I am restoring a 1989 XJS 3.6 Auto Coupe, as described on other pages on this website. This is a rolling restoration, as I believe in using my cars and do not aim for Concourse Standards. My belief is a Jaguar XJS is designed for spirited driving, not languishing in a garage, under a dustcover. I do not have an endless budget, or a wife who loves the Jaguar as much as I do. So I am going to restore the car, over several years and aim to keep the cost's down. I therefore decided it would be prudent, to see if I could obtain an exact matching donor car.

I didn't have to wait long to find one, thanks to the "Online Classifieds" section, of the "Jaguar Enthusiasts Club" website. I am a JEC member so this was obviously, the first place to look. I e-mailed the chap who owned it, then spoke to him on the phone. The car actually belonged to his wife and neither of them really wanted to see it go. However with the patter of tiny feet looming and the cars MOT due, they had to do it. They had been offered all kinds of very low prices by the car dismantlers and even been asked to pay for the pleasure of having it taken away. Well Jaguars have a strange effect on people, don't I know it!!! They did not want the car to be scrapped in the normal fashion, because they loved it! I guess many JEC members will understand this! They had advertised it for next to nothing as long as it went to a good home/cause. So to cut it it short I purchased it for £200 and they were pleased that it was going to, live on again through the restoration of my car. I guess only Jaguar owners will understand this, my wife just raises her eyes!!

If you go to the pictorial account of stripping this car (which is ongoing), you will see how my son and myself are going about it. Basically all we have is two "2-Ton" trolley jacks and various chains, blocks of wood etc. But you will see that even with this basic equipment, we are easily stripping the car. The method we are using is front suspension down, then off. Followed by dropping car and engine, then lifting car off engine. We have also done the same with the rear IRS frame of the car. All components and ancillary's are being stored in plastic stackable boxes.

To sum up, unfortunatley the bodyshell is totally shot, the car had a tow bar on it and lots of sand in various crevaces underneath. This suggests that at some time in its life it has been involved with Sun,Sea,Sand and Boats. This would explain the level of corrosion, not only to the chassis bodyshell, but also the frames of the Front Suspension and rear IRS. The car has also spent all of its life in Scotland and I purchased it from Edinburgh.

Now don't let the last paragraph, put you off buying a donor car, because the amount of good spares I am getting of the car, far outweighs any rust problems. Everything electrical works, the gearbox was overhauled only 19000 miles ago and I have the bill, the engine is dirty but perfect and stacked with spares. The battery was brand new as were nearly all the tyres. The differential is perfect and all the interior trim is perfect, except the centre ski-slope. I have allready used one of the headlamps from this car for my car, even the Aircon was working on this donor car, with a brand new condensor radiator to boot.

Finally if you are serious about keeping an older Jaguar for a long time, then buying a donor car and stripping it, makes real economical sense. Just look what it costs now for reproduced E-Type parts, making E-Types very expensive indeed to restore. Ok the XJS will never be as popular as the E-Type is, but only time will tell. I hope in the future the prices for the XJS will start to rise, just as for the E-Type etc. Meantime I have a very nice car, that is comfortable has great handling and goes like a rocket and to me looks very good indeed and it didn't cost me the price of an XK8! Oh and yes it's one of the last real Jaguars!