November 28, 2024

Jensen 541R

Paul has been fitting the front discs, callipers, and steering arms to our 1960 Jensen 541R. He also fitted the engine mounts, fitted and aligned

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Maserati BiTurbo Work

Lots of progress has been made on our 11,000-mile, 1987 Maserati BiTurbo. Lydia removed the saggy headlining and fitted new sound deadening. Jonn has also

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SEAT Leon – 25 Years

The SEAT Leon is 25 years old this year. Since its release in 1999, the Leon has been extremely popular in the compact car sector. Over the years, SEAT has sold more than 2.5 million units of the Leon worldwide making it one of the most successful SEAT cars to be made.


Four Generations of the SEAT Leon

  • First Generation (1999): Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the original SEAT Leon reintroduced the brand to the compact segment with features such as four-wheel drive and a six-speed gearbox, offering up to 180 horsepower.
  • Second Generation (2005): Under the guidance of Walter de Silva, the second iteration adopted a bold, aerodynamic design and featured unique recessed rear door handles for a sporty, two-door appearance. This generation also prioritised efficiency and performance.
  • Third Generation: The third generation brought advanced infotainment systems, driver assistance technology, and full LED lighting to the compact car segment. It became the best-selling generation, with over one million units sold.
  • Fourth Generation (2020): Introducing advanced connectivity and multiple powertrain options, the latest Leon continues to set benchmarks. Its e-HYBRID variant was SEATโ€™s first plug-in hybrid.

SEAT Leon Accomplishments

The Leon has earned titles such as the โ€œCar of the Yearโ€ in Spain and Portugal and โ€œImport Car of the Yearโ€ in Argentina. On the racetrack, it made history with back-to-back World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) titles in 2008 and 2009, becoming the first diesel-powered car to win an FIA world title.

It has also made appearances in films like Men in Black: International and the tv series Dark and Sherlock

Happy 25th birthday to the SEAT Leon!


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British Car Production Drops Again

British car production saw a drop of 15.3% in October, with 77,484 vehicles manufactured, marking the eighth consecutive month of decline. This downturn was largely attributed to ongoing factory retooling for next-generation zero-emission vehicles, as reported by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Both domestic and export markets experienced setbacks, with output falling 4.7% and 17.6%, respectively.

The production of electrified vehicles – including battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid models -made up nearly a third of the total output at 24,719 units. However, this figure also represented a decline of 32.6% compared to the previous year. Since January, UK factories have produced 239,773 electrified vehicles, with 71.8% destined for export.

Exports to the EU, the largest market for UK cars, dropped by 34.6%, while shipments to the US almost doubled, rising by 96.2%, driven by the popularity of luxury and premium models. Despite a 5.3% year-to-date increase in production for the UK market, overall manufacturing output remains 10.8% lower than the previous year, with exports down 14.8%.


The decline continues due to weak demand for electric vehicles and rising operational costs, challenging the industryโ€™s transition to greener technologies. Despite over ยฃ20 billion in investment announced last year to support EV production, the outlook for UK manufacturing remains less than ideal. Projections for 2024 and 2025 estimate production levels of 911,000 and 839,000 vehicles, respectively, significantly below pre-pandemic figures.

Industry leaders are calling for urgent government intervention to help aid competitiveness. Proposals include energy cost reductions, supportive market regulations, and trade agreements promoting free and fair commerce. Without these measures, UK car production risks falling below 750,000 units by 2030, threatening jobs and economic stability.

“These are deeply concerning times for the automotive industry, with massive investments in plants and new zero emission products under intense pressure. Slowdowns in the global market โ€“ especially for EVs โ€“ are impacting production output, with the situation in the UK particularly acute given we have arguably the toughest targets and most accelerated timeline but without the consumer incentives necessary to drive demand. The cost of stimulating that demand and complying with those targets is huge and, as we are seeing, unsustainable. Urgent action is therefore needed and we will work with government on its rapid review of the regulation and the development of an ambitious and comprehensive Industrial Strategy to assure our competitiveness.โ€

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive

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Jensen 541R

Paul has been fitting the front discs, callipers, and steering arms to our 1960 Jensen 541R. He also fitted the engine mounts, fitted and aligned the clutch before starting to modify the chassis in order for it to take the seat belts.

