L994 WGK
KWE were first approached by our client in 2010 to source a 6.0 litre LHD Convertible. The client himself found this car in Spain and had the car shipped to us for upgrading. At that time the following works were ordered: respray exterior only in KWE Sutton Blue (originally red), suspension renewal, service & perishable items replacement (the car had only done 37k miles), power enhancement, manual transmission conversion, quad headlamps with HID bulbs, large bore exhaust, KWE 17" Pepperpot wheels and cavity wax treatment.
In 2011, after the Brands Hatch incident, KWE swapped most of the parts etc from the broken car into the new bodyshell. Some new panels - wings, bumper covers etc were required and the rear subframe also needed to be replaced. It was a long and complicated project but the resultant car looks fabulous and drives wonderfully.
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From this angle the car does not look too badly damaged.... |
The damage to the nearside front corner tells a story... |
The wheel and hub were bent under by the force of the crash! |
The new bodyshell being delivered. We think there is now only one more like this left in the country. |
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Here is the bodyshell painted in KWE Sutton Blue - a metallic version of Westminster Blue. |
The 'old' car and the new bodyshell sit side by side in the workshop as the transfer of parts, wiring and trim commences. |
The wiring harnesses will be one of the first things to install in the new bodyshell.... |
...the harnesses are labelled to avoid confusion and all connectors are checked for corrosion and repaired as necessary. |
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Before the engine itself is installed, there is plenty of plumbing and wiring to be done |
Once all the plumbing is in place the engine can be gently lowered into place and connected up |
Fortunately, the fuel tank was undamaged and so could just be swapped out of the old car into the new shell. |
At last we can start to build up the interior. |
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With a brand new bodyshell it seemed a shame to put the old and worn seats and carpets in, so a new Wilton carpet set was made and all leather trim was re-covered to match the exterior in magnolia with dark blue piping. |
The new car is starting to look like a car as the headlamps go on and the refurbished seating is put in place. |
The bent undertray was unusable and the part was found to be no longer available from Jaguar, so we set about fabricating our own (improved) version |
Here is the fabricated undertray in place. |
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The beautiful new interior with the door cards, center console, seats and other trim re-covered. |
Another shot of the interior taken from the offside |
The 2011 XJS is complete! |
From the front, with the top down and ready for a new life in the south of France |