 80 mile daily commute, and still there were no signs pointing to a head gasket failure. At the end of the week I checked her filler cap again and what was there was more like double cream rather than the massive amounts of mayo she had had the weekend before. So for her good behaviour I decided to treat her to her service a couple of weeks early – and just in case, I have gone back to using Castrol GTX!

Many thanks to Equinoxstudios (www.xj40.com) for the Jaguar Mayonnaise!

 

Visit Esta-janes website for more XJ40 news, views and tips!

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Part Six : Where The XJS Rusts and Why

Rear Bumper Beam

I forgot to mention the rear bumper beam when talking about the chrome bumpers last month, so I’ll add a few words before the main subject.

Rear bumper

The rear bumper beam is a pressed steel flat ‘U’ shaped item running along the back of the car and secured to the bumper irons by bolts retained in the beam itself. The beam is enveloped by a thick rubber moulding secured by spring clips. The rear fog lights are also fitted into apertures at each end of the pressing. These beams rust! Water gets between the steel pressing and rubber moulding and works away until it has reduced the beam to a crumbly mess. If you put your hand behind the beam and feel around within the ‘U’ then you’ll get a good idea of its condition. If you feel smooth paint without barnacles and no laminations of rusty steel then leave well alone, for the near future at least.

Bumper beam - new (left) and old (right)

If the initial prognosis is not good then it might be wise to remove the beam and give it a once over. Although the beam does not support any of the chrome bumpers it’s a lot easier if these 3 items are removed prior to getting the beam out. As mentioned before, the beam is secured to the irons by four captive bolts retained in the beam itself. They have the same head as a coach bolt and are retained in a square hole in the beam. The nuts on the other side of the iron will almost certainly be well rusted to the captive bolts. As with the chrome bumpers, if you don’t soak these nuts in penetrating oil for a couple of days beforehand, anything more than gentle manipulattion will see the captive bolt turn in the thin beam and turn the square hole into a round one. You will then spend the rest of the day huffing and puffing and falling out with anyone who comes near you whilst trying to liberate the nut from the bolt, it really is that bad!

Bumper beam captive bolts

Before you pull the beam free remember to disconnect the fog light wiring. Gently prise the spring clips holding the rubber to the beam and then pull the beam out of the rubber. Once out on its own it will become obvious whether the beam is salvageable or not. A quick note on the front bumper beam, which is made of alloy, never rots or bends, and begs the question of why this material wasn’t chosen for the rear.

Rear arches

New inner arch fitted

I don’t need to tell you that rot here is very common, and not just on XJS’s. This area suffers from both the obligatory gravel rash plus intimate double skinning where the inner arch slopes down to join the outer. If you look closely at a clean section of wheel arch lip you will see the spot welds where the inner and outer flanges come together. Rust develops where these flanges have not been sealed correctly. The flanges also create a little shelf at an acute angle to the inner arch for more nasty stuff to sit on and do its bit. Combine this with the unseen internal sections where the inner and outer arches get all cosy and the result is all too familiar.

One big hole!

If you keep the shelf and the remaining flanges clean and try to force penetrating oil or very thin grease between the two flanges then the arch stands a fighting chance. There is limited access to the internal sections and any rust preventative here tends to make the cabin smell. If you run your fingers along the arch all you should feel are the clean lines of two spot welded flanges. If there are any bumps or slopes leading up to the inner arch then I’m afraid your car has already been got at by the phantom fillers.

Repairs completed!

Repairing these sections is fiddly and time consuming and Jaguar do not sell repair sections. (Complete rear wings occasionally come up on ebay). You are hampered by the close proximity of the rear hubs and its also worthwhile giving more than a passing thought to the petrol tank and fuel lines which don’t sit far away. Sometimes cars come along adorned with chrome wheel arch covers. I don’t particularly like the look of them, and if you see a car fitted with these up for sale, it might be worth considering just what they are covering up.