XJS Service And RepairsXJS

Pete has had another busy day working on our 1993 Jaguar XJS. He started with the removal of the nearside tail pipe, this was very well rusted in place and required a lot of persistent persuasion with some wood and a big hammer!

He could then start cutting the rear quarter and preparing for the replacement panel work, some minor repairs to the inner rear quarter will be needed prior to fitment of the external metal work. With the arrival of all the service items, it was decided to crack on and get the car up and running again and leave the metalwork for the moment.

The new steering rack arrived and was fitted, new washers and hardware was fitted too.

The window switch has also now been fitted to cure that intermittent fault along with the headlamp relay unit.

Overall a productive day clearing a good chunk of the items listed from the appraisal.

Maserati BiTurbo Work

Lots of progress has been made on our 11,000-mile, 1987 Maserati BiTurbo. Lydia removed the saggy headlining and fitted new sound deadening.

Jonn has also been working on the car. Here are his notes:

Carry out inspection. Engine removed and battery disconnected, so electric items and engine etc not tested yet. All brakes require replacement and all tyres requre replacement. Unable to fit nearside headlight as clips broken. Attend to broken brake pipes at nearside front. Remove 1 flexi and steel pipe. Separate pipes and remove broken end. Make new brake pipes from joiner on nearside inner wing to flexi and from flexi to caliper. Removenother flexi and free up unions and ref8t. Repeat cleaning for offside pipesand free all ends ready. Look into nearside door not locking from either side. Strip and remove door panel. Clean lock mechanism and lubricate. Inspect operation and work back and forth until free.

Refit door panel and test door lock functions inside and out, ok. Repair broken stereo blanking plate. Secure centre console heater surround panel with screws and refit blank. Remove drivers mirror to find its a non adjustable type. Refit and secure properly and restick inner cover.

Remove lower radiator hose ready for painting. Attend to repairs. Investigate passengers seat insecure. Found rear bolts loose but inner bolt won’t tighten as captive nut in floor broken off. Undo seat bolts and chisel floor to remove broken captive nut along with seat. Cut out floor and make plate to fit. Drill and prep for welding. Rob welded new captive ut to plate and weld plate into floor. Dress welds and paint to protect. Seal up rear footwell ung as I can see daylight through floor. Refit carpets and underlay. Remove old bolt and captive nut from seat. Save bolt with retread tool. Refit seat, ok. Untwist both seatbelts via bottom mount and refit springs to lower mount for seatbelt. Clean belts and lube with silicone spray.

Clean all intake popes. Polish all pipes to a shine ready for engine refit.

Mercedes250SL Brake Callipers

During the appraisal of our 1967 Mercedes 250SL, it was noted that the nearside front wheel was binding. Pete removed the wheel for a closer inspection and found that the inner piston was seized in the calliper body. He attempted to free this while the calliper remained on the car. He removed the pad retaining springs and pins and the pads but no amount of fiddling would push the piston back – operating the foot pedal didn’t affect a push-out either.

The calliper was removed from the car and separated on the bench where better access to each piston was available. Pete removed the dust seals and gave them a liberal coating of penetrate oil and allowed it to soak while he worked on a fix for the fuel pump.

Regarding the pump, Pete’s gasket repair from last week didn’t allow enough clearance for the pump to spin on the motor and as such there was no fuel supply. He stripped the base plate from the pump again and removed that gasket repair. He actually found an o ring that was a close match to the size needed although it did require hand stretching with the addition of some heat and fitted perfectly. The pump was remounted, pipes connected for the final time and the guard refitted.

Back to the calliper, given time to soak and the addition of plenty of force Pete managed to break the rust that was holding it solid, each piston was slid out by hand, cleaned with a scotch pad so the surface wasn’t damaged and refitted back in the calliper body with some clean lubricant. The dust seals were cleaned and greased and refitted, before Pete fully assembled the calliper and fitted it back in the car. The brakes were bled, the wheel refitted and torqued to spec.

After this, Pete then stripped the faulty washer pump. He found that the mating faces were well worn, where the internal pump cogs rotate against it much like an oil pump. He cleaned and reversed the plate, fabricated a new cork compression gasket as it was missing and sealed the assembly with a liquid gasket. He then re assembled the unit and put it back into the engine bay, tested it and there is now a much quieter operation, and a lovely clean windscreen!