Good morning all,

I'm Filip from Flanders, I've been into classic/British cars for about 20 years and have finally got my first Jaguar, a 1986 XJ-SC V12. So time for a little introduction.
I've been reading up here for some time and registered earlier this week shortly after getting my XJ-SC. She has her own introduction in the XJS section (link). Thanks a lot all those who replied to make me feel welcome and gave me valuable tips.

I have always been interested in all things technical and cars in particular. When I got my first Land Rover (a Defender 90 TD5) I discovered the near endless possibilities to work on it and upgrade, supported by a vast aftermarket industry and most importantly clubs and forums filled with great stories and technical help. I have made many friends that way, including those still closest to me today. Soon I was spending much time helping others and got tired of not having a decent garage to do it in, so I bought an industrial warehouse. Part is rented out to another company, in the other part we started Escape's Workshop as a second job, to work on cars and offer other owners the chance to work on their own car while using a lift etc. Mostly Land Rover at that point, with an emphasis on off road. We did Ladoga Trophy in Russia 4 years in a row, a great adventure but not for the faint hearted.

A few years and several Range Rovers later I went from high to low and got a 1990 Lotus Esprit Turbo SE. Something I had been dreaming about for a long time (in fact, I went to see my first s/h Lotus when I was still a student). Soon followed by a Triumph Stag. Both RHD I might add, it just adds to the charm.
Unfortunately, in 2015 disaster struck when my Esprit, Stag and 2 Range Rovers were lost as our Workshop burned down.
After realising I had been lucky to get out alive (the fire started in the middle of the night and I was living at the Workshop at the time) my first priority was to get another 'special' car. I looked around, tried a few, and then got an almost identical Esprit, thanks to friends at TLF who knew about my misfortune. That Esprit became and still is my daily driver, adding up to 12k miles per year. A year later another Stag, but I never bonded with that one as much as I did with the first one, and it was soon exchanged for another Lotus, this time an Eclat Excel. The Lotus bug got me good and when I was offered an original 1973 John Player Special edition Elan I just couldn't resist.
The past few years where spent mostly rebuilding the Workshop (after much delay caused by the insurance and builders) and getting up to speed again. And of course looking at possible new additions to the fleet, but never going through with it (voice of reason and all that).

This year, I had an urge to do something about my bucket list. 2 names high up were (are) TVR and Jaguar. As well as Aston Martin, but the ones I like are a bit too expensive. I let an interesting TVR get away and then drove an XJ-S and immediately loved it. While contemplating how much to offer (there were a few obvious things that needed urgent attention), I saw another one on an auction. With no chance to see the car as it was already the last day, I limited myself to a safe, low bid. Reserve not met but the owner decided to go through with the sale anyway.
So here I am, one very happy owner! I should have gotten a Jaaag years ago.

Filip

where I spent most of lockdown

 

Welcome to the Forums.

 

Welcome to the forums Filip,

Good to have you with us and thanks for a great Intro.

I can see you've already found your way to the XJS forum so there's no need for a link to it from me. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for information on regular issues.

Enjoy the forums.

Graham

 

Hello, Filip
SO many of us would Love to have a 4-post lift like that!
Welcome to the forums from ElinorB.
(';')

 

Thanks for the welcome ElinorB (and Grant and Graham!).

Yes, the 4-poster has come in very handy and gets used a lot. There is a 2-poster next to it (one of the post is just visible in the right bottom corner) which is used mostly for brake/suspension work and for body-offs.
As said, I like working on cars so much I started a business as a second job. That allows me to invest in equipment and tools as it generates some income as well. We also do 'workshop for rent', for those who want to work on their own car but don't have the space/equipment/tools or just need an extra pair of hands and some advice. Another upside is I get to see and work on all kinds of classic or special cars. I try to avoid 'normal' cars and usually only accept those jobs either from friends or if it's the daily driver of an existing customer.
The downside is sometimes after the paying jobs are done, there is little time and/or motivaton left for my own projects. I have a properly built-up 5.0 Rover V8 sitting on the engine stand for 2 years now, as I just don't get round to finishing the Range Rover it's meant to power... The last couple of weeks I did make sure to reserve plenty of time to get the Jag up to spec. :-)

Filip

 

welcome to the forum - enjoy!!!

 

Welcome aboard Filip, I recognise that avatar from rangeroversnet.....good luck mate!

 

Thanks, it was only a matter of time before someone would reckognise me I guess. I had to change my name slightly because it was already in use, but glad I could keep my avatar.
I must admit your name doesn't ring a bell straight away. I only remember someone by the name of Daffie on a Belgian Land Rover forum...

Filip

 

Welcome to Jaguar Forums Filip,
Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help

 

Welcome to the forums.


Elinor, I thought I was over shed envy with my shed, but apparently not.