Behind the scenes at Jaguar Heritage

A fascinating look around the Heritage division's workshop, with everything from barn-finds to a 160-mile XJ220

Heritage used to be not much more than a by product of things getting older, a polite synonym for "worn out" or sometimes "a bit rubbish." But when it comes to cars it's become an increasingly big business, the motor industry collectively moving to celebrate its past as never before. Hence all the talk of legacies, inheritances and the brand-defining passion that made the manufacturer what it is today.

Of course, much of this is not much more than marketing puff - an excuse to Instagram some pictures of old cars parked next to new ones, or to send some of the corporate museum puttering up the Hill at Goodwood. Which is why we should be glad that, despite launching its own shiny new Heritage division, Jaguar hasn't got rid of the workshop at Brown's Lane where - recent rebranding aside - much of the grimy business of looking after its classic models has been done for decades.

Take a trip back in time at Brown's Lane!

Old School
It definitely helps that Brown's Lane is a particularly old fashioned car factory. Clear out the modern cars, park a few XK150s and Mk2s around and it could easily be 1959 in here. It's got a dingy charm that modern car plants, most of which look like intensive chicken farms from the outside, can't get close to matching. And the most characterful part is definitely the Heritage workshop.

We're visiting as part of our Hero story on the XJ220 - and the discovery that a substantial number of owners have always had their cars "works serviced" in Cov. Yet although there are no fewer than three XJ220s in a workshop that's no bigger than a typical light industrial unit, they don't win the most attention when I first walk in. It's hard to look at anything else in a space that contains one of the 'continuation' lightweight E-Types, being built at the far end under lights that make it look like it's sitting in a jeweller's window. Sadly I'm a million quid short of the million quid pricetag.

Being prepared for a bank job. Not.

Something for everyone
Variety is clearly the spice here. Apart from the XJ220s everything is from the 1960s or before, as it's only older Jaguars that are worth enough to justify the considerable cost of a full works-spec restoration, although Jaguar Heritage sales manager Stuart Kilvington says that owners are starting to ask about sending more modern cars for work. The most striking car is the crusty looking XK150 Drophead that is in proper barn find condition, the barn in question having been in Sicily. Although it's British registered and right-hand drive it spent 30 years in Italy before being bought by its new owner, who has sent it here for a full restoration. I'm no great fan of the current trend of keeping crumbly old motors in "before" condition, but I have to admit the XK looks magnificent in its current state of dilapidation. It's almost a shame it will be getting completely rebuilt.

Need to ask? You can't afford it
A full works-spec restoration is predictably expensive. "For a full restoration it's going to be about £150,000 - and if that's not too shocking then let's talk about it seriously," says Kilvington, "but we always say that this should be about a car that you love and want to make perfect for yourself. We are adding value, but it would often be cheaper to buy a car that's already in outstanding condition. But then, it won't be done just the way you want it."

E-Types still very popular at Brown's Lane

Of course, not everything is in for a full ground-up job, some cars are getting gentler renovation work, and some are just in for routine servicing or a health check, which can be a useful way of helping to establish the value of cars that are being bought or sold. Jaguar Heritage also has full access to the company's archives, and can check the provenance of a car - one of the XJ220s that's in when we visit has come here for an inspection prior to being sold to a new owner.

Boil in a bag
Bringing us back to the XJ220, which has been a nice sideline ever since the car was launched. The Heritage workshop has more unrivalled expertise, employing a couple of technicians who actually worked on the XJ220 production line in Bloxham and who have been fettling them ever since. The trickiest job apparently is the replacement of the fuel tank bag, which is a lifed component that's meant to be swapped every six years. It's an engine out job and requires the new bag to be put through a small hatch and then carefully expanded into the space it occupies.

Sometimes an XJ220 arrives that has never been here before - one of the three cars when we visit has just 160 miles on the odometer, and is being recommissioned after not having been started for six years. Others are in and out regularly; one XJ220 owner brings his car from Lincolnshire once a year, has it serviced and MOT'd, then drives it home to park it up for another 12 months.

High demand keeps these guys busy!

Standard is best
One tricky issue is dealing with cars that have been modified from their original specification, a predictably high number among some of the older cars. "If it's safety related and somebody wanted an upgrade - like for example modern brake materials then we'd be happy to do that," says Paul Bridges, the Heritage and Restoration manager, "but we couldn't put on a non-standard brake or steering system. We're the OEM."

Heritage is now part of JLR's Special Vehicle Operations division, and can call upon the expertise of the powertrain and engineering departments. "If there was enough demand for something then we could look into developing it," says Bridges, "but normally we will just note when something is non-standard and then leave it up to the customer to decide what they want to do."

Apparently lots of XJ220s have been modified with upgraded brake systems; certainly not a bad idea given our experience of the unservoed set-up. Although Bridges says that the workshop has been asked to take several back to standard, rising values meaning more emphasis is being put on originality.

With interest in all old Jaguars still high - and the prices being asked for many still shooting up - it's hard to imagine that demand won't carry on increasing for the gold standard of a factory-specification restoration.

OP Posts Only

Author

Discussion

ukaskew

Original Poster

10,642 posts

221 months