Thinking about restoring a classic Jaguar XJS? Well now’s a very good time, as this model is becoming an increasingly good investment opportunity. But how can you ensure you’re getting a good deal? And what can be done to minimise restoration costs? This post aims to shed some light on what to look out for when buying an XJS; it could save you a great deal of time and money!

First of all, it’s important to consider that sellers – in particular garages and dealers – will have gone to some trouble to make the car look pristine on the outside; but it is very unlikely that a seller will have done a proper restoration-quality repair of rusted areas. Therefore, a perfect-looking car is often in much worse condition than one with visible rust, which has not yet been ‘tarted-up’.

As with all

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.