Thanks mate, but I am pretty confident by now it will come off without leaving traces.
First need the car though, those old style printers are pretty good, but so slowwwwww .....

 

So today was a bad day, as I found out the leaper was bolted after all .

Half my brain was convinced the flexibility of mounting, plus the black stuff between the leaper and the bonnet pointed to something sticky.
The other half (the one I suppressed) told me that such size and weight needed some bolts ... and holes in the bonnet ....
The worst thing is that there not just 2 holes, but the paint between the holes is ribbed.

Well, need to think a bit more, probably going the plug solution, maybe, just maybe, going with a smaller and more elegant leaper (like the one I have on my VDP).
The good thing is that I really like the car, the interior is marvelous, the engine / gearbox a whole lot faster than our VDP, and the look is of course fantastic.
2 holes in the bonnet .. so what ...

 

Not trying to make fun of your predicament as I'd be miffed too. In a lighter vein though, how about this, it has 6 inch wings and even lights up!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/GREEN-Winge...-/392180280522


Classy...

 

Jag decal, might look better than plugs?
https://xks.com/i-7084616-jaguar-decal-16-5023.html

or something like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/123493027434

 

Haha, that lady ornament will solve it all ...
Guess will buy two more, one green and red, and put them on port and starboard side of the roof.
Let the ideas roll ....

 

So am I now emotionally overreacting, or is something like this really better than that stupid leaper?

 

Anything that you add to cover the holes is going to look like you are covering up something.

Can you post a pic of the "damage" ?

 

Yeah, so right, but what is the alternative?
Even a repaint, will all the extra costs, it is silver ... half of the silver cars here have non-matching doors and fenders...
I will post some pics on Thursday after I am back from a bizz trip.

 

What's the pitch of the holes?
The S and X types use a bonnet badge to cover the leaper location where it's not allowed, but yours looks like
the old style leaper with two bolts so the badge may not be big enough.

 

I say mount a 7" driving light there and call it a rally car.. 😁

You could run some vynil racing stripes down the middle. Do something every so slightly off grey and it wouldn't look too horrible (to everyone but purists).

Then add a big ole meatball on the hood for that weekend vintage racer look.

Honestly, that's a tough one to rectify short of a replacement bonnet or bodywork.

 

New bonnet.

 

How about a photo so we can assess and advise? I am sure there are accident repair shops out there who can fix it for you?

I do not know if your talking about a large mark or just two holes. If it were just two holes I would remove the bonnet/hoot liner. Put some black duck tape on the rear. Fill the holes with some filler. Spray some paint into the lid then with a fine brush paint the filler to match. Dont forget too that you do not have to do it at a 'distance' as you can lift the bonnet up so it is directly in front of you. That last bit sounds obvious now but you would be surprised how many forget that.

 

As said, will post a pic after I am back from my travelling Friday, she is happily covered up in B2 these days.
2 Days later, I feel less upset, well ... I tell myself so ....after all, she is a beautiful car, with or without 2 holes .

 

Actually any body shop should be able to patch and fill the holes, then blend the colour with the rest of the bonnet. The cost vs. what you have invested in the car should be minimal, and well worth the investment. Why do a half A** job on such a beautiful car?

 

Thanks for all the suggestions, and the efforts to keep me afloat ...

My problem with a bodyshop is that I am in Taiwan, and the car is silver ... as mentioned before , half of the silver cars here have mismatching silver doors, panels or bonnets, they can't seem to get it right.
I'm sure there are people who can do it correct, but I will need time to check that, see their results, not just listen to there YES CAN, NO PROBLEM, which is such a familiar expression here ...

Came home last night, and this morning early I drove the XK to the airport to meet a friend.
Just arrived at the beachfront close to the airport at sunrise, could not resit to catch some pics.
The last one shows the holes, I guess it says all ....

However, I made up my mind, and will put some order in the recovery.
I will cover the holes, or put a leaper back (my friend's spare car has a smaller one, at least a little bit more elegant).
Then I will first fix the O2 sensor and the suspension the coming weeks, will need to order some parts.
After that, I will fix up the shifter (decided for the eBay alloy plate, and will re-spray the surround in black as it was), and do the rest of the interior work.
By then, I will probably know more on the price / feasibility of a re-spray, and make a final decision.

 

Beautiful pix. beautiful car, even with the holes. I think I would go with the body shop, even taking the chance on mismatch. Just get references, and have entire hood resprayed. It is still a labor of love.

 

That is easily correctable. Id try the remove back and touch it up yourself route first. Just take you time and I am sure those holes will disappear.

 

Here you go Eric. No more holes!

 

Two minds, same thought
I also did this remotely on the real car last night, but I still have to go down and check if it worked

 

+1

Marks on the hood/bonnet are particularly noticeable, and it's like a dent: you know it is there so you always see it rather than looking at the whole package.

Agree on your strategy: fix the important stuff first. Yes, you can see the holes, but they don't detract from the looks of the car as much as the leaper did, IMO. Too high for a badge and you'd then have to lose the one on the nosecone...