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If you are as careful about protecting your car as I do mine, take a deep breath before reading further...
About a year and a half ago, a delivery truck backed up into this car in my own driveway doing about $4,000 (USD) damage. The hood had a nice big "V" in it, the grill was also destroyed, and the front chrome bumper cap dented and scratched badly. Fortunately, it was all superficial damage. The underhood radiator frame and engine components were not damaged.
This was actually a blessing in
disguise, because about two weeks prior over dinner one night, my lovely lady Diane
I had them strip the car down completely and wet sand the body. The front hood and trunklid were both replaced. Of course in a job of this sort, the shop removed the bumpers, all exterior chrome, lights, and front and rear glass (the front glass can not be removed without putting in a new windshield). It is a good thing I had them remove the front glass. When I bought the car, there was a small "bubble" in the molding around the front windshield rubber stripping. I fixed that myself, but the unseen damage did not come to light until the body shop informed me that the windshield frame was badly rusted, and that it was a good thing I had decided to replace the front glass, otherwise they would have not found the damage so they could repair it! So with the bad news came good news. The repair was made, and my front glass is not in danger of falling out.
The car was in the shop for one month, and the results speak for themselves. People mistake it for a "new" Jaguar (i.e. those that don't know Jags). This is one "boxy" XJ-40 I am very proud of. It has won best in class at the Berkeley Plantation British Car Days (near Williamsburg VA each year) and is a crowd stopper whenever we take it to a British Car show. The car looks and runs like new and is driven daily year-round. |
This is my 1989 Vanden Plas
Sedan in the factory colour of Alpine Green. I am a firm believer that certain model cars look
good in certain colors. I think the VDP looks best in this color
When I was looking for this car, I was also only looking for Alpine Green--they are not too
common place. Everyone that sees it comments about what a beautiful color it is.
The factory Alpine Green is a light silvery-green with just a slight hint of gold. This
really comes out with the doeskin interior hides. The wheels are a factory item and I ordered them
from the dealer about a year and half after I had the car. They are 16" chrome "Turbine"
style wheels and really set this car off
beautifully. Tires are Michelin 245/60 16 Z rated, and replace the awful Pirelli P600's 16's that
I originally put in this wheel. The Mics are quieter, and have a softer ride with better handling,
and are less expensive to boot.
and I were talking about getting the car re-painted. There were little scratches, a couple
of small dents, and the rust bubbles began to appear on the rear panels below the tail
lights and on the rear trunk lid--all very typical for this car. Also, the right lower
rocker panels below the door jam were showing some rust. It was time to act.