Rear (flying) Buttresses

Rotten buttress

Some rot out, some don’t, but given enough encouragement they generally will. The encouragement is in the form of a dirty unloved car exposed to the elements. This allows dirt and organic matter to build up at the base of the buttresses where they meet the boot lid and rear window apertures. There is also the previously mentioned theory of acidic fumes from the battery. Sometimes it’s quite obvious that the metal has rotted from the inside out resulting in scabby holes half way up the buttress, far away from any time gathered detritus. Wherever your car chooses to rot, if its kept clean and dry, in and around the boot area (with all drain holes clear and free) then the buttresses should remain pretty well preserved.

Boot and Boot Lid

I’ve never really come across cars with badly corroded boot floors as they are pretty simple structures with no double skinning. The odd one or two have shown signs of distress around the spare wheel well which is the lowest point and probably gets the most paint disturbing flexing. It’s well worth taking out the spare wheel and carpet and having a good look round. Hopefully all it will take is a little attention to surface rust.

Boot plinth rust and bodged repair

The boot lid and bolt on plinths are a different kettle of fish. The boot lid tends to go on its lower edges, where the outer skin folds over the inner framework. This can continue all around the underside of the lid. The test for rot follows the same pattern as before, check the internal seam all around the boot periphery, if it’s not clean and well defined then it’s either corroded or has been filled in one way or another.

Plinth rear	The boot lid plinths are hollow sections bolted to the top rear of the boot lid. They collect muck and moisture on their internal parts and just rot away with ease.

Plinth front	The full extent of this is not apparent until the plinth is removed, but any blistering on the outer faces generally means trouble.

 

To receive this article (and others, including all previous parts of this series) as a pdf document with full-size pictures, please contact Xclusively Jaguar

Andy offers a used parts service for older Jaguars, as well as light restoration work, welding and advice.
I can personally recommend his used parts service.

Contact Andy via Xclusively Jaguar or direct, on: 07940 998199

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Latest news from Mitch Verheyen

The time is here to introduce me and my own car!

Who am I?

My name is Michel ( Mitch ) Verheyen and I live in Holland.

After I finished school, I started working in the automotive trade, for several dealerships, but in the end I didn’t feel that this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I got the opportunity to go and work for a company that specialized in restoring Jaguar and Aston Martin cars. Over the years, working for this company, I got the chance to attend several events. It all started off in 1999 with the recreation of the XK120 speed test in Jabbeke (Belgium), where we attended as technical support. This was the first time I got a close look into the history of Jaguar. After that I got the chance to go and help out at some racetracks, like Spa- Francochamps and Zolder, and I raced an XK120 at Zandvoort myself. Also events like the concour d’elegance at Het Loo Palace, Apeldoorn, were regular events where we were to be found, as company or as contender with our cars. Looking back on the last 10 years I can say that I did a lot of things most people only dream of. The only thing that was missing was a Jaguar I could call my own.

Starting off with an article on the Bob Kerr car, I set off to find out more about the Broadspeed cars, and the history behind them. The internet was a start, but I found out that the real cars would provide more information, and so I went to see the real deal at the JDHT, taking as many pictures as I could, and trying to figure out how Ralph Broad had modified the production bodyshell into a racecar.

The car was in the workshop and on axle stands at the time of my visit. This gave me the opportunity to get a good look in, and under the car - my camera did overtime! I found out that this car did not have a lot in common with the production coupe’s, as it is the 1977 car, with 19 inch wheels, solid mounted rear axle, a completely different front axle, bigger brakes, and so on.

With all this information I went home, and started planning!

First I had to find a good body, but a good body would be expensive, so a fairly bad car had the honour of becoming my project car. When I say bad, I mean that the body was so bad that you couldn't even use it as a banger car, because it did not even have a proper floor!

I have built my fair share of cars, and when I lived in the UK I got a good inside view into the replica/kitcar market. I even built an MK Indy (Lotus 7) with a fireblade engine, so I knew what building a replica or kitcar would entail. There are a lot of cars out there that claim to be replica's, but in detail would never be classed as that. My intention, with the Broadspeed Coupe, was to take it a step further, and not just build a replica, but a fairly accurate copy of the real cars.

