On 23rd December 2020, after no less than 956 days since this XJR-S was delivered to the bodyshop, I was finally able to collect it and bring it back to our workshop. I’ve been incredibly patient in waiting for it and dealing with the never ending list of delays, though it was my decision to leave it there rather than attempt to retrieve it and take it elsewhere (for a couple of different reasons).
To say I was excited to be able to go and collect this car would be an understatement. If you’ve read any of the other posts about it then you may have an idea that I really like this particular Jaguar, and I’ve got a feeling that I could get as attached to it as I am to J258. There are a few points lower down on the body of the car that I’m not entirely happy with, but we’ll sort those ourselves as I am just glad to have the car back and it will be more expedient to correct them here (or I may not see the car again for another year).
We’ve had the car up on a ramp now and reinspected it. The whole car is going to receive a deep clean to remove any of the usual dust and associated muck of a body shop, and then the underneath will be stripped so that parts can be restored individually. All of the bushes will be replaced as a starting point, as most are perished due to age, and I’ve no doubt that there will be a few hidden jobs waiting for us. Parts of the interior will be sent away to be restored too, but I do hope that progress will be reasonably quick and we’ll be able to have the car back on the road relatively soon.
