The world of classic car ownership is often presumed to be a bit of a boys’ club. One woman who owns several classic cars, Carolyn Aylmer, has said that her Ferrari 348 ‘attracts a lot of attention from men, who of course assume it isn’t mine.’ There is an increasing number of women in the industry, however, who prove that women enjoy owning and driving classic cars just as much as men do. Nadine Katz, who specialises in insuring classic cars, is one of them, saying that ‘a lot of women own their own cars… some even build cars; they know so much about the mechanics.’. A recent survey has revealed that a quarter of the UK’s classics are owned by women.

Car dealer Joe Macari has said that, in his experience, ‘women buyers’ tastes are very different to men’s… pretty cars will always sell.’ Are they so very different, though? We wanted to learn more

Our Jaguar XJS restoration skills were fully utilised during one of our latest projects, which features as our ‘Car of the month’ for March 2016.

The new owner of this stunning example of a fully restored XJS V12 coupé requested that we first find and purchase the donor car.

In our second instalment in the guest blog series, we ask classic car enthusiast, Rhett Redelings why he chose the Jaguar XJ-S over other available models. Here’s what he had to say:

I was the only child of a single parent. My mother worked in the classic car business, which exposed me to many high-end collectable cars, Jaguars among them. And Jags were always a favourite in our household. But as the only child of a single parent, I was somewhat in need of a male role model and, rightly or wrongly, I looked to film and television to show me the options.

In the summer vacation of 1982, between my first and second year of high school, while most of my friends were away for the summer, one of the local stations began running Return of the Saint

It’s important you consult a reputable broker who specialises in classic car insurance, in order to get the best possible cover for your classic car. We would recommend researching the following insurance companies, but there are, of course, other reputable brokers available:

• Peter James
• Lancaster
• Peter Best
• Adrian Flux

We would highly recommend going for ‘Replacement Value’ insurance cover, in case of unexpected damage, such as a collision or accident as you drive your freshly-restored classic away from KWE! This helps to overcome issues relating to the ‘book’ value that insurers sometimes offer, which might be a tenth of what you’ve just spent.

The above insurers provide specialist advice, and really know their stuff when it comes to classic cars. While they might offer only a limited mileage policy (typically 6,000 miles per year), they should be fine with insuring the car for a more accurate replacement value. KWE can confirm

We recently completed work on a 1983 Jaguar XJ12 Series 3 Saloon. Prior to its full-scale makeover, this classic had been sitting in the sidelines at KWE for several years, awaiting a client to commission its restoration.

Last year, one of our existing customers enlisted our expertise to restore the model back to its former glory. The customer – a true XJ enthusiast – is already the proud owner of a KWE-restored 1991 XJS, featured on James May and Oz Clark’s BBC series, Oz and James’s Big Wine Adventure.

The body has been completely stripped and repainted in gloss black, with ‘biscuit’ Connolly hide throughout, full interior makeover, and new KWE suspension, making this classic a real head-turner.

To view the full extent of our work, and for a look inside our workshop, visit our build gallery.

If you have a restoration project you’d like to enlist

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

Classic insurers say owners have unwittingly kept their cars’ agreed values at the same levels for years, despite recent price surges, particularly for 1970s and ’80s models.

Marcus Atkinson, marketing director at classic car insurer Hagerty, said the majority of classic cars are under-insured simply because owners are unaware of how much their cars have increased in value after recent price rises.

New Top Gear presenter, Chris Evans, is selling off £11million worth of classic cars at auction next month. Evans, who is replacing Jeremy Clarkson as the new presenter for the BBC show, has consigned 13 cars to the Bonhams Goodwood Revival Sale including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

The items include the rare right-hand drive 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Alloy, with an estimate of £2.6-2.9m, the 1971 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 ‘Daytona’ Spider,

More and more drivers are turning to classic cars as their vehicle of choice. For some, the decision is driven by nostalgia, while for others it may be the desire to stand out from the crowd. This post will take a closer look at some of the reasons why classic car fans are choosing uniqueness before uniformity.

In a world of relative conformity, some individuals just want to be different. Whether that is through their dress sense, their interior design, or, indeed, the vehicle they choose to drive, there are individualists who favour uniqueness.

As car designs become increasingly dull, and with a lack of personality resulting from modern design, looking for a new car is hardly exciting. Driving experience is also taking a hit, as technology takes control of the wheel more and more.

A a properly re-engineered classic car ensures complete driving pleasure, and will take

In line with recent news that classic cars are becoming an increasingly good investment opportunity, we’ve compiled a table, using data from Classic Car Buyer, illustrating more clearly the rising values of all XJS models, no matter what the condition.

The Classic Car Buyer price guide is compiled with reference to a variety of sources, including clubs, auction results and advertisements, both printed and online. It is impossible to accurately value a specific vehicle without examining the car first.

The listings below are intended to provide a useful guide only, and were valid on 22nd July 2015. Asking prices can vary widely between different examples of the same model. Our figures relate to private sales online. Dealer prices and values for insurance purposes are generally higher.

Note: Conditions listed refer to the following:

• Condition 1: First class condition and well cared for throughout its life
• Condition 2: Good condition with legitimate MOT and

We’ve had the pleasure of working on this increasingly customised V12 XJS on a number of occasions. On its latest visit to our workshop, we’ve been asked to install our Digital Engine Management (DEM) system. The system will release more power, and will allow us to optimise the fuelling and ignition for other modifications, such as cold air inlets.

Modifying these engines would normally have little or no effect, unless the fuelling and ignition is re-mappable. Without specialist knowledge of the original firmware-based map and ability to re-blow vintage eproms, this is not really possible.

Our modern Omex system, however, allows for full re-mapping. This XJS was dyno-tested at just over 300bhp, prior to any modifications being carried out. Once the installation of the system has been completed, we will be able to check on the gains we’ve made.

Another advantage of the modern engine management is the much-improved reliability. The old Lucas system