The Jools Holland Car – Jet 1 Replica

Here's another classic Chop Shop project that people always ask about. The Jools Holland Jet 1 was one of the cars that I hated the most. But by the end, it was one of the cars I really loved. Strange, innit? But sometimes a project can just grab you.

It started off as a Rover P4 and we combined this with a Rover 80. I can't tell you how bad the job looked. The cars were so rusty and run down that I didn’t want to do the job, I hated it, but as it began to come together, I started getting more into it.

I had the main job of the dashboard that Jools Holland had designed himself. He even decided to buy the clocks and dials he wanted! We worked very closely together as he knew what he wanted. Exactly what he wanted...! But then I knew what he wanted: which includes every little detail! And I mean EVERY little detail!

I also had the job of the hidden roll-cage that runs from the bulkhead to the back of the car as Leepu had done one of his roof chops which led to the car losing its rigidity. As an old car, it didn’t have a lot of strength to start with. I ran the roll-cage underneath the car as Jools Holland didn’t want it to be visible (and believe me, it did the job!). I also built a frame around the engine as we had to cut all the flitches out.

Another one of my jobs was the running gear on the chassis. As of this time, I did not have a measuring system or a jig so I had to use a measuring tape and a tremble gauge and compensate where I had to.

This is totally detailed, super-precise work.

When I had finished, the car drove sweetly without having a set-back or being parallel.

So, I was quite pleased, to put it mildly. I'd turned two wrecks into a lovely motor - and one that I thought was a true representation of Jools. And that's the point.