JD Classics: Jaguars are only the start...

JD Classics’ beginnings were a little more humble than its huge, purpose-built premises might suggest…

"Only around 40% of our work now involves Jaguar" - owner Derek Hood

“I remember being taken to the local Jaguar showroom in my pram as a baby,” recalls JD Classics founder-owner Derek Hood, “and I was soon able to identify each car by its model name.” His fascination with cars was soon joined by an interest in teeth – and persuaded by his father that the latter would offer more realistic career opportunities, he studied and then began practising in dentistry.

However, after a while, the gravitational pull towards cars became too strong. Initially, he spent his spare time detailing cars on his driveway (and on more than one occasion sold them on to a passer-by for double what he paid), until he decided to steer his career onto a different trajectory. What began in a small industrial unit almost 30 years ago has now matured into a business which occupies an entire purpose-built premises, with close to 50 employees.

Reputation for restoration

Along the way, JD has established an unrivalled reputation for its expertise concerning Jaguars but, in recent years, the company’s all-encompassing restoration facilities have increasingly attracted cars from other marques, as Derek explains: “Only around 40% of our work now involves Jaguar; the remainder is made up of Ferraris, Aston Martins and various others.” Being worked on during our visit were not only numerous road and racing Jags from each era, but also a rare Toyota 2000GT, several David Brown-era Astons, and a bright pink VW camper van nearing the final stages of a complete restoration.

Unusually, all restoration work (bar re-chroming) takes place on site. “This allows us to retain quality control over each aspect,” explains Derek. “When sourcing a car to sell, we’ll rarely buy one restored elsewhere – we prefer instead to buy original cars with rarity and pedigree, and restore them to the expected standard ourselves.”

Blue-chip bonanza

The cars split between the six on-site showrooms are equally impressive, with highlights on the Jaguar side including a Broadspeed XJ12, a Group C XJR-9 in iconic Silk Cut livery, and the stunning 1953 ‘Jabbeke’ Land Speed Record XK120 (173mph average, if you were wondering). Elsewhere, an ex-Works Porsche 550 Spyder eyes a 250 California Spider across the showroom, while a Gooda Special Bentley R-Type shares floorspace with a ‘Twini’ Mini. Although some of the 180-odd cars on site are being retained as long-term investments, the majority are for sale at prices ranging from £40,000 up to £7m.

Whether temporary or permanent residents in the JD collection, many of the racing cars are given the opportunity to stretch their legs at historic events – including the real blue-chip machines, such as the ex-Fangio C-type. The company even runs the activities of the official Jaguar Heritage Racing team and, as an endorsement of trust, you don’t get much better than that.

Photos: Joe Breeze

JD Classics' stocklist can be found in the Classic Driver Market.