To start with, my car had to be a V12 with manual transmission. It turned out that this was my first problem - as the coupe I had purchased was a 6 cylinder! The car was in such a bad state, that first I had to rebuild the body in order to have it retested at the Dutch DVLA with V12 on the registration document – and worse than that, the HE engine I had purchased in order to get it registered as a V12, had to be rebuilt it as it would have left the factory, with an automatic gearbox, and NO modifications whatsoever!

My God, what did I get myself into ???

I set about stripping the car, and found out that even though the car looked fairly complete, and at first glance not that bad, it was a basket case! The body had been in an accident in the past, and had been repaired several times. The sills where built up out of 3 sills welded over each other, filled in with half an inch of filler, and the rear wings had 2 edges welded into it on one side and 3 on the other. The floor was patched up over and over, and was not salvagable. One pull on the radius arms and they were ripped out of the floor completely.

So, it was off to the supplier for some spare parts!

I came back with a car full of new body panels, and a bank account that was stripped out more than the car was. Ahh well, all for a good cause .......Full floor pieces, left and right, new inner and outer sills, rear quarter panels and a lot more. I got a friend to pick me up a few pieces of 0.8 mm steel sheets, that I could use to make the bits I didn't get or that were not available. Well it turned out that I needed them badly as the modifications were made to the body. First I cut out the floors, and replaced the inner and outer sills. I welded a steel bar in the inner sills to stop the body flexing (this was a big problem with the coupe as they don't have a B-post ) and it would also provide solid mounting plates to bolt the role cage onto. Modifications were made to the sills, to incorporate working air ducts for the rear brakes, then they were closed off with the outer sills.

Structurally the car needed a lot of work, and when I look at the car now, I can say that about 80% of the underbody has been replaced, or has been repaired. The front of the sills were shortened to be able to get bigger wheels on the car. The front and rear wings have been modified also, for the big wheels (original: 19 inch 345 wide, on the rear).

Then it was time to fit the bodykit.

It was a pain in the rear end to get this sorted, as I wanted them to be mounted so that they would not crack as soon as I started driving the car, so I tried to get some information on this subject. There was no one who could tell me exactly how to do this properly! One told me to glue it, and another told me to bolt it in place. In the end I used glue and stainless steel countersunk bolts, to mount the kit to the body. Fibreglass and filler did the rest, to make a smooth body. Other modifications to the body were; shortened front fenders, to get the front spoiler bolted in place; big 10 inch holes in the bootlid, to accommodate the fuel filler caps; radiator mounts behind the rear quarter panels, and some smaller bits and bobs (yes as everyone can see, I also put the seat mounts on the left hand side back in). Every panel was seem welded, to gain strength.

At this moment the body is as you see it in the pictures, as I am very picky as to who does what, and I want to know exactly what happens to MY car, so I do everything myself. I know this way it takes a lot longer, but I know for sure it will be done the way I want.

Aside from the body work I have finished lots of other parts, like front and rear suspension, steering rack, headlining, 70s style racing seats reupholstered in exactly the same fabric as in the real car, modified dashboard as per original, and so on. The hardest thing is to find specific Broadspeed parts, like the rear spoiler, fuel tank, intake manifolds, injection system, wheels, and so on. Most of these parts were specially made for the Broadspeed racing coupes, and nowhere to be found, so I had/have to remanufacture these parts, or search online, for people who still have these parts, or can make them for me. In the 7 years that I have owned the car, I have made the rear spoiler myself and I found a fueltank that holds 120 litres of fuel ( as the original does ) and I can modify it to look exactly like the original.

Then there is the issue of the engine and gearbox. I have an HE engine with automatic gearbox to use for the DVLA test. But this is not what I want to use for the finished car. For that I will use a 5.3 pre-HE engine, also known as the flathead engine, but to get this engine to Broadspeed specifications will be hard and expensive. I don’t want to use a bored out 7 litre engine as some have done to get over 500 BHP, but to stay within Broadspeed specifications will mean that I have to rework every part inside the engine. At this moment I can only say that the engine is in the planning stage, and not a lot has been done to it, other than to take it apart.

