Hi everybody , I'm seeking information about Jaguar XJS by Hess&Eisenhard. I bought this car last month and for register the car in Italy I Need a document attesting the conversion made by Hess& Eisenhard from coupé to convertible. Can somebody help me?

 

It should have a plate on it somewhere saying they did the conversion. I'd look on the door jamb first, it might be in the engine bay, I'm not sure.

 

These cars were sold by Jaguar as a factory authorized conversion. They did start out as coupes so the VIN might indicate that. Would historical information from the Internet satisfy them? With these cars it's important to keep an eye on the fuel tanks and pumps. Good luck with your car, welcome to the forums!

 

Check with the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust. The heritage certificate you can order might have that information.

https://www.jaguarheritage.com/

 

Doesn't the office in Italy know that it was originally a coupe?
Your XJS H&E has been listed and homologated in the US market as a roadster.
Jaguar Heritage will definitely help you.
You will have (probably) another problem.
The official will have a hard time understanding that your car has two VINs.
One UK (coupe) and one US (roadster).

 

Hess cars came with a Hess emblem on each front wing and that was the extent of the badging. As your car was being prepared you rec. a book with the certificate and vin on a brass plate but it was in the book not the car. You also rec. two silver key rings that your name could be engraved on. As the cars came to the US as coupes it is very doubtful the JDHT will have any information on the conversion. We suggest you contact JLR North America where the records of converted cars were kept for warranty and such. The number to the archives there is 201 818 8144. Ask for Fred! As a final note when a Hess is registered in the US the insurance by VIN pops up coupe so no formal reporting to the data base was ever made. Best of luck!

 

Just for the record here is the pre delivery Hess packet.

 

Thank you for posting that Hess material. I’ve never seen it before.

Thought I’d never buy a Hess based on others opinions here and on jag lovers. I ended up with one (22k miles and $5500 sorta made it hard to pass up) and man, it’s nice. Scuttle shake? Total nonsense. Reeks of gas? Nah. Rare hard to find parts? Hasn’t been a problem... between Chrysler window motors and S10 fuel pumps... They’re very nice cars.

I wonder if opinion will ever cross over from “aftermarket conversion” to “special coachbuilt rarity”.

Now if I change my mind about the XJS-C I’ll have officially drank the koolaid.

 

Glad you've had a great experience with your H & E. My first XJS was an H & E, and frankly I was happy to part with it. Given that it is a "special coachbuilt rarity", I wouldn't be surprised if there is quite a bit of variation between each hand-built unit. The issues I experienced included scuttle shake, perceptible body flex, fuel depravation during cornering, and a fuel gauge that bounced so much it was not readable while driving nor particularly accurate when not driving. When I had it, it was eligible for the fuel tank recall fix, and even after the recall, the Jaguar dealer could never get the fuel issues sorted. The recall did address the gas smell issue though. In hindsight, the dealer was probably not very motivated to properly fix it, and I might have had better luck on the fuel issues if I'd tackled it myself, but back then I was new to the XJS and too intimidated to work on it myself.

Not trying to rain on your parade, and I'm genuinely heartened to hear you've had such good fortune with yours, just relating my personal experience with the H & E to illustrate that those issues aren't a total myth.

Cheers

 

Jaguar couldn't solve it with fuel, it wasn't its design All you describe is the work of Hess & Eisenhardt. My only fuel problem is the fuel gauge made by Rochester TX and I can't buy it in Europe. From my point of view, the H&E clone is nicer in profile than the original Jaguar roadster.

 

I recently parted out an 88 H&E. Several on this thread have bught parts from me.

Let me know if you are looking for anything. If I still have it (including gas tank - very good condition) I'm ready to sell.

Thx.

PM me

 

Outstanding, no idea those manuals came with the car. My H&E didn't come with that book. I do have a factory H&E shop manual. It's completely useless, but it's cool to have. It does have some diagrams that are helpful.

 

The Hess cars are under appreciated, super simple to work on, & pretty cheap to own if you're a diy'er. Most gearheads will never be able to afford a V-12.
Does anyone have a copy of the original frame reinforcement design that Hess presented to Jag? Hess had a fire at one point after they stopped converting these cars (hummmm) and filed for bankruptcy. I've read in one of the forums that a retired engineer from Hess had a copy, but no way to get hold of the guy. I've not tried Jag, but that's on the list. My car has a little bit of body flex, so it could stand some reinforcement. No shuttle shake to speak of. There are lead weights behind the headlights that keep the shake to a min.