JAGUAR XJ13

Historic racer and classic collector Aaron Lewis is a driver first and foremost. The business of restoration, he says, can be frustrating.

‘The rebuild is the painful bit, for some people that’s the enjoyment. I’m a driver – I know what I want, and know what I want the end result to be, but I’m not a mechanic. Restoring cars or doing mechanical work to improve cars can be painful. It always takes three times as long and costs four times as much as you think.’

And Aaron points to his newest project – a replica Jaguar XJ13, low and sleek and British Racing Green. ‘This one has cost me far more than it should have to finish, and I’m talking like one hundred grand more. No way on the

Right: This gorgeous dashboard conveys the essence of Jaguar with the strong suggestion of Le Mans. The steering wheel is a work of art in itself.

earth you’d spend the amount of money I have on this, partly because the engine detonated on the dyno. Also, various things ending up costing more than they should, typical of one of these builds.’

Aaron laughs and suggests it’s better to buy a finished car, a goer or even one that needs a little work. Among his current collection of goers is a bunch of fine replicas – a GT40, a Ferrari P4 and an XKSS but it is the XJ13 now demanding his attention.

The Cessnock businessman has owned two XJ13 replicas; the first a Rod Tempero recreation from New Zealand and the second this one, originally a rolling chassis out of Race Car Replica’s sheds in Detroit and built up with Jason Ferraro in Melbourne over three years.