FJ BARN FINDS AT THE CLASSIC CAR & RESTORATION SHOW - PART 3

Here's a sneak peek at the final set of cars joining us on the Footman James Barn Find display at the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show - including cars from a few owners you might recognise!

1967 Series 1 Jaguar E Type Roadster from Classic Motor Cars

This E Type was suppled new to a company in April 1967.  Having then led an interesting life, where at some point it lived abroad and changed colour!  It was bought by the current owner with the aim of getting it back to its former glory.

Classic Motor Cars commenced a complete strip down and restoration of the car totalling over 2500 man hours over many months.  Painstakingly restoring every part and in some cases making subtle improvements in order to further its enjoyment once complete.

The car was completed and kept as part of a collection until the owner has had a change of direction and decided to sell.

1959 Jaguar XK120 from Classic Motor Cars

This car is an original US LHD drive car in need of full restoration.  Its first owner was Lt. Col Van Cusdell and has benefited from living in a dry state in the US. It therefore has what we call 'good bones' and is a good start for a restoration project.  Most of the parts are here and so ideal as a home project or to be placed into the hands of a good restorer (CMC can recommend a great one!)

1975 Rolls-Royce Corniche owned by Gary Mavers, Classic Obsession

“My first classic car obsession began when I was just a six-year-old boy. While coming out of my house in my hometown of Liverpool, I was passed by one of the most beautiful cars I’d even seen. It was a Rolls-Royce Cornice Convertible which pulled into a driveway a few doors down, and to my amazement, out of it jumped Paul and Linda McCartney”

Nearly 50 years later, Gary travelled to Northern Ireland to purchase his very own 1975 Rolls-Royce Corniche Drop-head in desperate need of restoration after being kept in a barn for 16 years.

The car started out as gold and was originally supplied new to London but had also spent time in Scotland before ending up in Northern Ireland.

This is now Gary’s daily driver and although not a show-car, he is very proud of the work he has completed on the car, chartering the restoration on his YouTube channel – Classic Obsession. He’s rebuilt the brakes and body, the steering linkages, fitted a handling kit and even rebuilt the convertible hood from scratch himself. You can also watch videos showing how he tackles a full service of the car once the restoration was complete.

Visit youtube.com/@classic.obsession to view the videos.

1977 Lotus Elite owned by Gary Mavers, Classic Obsession

Earlier this year, Gary received a call from retired doctor and his wife to rescue their beloved Lotus Elite, which had been resting in their garage for years. The owner purchased it from new and absolutely loved driving the car, describing it was a ‘great friend’ and a ‘happy car’. He had taken it all over the country from Cornwall to the Scottish Highlands and during his ownership, he rebuilt the engine as a 2.2 and the gearbox.

The car has been well used but also well cared for with little to no rust at all. Plus, it has kept hold of many of the original features including the original wheels and stereo. The interior was also in good order, considering the age of the car.

The car is now in Gary’s care, and he has promised the original owner to give the car a new lease of life. He has already started work on the car and has already managed to get the engine running, rebuild the carburettors and give the paint a refresh.

You can follow the Elite’s restoration journey of Gary’s YouTube Channel Classic Obsession: youtube.com/@classic.obsession

1967 Series Land Rover owned by Tom Rafferty

“Over the last 18 months, I’ve been working on my biggest project to date.” Tom Rafferty tell us. “Classic Land Rovers have drawn me to them for as long as I can remember and after spending years crawling through auto websites and online marketplaces for examples that I can obsess over, I decided to challenge myself and build my own Land Rover from scratch.

I will confess that before this project, I had no experience in building or working on cars, but I’ve always thought it best to learn to do practical things on the job. With no pressure on me to complete it in a given timeframe, I was able to take my time and learn as I go. I do have a degree in mechanical engineering, which benefitted me somewhat, a long list of previous projects that have involved working with wood, metal, wiring, and I have my grandad living nearby, a petrol head himself, with a wealth of experience working on cars in the past, who became equally as invested in the project as I was.

The plan for my Land Rover, AKA The Beast, was to rebuild from the ground up with several modifications. I love the classic look, but there are some things I wanted to add to make it mine and give it a modern twist, like a P38 power steering conversion, Wolf Wheels, Bluetooth stereo and a custom-built wooden dash to name a few. All finished in matt black with orange accents.

The 1967 Series came in at £1,100 plus a couple hundred for delivery, it could be best described as rough. All the wheel arches were cut and there was a good amount of rust, but it did include a working Discovery 200tdi in the rear tub and a series gearbox.”

Tom is documenting his restoration journey on the Footman James website. Visit footmanjames.co.uk/classic-hub to read about his progress so far.

1957 Porsche 356 owned by Dom Chinea

“I’ve wanted one of these literally since I was a kid, it’s my absolute dream car.”

This Porsche 356a was buried in a barn in Pennsylvania, USA for almost 30 years. The story goes that it was an old hill climb racing car that had an accident. It was going to be restored and someone did start to take it apart - they stripped it all down and sanded down the front end - but they then gave up and moved onto something else, leaving the Porsche to rust away in the barn.

Getting the Porsche back to its former glory is a huge undertaking. Dom has been working on the project since 2021 and you can follow the progress of the Porsche’s restoration on his YouTube channel: youtube.com/@DominicChineas

INSURE YOUR CLASSIC CAR ON THE ROAD AND ON THE WORKBENCH WITH FOOTMAN JAMES

Whether your classic is in concours condition after a nut & bolt restoration or in pieces in your garage, Footman James have an insurance policy to suit your requirements. If your classic is currently off the road, FJ’s Laid Up policy protects your vehicle against accidental or malicious damage, fire, theft and attempted theft when kept in a locked garage. It’s also covered during transit to and from competitions, exhibitions and restorers. Call us on the number at the top of this page or request a call back online for a quote.

Once you’re behind the wheel, our classic vehicle insurance policy comes complete with a whole host of benefits such as shows & events cover and cover for your trips to Europe (up to 35 days, restrictions apply). You can also choose to add a range of additional options to tailor your policy to your exact requirements. These include: Breakdown Cover, Agreed Value, Nil Deduction Salvage Retention, Legal Protection and more. Get an instant, online quote here.