Next to my own car I have come in contact with several people who own, or are in the process of building a replica of the Broadspeed racers. Some only for looks, others take it a step further and also try to get close to the original cars. But as far as I know, no one has tried to accomplish what I am trying to do. if I am wrong, then please let me know, and it can be featured here!

Some examples...........

Summary:
Up till now it has been a lot of work, but it has been an experience of a lifetime. I have met a lot of nice people, who like what I do, and love to do the same. I hope it will not be long until everyone can see the finished car, and I plan on visiting Jaguar Heritage with the car, when it is finished. I will keep everyone posted on the ongoing process of recreating this car.

A word of thanks to Letitia, for giving me the opportunity to tell my stories, and hopefully many more stories will follow.

View Broadspeed Website

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Latest News from Xclusively Jaguar Registers

The International XJ Coupe Register

We are now well on the way to creating the XJ Coupe register, with sub-sections for some of the specials. The XJ Coupe appears to have been a popular choice for variants and projects, such as the Convertibles and the Broadspeed racers. This month David Jobson-Scott continues his history on the Avon-Stevens convertibles.

The Jaguar/Daimler Avon-Stevens Convertible Story

by David Jobson-Scott

A handful of Jaguar and Daimler XJ Series 2 Coupés were converted in the late 1970s by Ladbroke Avon Ltd of Millers Road, Warwick, CV34 5AP, England. These cars were known as Avon-Stevens Convertibles. Jaguar cars (then part of British Leyland) had no intention of marketing an open version of the coupé. The company had enough problems making the hard top version to an acceptable standard. Window sealing was a major problem in development and this delayed the production cars for several years. Even when new, the coupés were never as hushed as the exceptionally quiet four door saloons. In addition, coupé production was a mere fraction of that for the four door saloon cars. The coupés were only in production for 32 months, with production ending in November 1977. Only 10,487 examples, of all variants, were manufactured. The majority were 4.2 litre, with only 2,270 of the 5.3 litre V12 version produced. The Daimler Double Six, with only 408, was the rarest of all. Total Jaguar/Daimler XJ6/12 Series 2 production (2 and 4 door cars, RHD and LHD) was 117,928. All figures from "Jaguar, The definitive history of a great British car" by Andrew Whyte.

The coupés were always very sleek and handsome cars: many owners and Jaguar enthusiasts appreciated the potential of creating an open version. Design consultant Anthony Stevens took the hard top off one of the XJC Corgi models and the idea was born. The Ladbroke Motor Group, based in Warwick, had taken over the Avon Coachbuilding Concern. It took Anthony Stevens and Ladbroke Avon's development engineer Brian Eadon, an ex Jaguar Rover Triumph man, some 18 months to transfer the ideas from paper to the finished prototype. By very good fortune, the XJC bodyshell proved to be almost ideal, needing comparatively little bracing to maintain rigidity.

One of the saddest facts of this story is that no records were kept of the conversions and it isn't clear exactly when the first prototype was finished. Contemporary records suggest that most of the cars were new when converted. However, it seems unlikely that conversion started before mid 1978. My own car (1976) would, thus, have been two years old when done. The Autocar article of 5th July 1980 states that only seven cars had been converted by early 1980. Some kits were also issued to a few specialist coachbuilders, but we don't know when or how many. The low "take-up" of the conversion might be explained by the fact that it cost £5,170: quite a sum in those days when a brand new coupé didn't cost much more! An Avon-Stevens Convertible could be supplied by Ladbroke Avon for between £10,000 to £17,000, depending upon the condition/age/specification of the car.

Prior to any work, cars were thoroughly inspected for damage, rust and general condition before being accepted. The interior was then stripped of seats, carpets and trim. The central console was left in position protected by tough weld spatter proof wooden casing. The roof was cut off about 6 inches (15 cm) from the screen rail, thus leaving a built-in wind deflector. The rear cut was made at the angle of the roof and the rear deck. Because the XJC was a pillarless structure, the lower part of the body shell is quite strong torsionally. The only stiffening required was to weld an 1/8th inch plate along the inner sill to strap the "A" and "B" posts and floor pan together. Additional strengthening to the screen pillars was achieved by welding 1/2 inch square section braces from the top of the scuttle upwards. This stiffening work was carried out with the car attached to a special jig to prevent any distortion.

