Carello lenses for Facelift headlamps

[mike020150]

With luck, everyone should have received a November '22 JEC magazine and read the article in Club News which requests members to signal their interest in the Club's project to reproduce Facelift Carello headlamp lenses fitted to later XJSs. The original headlamps or lenses are no longer available new and there is a real and increasing danger that their non-availability will result in otherwise sound XJSs failing their MoTs for lack of replacement lenses, a very sad, indeed terminal situation, for some cars.

Reproducing headlamp lenses is not a simple task and will require a considerable investment in the necessary tooling by SNG Barratt, our partner in the project. At this stage of the project, SNGB needs to be sure there will be sufficient likely demand to cover this expenditure. Assuming there will be a reasonable demand for them, the likely cost of a pair of lenses would be approximately £300, and volumes are the key question members are being asked to think about. We need your help with this one. Hence, if you are a member who may need replacement lenses, either now or in the foreseeable future, and you have not already done so, please email your likely requirements (as detailed in the magazine) to spares@jec.org.uk a.s.a.p. and certainly before the end of November.

As Jaguar transitions to electric cars with less commonality of parts with older models, the spares situation for our combustion-engined cars is likely to deteriorate, making it harder to keep our classics on the road. We need to prepare for this inevitability. Support for the headlamp project and other current spares initiatives will help pave the way to keep our cars running well into an all-electric future. For more detailed information about this headlamp project and the wider JEC Spares Initiative, see the article in the November '22 Jaguar Enthusiast magazine. Mike.