I purchased the Coombs rear fender skirts, or spats, some time ago from XKs Unlimited. The skirts are mounted to the body with a rear bracket, a clip in the middle, and Duz-type fasteners at the front. They do not fit particularly well and can shift about. John Stefanik, who did some masterful metal work on the car previously, had done some preliminary fitting of the skirts when he had the car in Pennsylvania.

However, after seeing a number of fellows on the various Jaguar MK2 Forums weld these to the body rather than mounting as per usual, I was inspired to do the same. In my opinion once all of the bodywork is complete this will yield a much smoother and pleasing appearance. The rubber gasket that is typically used and visible is eliminated.

The original Coombs MK2s did not, in fact, use a skirt or spat, but accomplished the same effect by welding in a rod around the wheel opening to create a fender bead or roll similar to the front of the car. This, of course, also provided much easier access to the rear wheels/tires when racing. Reference is made to the rear wheel opening modification in the Coombs brochure of the time:Coombs Specifications for Jaguar MK2 (2)

These skirts are available in steel as well as fiberglass. I had purchased the steel variant.

Brandon Tyree, welder and fabricator extraordinaire, at Mike Gassman’s Gassman Automotive shop http://www.gassmanautomotive.com did the welding work for me. All of the finishing touches will be handled when the car is returned for bodywork and paint.

Here are a few images of Brandon’s work:

Coombs Rear Wheel Skirts Welded

Coombs Rear Wheel Skirts Welded

Coombs Rear Wheel Skirts Welded

Coombs Rear Wheel Skirts Welded

Coombs Rear Wheel Skirts Welded

Coombs Rear Wheel Skirts Welded