Once all the strengthening work was complete and panels replaced, the cars were restored to as new Jaguar standards. The original window sealing of the rear quarter light was retained, but the rear deck was slightly modified to allow the hood to mate with the window. The whole conversion was designed to minimise the need to cut too many holes. The hood was designed with a manually operated "scissor" frame that sits on the rear deck, rather than folding into the body. This does have the disadvantage that it sits rather high (about 7 inches) when down, but doesn't detract too much from the appearance of the car. The material was either vinyl or heavy duty duck and lined with West of England cloth. The hood is covered with a neat clip on hood bag to complete the conversion. Eleven colours were offered for hood material and bag and the bag could be colour coded to match the seats.

Contemporary accounts suggest that the hood can be lowered by one person in about 60 seconds, including attaching the hood bag and put up again in much less time. My own experience is that it is quite a heavy operation and the initial raising of the hood off the rear deck, to put it back up again, is quite difficult! It is otherwise very straight forward and the front of the frame is attached to the screen rail by a couple of positive locking catches. The sealing around the window tops is similar to the hard top cars, but much more difficult to maintain. All the coupés had poor water sealing around the rear quarter windows and the convertibles are no exception. Water still gets into the car and lies under the rear seat and in the rear foot wells. Fortunately, most of the cars will now be leading very pampered lives and be spared too much wet weather.

In conclusion, the Avon-Stevens Convertible was a gorgeous interpretation of a car that Jaguar ought to have made. It was very rare when the cars were originally converted. Now the surviving cars (almost all I think have survived) are still extremely exotic and desirable. They are far more comfortable than the contemporary E-type Jaguars, much more spacious and with similar performance: they are also great to drive. What more could you ask of a car? I feel that they will become increasingly sought after, along with the other XJC conversions, such as the Lynx variant.

I have compiled a preliminary list of all Avon-Stevens Convertibles pictured or mentioned since the late 1970s and am still trying to update the records when ever new information appears. It seems that two cars were used in publicity photos with "Avon-Stevens" number plates. One is definitely in "green sand" (from the Avon-Stevens Brochure) and the other (black & white photo) is a light colour which may be "green sand". One was a Jaguar and the other a Daimler: neither has been positively identified.

David Jobson-Scott has very kindly supplied a copy of an original sales brochure for the Avon-Stevens Convertible, which we have used to created a pdf file. If you have a particular interest in this version of the XJ Coupe, please contact Xclusively Jaguar and we can supply you with a copy.

Next month we will feature a list of all the Avon-Stevens XJC Convertibles which David Jobson-Scott has found, to date. Meanwhile, here is another version of the XJC Convertible. This one was converted by "Fliptop Conversions of London" and is owned by Anthony Raylor.

 

Several new Jaguars have been added to the various registers over the last month, so please check them out, via the links below, if you are one of the people who has submitted details and pictures. If you are looking to buy a specific model, some of the cars on the registers are currently for sale, and these are indicated. If you own one of the models featured in our registers and would like to see your car added, please contact Xclusively Jaguar

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We conclude this months newsletter with a focus on the Jaguar S-type (X200)

1. Comparing the S-type with its Replacement

by Michael A. Clifton

Let me begin my life with a Jaguar by saying that I had had no previous experience with the marque until late in 2007 when sharing the occasional car-share commute with a colleague on a round trip of some 85 miles, much on the infamous A24 where I sampled the delights of his 4-year-old 2.5 litre 4WD X-type and he experienced my by now, long-in-the-tooth, diesel Range Rover.

Struck by the pleasures of a Jaguar, I discovered a local dealer in Aldingbourne in March 2008 who had a wide stock of pre-owned X-types, XJs and XKs and just the one S-type. On a Sunday morning, I dragged the family along to the garage for a browse. I test drove the S-type, an 02 SE model 3 litre V6, in a magnificent Pacific Blue with Charcoal hide and the darkest burr walnut, sporting the latest electronics pack including CD and Sat Nav.

