With the Goodwood Revival behind us – and what an amazing event that was – the ‘season’ is just about over in Europe and many XK owners will be thinking about what they are going to do to their cars over the winter. In this Newsletter I want to talk about that and also give some Christmas ideas for ‘stocking fillers’ or perhaps to solve that perennial question, “What would you like for Christmas, dear?”

Winter warnings
Even if there is nothing outstanding that needs doing to your car, it is very sensible to ‘winterise’ any classic if it is not likely to be used very much for several months. If you click on this ‘October 2010 Newsletter’ link you can see what I advised then and that advice still stands. One thing I will reiterate is the need to protect your trim. I think it was well-known Jaguar trimmer Mick Turley who said that his best customers were mice. A roof can make the most comfortable winter quarters imaginable as well as Christmas dinner for a mouse and fabric is top of the gourmet list for moths. The warmer weather, particularly in the north of Europe, has seen a huge increase in the numbers of clothes moths this year. They love woollen fabrics such as carpets and hoods. To stop the patter of tiny feet, you can’t beat proper mouse traps and various moth repellents are on the market - so do it now...MORE

If I had a pound for every customer who bought a second-hand part for their XK and then found it did not fit or was useless, I would be a rich man (no the rumours are not true). I have to be honest, I have been caught out in the past and it is very easy to be fooled; even if the seller swears it is the right bit. To some extent the same goes for ‘new old stock’ where there is no identifying evidence to prove what it is. Ebay is probably the worst place to buy such parts, as nine times out of ten you never actually see what you are buying, except in a poor photo. When the man from DHL hands you the box, it’s too late. If it is the wrong part and as you don’t know what it really is, you can’t sell it and you have totally wasted your money.

I would say that we’ve seen it all but I am certain that there will be more to come. Suspension parts are some of the worst items because they are so similar and there are so many variants. XKs and Mk. 7/8/9 Jaguar saloons have many components that look very similar but are not. Fit the wrong part at your peril because it could upset the handling of your car. A top wishbone from a Mk. 9 is virtually indistinguishable from that on an XK150 but fitting one on the XK will give all sorts of problems...MORE

I am not sure if we can now claim ‘By Royal Appointment’ but we have the King of Morocco’s 140 Drophead in at the moment, undergoing a complete end-to-end rebuild. In fact, the only parts we are not touching are the paint and the trim. His Majesty is a real enthusiast for English sports cars and has quite a collection. In no particular order, we have another 140, this one from France, which is having a major rebuild including the fitting of a five-speed gearbox and disc brakes. We also have the historic Swiss RHD 120 that took part in the Liege-Rome-Liege in 1953/54. We are rebuilding the engine of this car to full factory C-type specification. It is a lovely car that also boasts Borrani wheels.

On the theme of long distance rallies, another 120 roadster in the workshop is being prepared for such events. We are giving it a complete rebuild in preparation for the Trans Continental rally in North America next year and the Paris Peking in 2013.

As well as customers’ cars, my 120 racer is being prepped for the Medina Grand Prix on Malta next month, where it will be accompanied by a C-type, which we are also getting ready for the event. So, as you see, we are pretty busy.

If you rarely take the time to venture out in your XK, take a moment to browse the 2012 events that we've found for you below.

Feb 12 - March 9 - Classic Jaguar Touring ' Four Weeks in Australia'

Easter - National Jaguar Rally, Blenheim, New Zealand (contact the XK Club for more details)

May 20 - Kent Backwater Run, UK (Jaguar XK Club event www.xkclub.com)

June 10-14 - Tweed Valley Tour, Scotland (contact the Jaguar XK Club for further details)

Jul 12-22 - Liege-Brescia-Liege Rally, Belgium-Slovenia (Jaguar XK Club event)

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As well as having new products and special offers, our parts catalogues can be downloaded complete from the website together with our Top Secret Broadsheets. Hopefully this will provide you with the detailed information you need when ordering parts and will help in restoring your Jaguar XK. Our registered user base for 'Broadsport News' continues to increase. Please 'Tell a friend' who might be interested in our XK news.