After a 30-minute drive, the family was totally convinced and I was the proud owner of an S-type - although I realised I would have plenty of reading to do with the owner’s manual just to figure out the many controls!

After receiving indifferent treatment from the dealer, I decided to have its first service under my control at 80,000 miles carried out by Harwoods in Chichester. There were a number of extra jobs I had asked them to undertake that included fitting a cherished number plate, a birthday present from a very understanding wife, and changing the gearbox oil (thanks to good advice from the JEC S-type Forum Leader). The end of the service saw the car in tiptop condition. True, I was lighter in funds after all this, but Harwoods were graciously prepared to “negotiate” the cost of certain parts and labour charges around the gearbox oil change so the extras were less than they may have been. Half broke but happy.

This state of car enjoyment continued unabated until the early part of May, when I received a letter from Harwoods asking, “would you like to test drive the new XF?”

So on the 14th May I arrived at Harwoods in Chichester ready for the test drive. At 11.00am sharp I parked near several impressive and incredibly well preened cats and was duly escorted to the XF-S 3 litre diesel Portfolio. At the time I had no idea of the model options and their differences and it was not until later that I became aware of one feature that is only standard on the Portfolio and which I consider invaluable, but more of that later.

The exterior was Pearl Grey with an Ivory interior and a Spice coloured (for those without a pantone chart – orangey-brown) dashboard top. It was an attractive get-up, giving good contrast but definitely not to my taste. The ivory interior struck me as the last colour to choose for everyday life use. I know that Harwoods offer a valet service but why should one need constant valet service just to keep the interior looking clean?

Giving the XF the once over there were many noticeable differences from the S-type; the first thing was the wheel size. Now my S-type I have never considered as being tiny with its 17-inch wheels, but the Portfolio was fitted with 20 inch Senta alloys, and they looked truly gigantic. In fact, parking my S-type next to the XF made it look distinctly diminutive in height, width and length; I was definitely going to be playing with rather bigger boys’ toys.

I did like the keyless ignition and was shown where to find the specially designed slot for the non-key, before I pressed the starter button. What followed next was an engaging engine sound but not quite like my S-type, being even more muffled, before the air vents swivelled to push out cooling air, and the circular drive selector popped up. So far all was very impressive.

Feeling a little technophobic, I didn’t dare play with the in-car entertainment system which included some impressive-looking B&W speakers; certainly an expensive option over the spec in my S-type. I did use the Sat Nav on the touch screen console, which is a similar size to the one aboard my S-type that is placed closer to the lip of the dashboard. The new position of the touch screen ensured less head bending and from my first tentative finger jabbing, its operation seemed simpler. It has a more intuitive menu layout and the touch screen itself is more responsive, such is the result of technological progress.

As a 6” 3’ driver the front seat was fine, and after a little adjustment of the back it was superb. The overall space up front, and beyond the dashboard was enormous, not at all like the S-type where you feel as though you are slotted into the seat. Just to check on its 4/5 seat credentials, I went and sat in the back - although the space could have been more generous, as with most cars, it was certainly larger than the rear of my S-type. My last adjustment before leaving Harwoods was setting the wing mirrors and noting the spot illuminations - just part of the perimeter sensing system.

At this point the Salesman went into quiet mode and left me to struggle with the car. I confess here I would have been happy to continue to struggle for a lot longer with the toys.

I gingerly left the forecourt in the blazing sun with my route mentally pre-planned – skirt Chichester to the south and east, then turn north past the Goodwood circuit and on then westerly towards Petersfield via Lavant. This would give me both city and country driving with some long straight roads where I could test the 275BHP. During the city stage, I was very aware of both the sensitivity and power of the brakes. The car had only 500 miles on the clock so everything still needed to be bedded in and the brakes were a prime example of this. The first couple of times I tried gently depressing the brake pedal, both the Salesman and I were flung towards the dashboard; the car very nearly coming to a complete stop. I felt rather sheepish as I was just slowing down to approach traffic lights and a roundabout! It was at this point that the film Firefox came to mind, where the pilot used thought control - perhaps this should be suggested to Jaguar as a retro fit at first!

The XF has a six-speed ZF gearbox like my S-type so I was happy I knew how well it worked, but on the XF there is no longer the ability to manually change up or down by the gear lever for steep gradients. This is because there is no longer a gear lever, but merely just a raised “circular drive selector” which I found quite novel and surprising for the marque. Considering I was driving through the very congested parts of Chichester I was not prepared to experiment with the drive selector and paddles combo so early in the drive. My own view is that this replacement of a gear lever is not really Jaguar - and I can’t see the Italian and German competitors following suit. The romanticism of driving is removed. Paddles plus a circular drive selector may indicate progress, but even fly by wire has its limits.

The engine, exhaust and turbo noise were close to silent, in fact it would have been nice to have positively heard something to highlight what the car was doing and could do. It felt as though the car was more in charge of me and with all that “silence” where were the sounds that one expects to hear from a Jaguar?

Driving across a very uneven and partially broken road surface close to the Goodwood circuit, it was good to note that the car held its course and there was no sliding or sense of uncertainty. Nor was there any tyre or road noise; the ride and suspension gave superb handling. The ride quality is much improved over the S-type and aided no doubt by the use of those “diminutive” 20 inch wheels. The grip was ferocious and it would have taken a lot or a very silly driver to steer it off course. My glorious S-type on this stretch of road, however, tends to weave and shake a little with road noise sounding like a tyre running on its rims - not pleasant. I understand that the XF has been fitted with a new acoustic laminated windscreen (Jaguar World May 2009) and that must contribute considerably to the sound deadening.

As I turned off the Midhurst road towards Petersfield I had an immediate opportunity to test the XF-S’s power and overtake a large, slow agricultural vehicle on a limited straight stretch of road. Depressing the pedal, the cat leaped forward silently without any turbo hesitation - it was all nonchalance and refinement. I felt it could have done this all day. My S-type would have performed well but the sweet V6 would have let me know that it was being pushed, but of course, I would have had that beautiful Jaguar engine resonance and some noticeable exhaust roar. This part of the drive demonstrated both a noticeable power and torque difference between the two cars combined with 8 years of positive suspension improvement but sadly at the cost of the loss of the Jaguar engine and exhaust roar. You can now have a bigger, better and more refined cat, but with that very special diesel engine, one that purrs in silence.

A few miles later on and just before Chilgrove I pulled into a lay-by just to look in more detail around the car, including the boot – a decent shape and size, though the boot opening is a little narrow. I also tried out the significant and new feature designed to assist with reversing and parking on the touch screen. This XF-S model, the Portfolio, was fitted with a device that when in reverse the touch screen would show the predicted track over the live rear camera view. Trying to reverse without this aid would have been awkward and short drivers would hate it, but with it the predicted line of travel was simple. So good in fact, that reversing without it should be contemplated only where there is plenty of room both in front and behind. Currently this is an expensive extra on the two models below the Portfolio but I personally believe it should be fitted as standard to aid driving pleasure and safety immeasurably.

This point in time really marked the extremity of my experimentation and I realised by subtle suggestions from the Salesman that perhaps I should be thinking of returning the cat, something that had eluded me for the last 30 minutes!

Returning to Harwoods, as I approached the last roundabout on the A27 my mind was already calculating, “just where was I going to park the cat within Harwoods very congested car park?” and, “how close would I have to get to the Astons usually left lying around?” Fortunately, I found one small area on the left of the entrance that required reversing towards some railings ably assisted this time by my new friend that lovely rear-facing camera. I strangely found myself next to an impressive Pacific Blue S-type. I had quite forgotten just where I had left it but its presence brought a smile of pleasure.

After handing over the key fob to the Salesman he suggested we talk about prices, a very silly suggestion but there had to be a downside to the test drive. He carefully explained the XF Diesel model range and gave me a booklet and colour charts of leather, paint and wood veneers. I had to admit the booklets were beautifully executed and the graphics were excellent but it was confusing considering the endless choices of interior trim and roof coverings.

A couple of observations about the wood veneers and leather trim options; only the Portfolio has all 4 finishes of wood including a rich oak and ebony but the burr walnut still has it for me with its sensuous colour and richness. The leather trim finishes on the seats and backs are truly eye catching in their contrasting colours and look very racy but I still prefer a plain unfussy dark leather finish as on my S-type.

Conclusion, would I buy an XF-S Portfolio at £44,200?

I thoroughly enjoyed the XF-S for pace and grace, and found the car very easy to handle and fun to drive whatever the road surface. The engine and exhaust sound and performance belie the fact that it was a diesel. It’s very much a high quality Jaguar but has lost a little of the marque’s soul. Having said that my overwhelming answer has to be – yes!

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2. Running an S-type alongside one of its Predecessors

by Mark Duffy

My love affair with Jaguars started a couple of years back when I decided to look for a V12 XJS to use as a weekend toy. It didn’t take me long to find a cheap and solid car with loads of history.
First impressions; what a lot of car for very little money!
The car was such a joy to drive that I didn’t really notice or bother about the fuel consumption!

It wasn’t too long before I found a better car and sold mine to buy the next one. Again I was lucky to buy another good example with only a couple of minor faults. I thought I was satisfied now and would be happy to keep this car for years to come. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case. When out one sunny Sunday afternoon I spotted a beautiful Cabriolet. My fate was now sealed; I had to have one of these cars!

I searched for sometime until eventually on a lovely autumn evening in September I became the owner of a beautiful 1987 XJ-SC 3.6. The previous owner had owned the car for 19 years until he sadly died. The gentleman had spared no expense in maintaining the car to a high standard with receipts present for just about every item bought. I was very surprised to find the performance not a million miles away from the V12, and possibly a little quicker off the mark. The mpg being almost double that of the big brother but obviously lacking the huge torque of the V12. On long A road runs the car comes into its own, giving a subtle combination of pace and grace and always turning heads as a matter of course.

The car has been very reliable so far with only the usual servicing to do. It is certainly much easier to work on than the V12 and just as much fun to drive. For anyone planning to own a Cabriolet it is essential to keep the car in a dry garage as it will deteriorate rapidly if the damp gets into the interior. All in all the Jaguar XJ-S Cabriolet is well worth owning if you are prepared to give it the attention and care it deserves. I hope to keep mine going for many years to come.

My everyday mode of transport is now a Jaguar S-type, a completely different animal, but still a Jaguar. I must admit that I was dubious about buying a modern Jaguar. I suppose I had been influenced by various literature and reports I had read, written by traditionalists, most of whom had probably never owned nor lived with, on a daily basis a latter day Jaguar.

Having overcome my reservations and doubts, I took the leap and bought a 3 litre SE with 75,000 miles on the clock. I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised. The car oozes Jaguar feel and traits, albeit more refined and sophisticated than the old XJ-SC.

Fuel consumption is fairly good for a 3 litre engine with 32mpg quite easily attainable on the motorway at or above the legal limit. Around town it’s not too good, and you can expect about 22 ish. All that said, the ride and levels of comfort and equipment are very good. As expected of a car such as this, motorway journeys are effortless and I always arrive at my destination feeling fresh.

Performance is good and it’s certainly not a slow car. All in all it’s an easy car to live with daily, but I must admit I look forward to weekends when I can get the ol’ Cabriolet out!

The two cars are chalk and cheese, but both great cars, and I am very fortunate to own them.

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Important Notices and Disclaimers

Important: Please also refer to our Disclaimer

Please contact Xclusively Jaguar if you:-
1. Have anything advertised in this newsletter or the accompanying website and wish to make any amendments.
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Remember, it is exclusively JAGUAR, but this is also taken to mean SS and Daimler.

Thankyou for taking the time to read my newsletter.

Kindest Regards

Letitia Mace

 

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