2010-11-05 21:24:14 | pauls writes:

Car was at auction 9/10
www.historics.co.uk/previous-auctions/25th-september-2010/ref-37-jaguar-xk140-ro ...

Auction description:
Auction Date: 25 September 2010
Lot 37 - 1955 Jaguar XK140 Roadster Restoration
* Registration: Unregistered
* Chassis Number: 810763DN
* Engine Number: tbc
* Odometer reading: tbc
* Estimate: £12,000-£16,000
* Hammer: Sold
* Plus Commission: £12,851.25

This is normally the part where we the auctioneers tell you how wonderful this Jaguar is to drive, how she attracts admiring glances from all who see her, and how pampered she has remained through her life with her enthusiastic owner.... To avoid confusion however, we must point out that this is a restoration project, but a really good one at that. Imported from the USA in February of this year, this wonderfully honest lefthand drive roadster has had UK taxes full paid, and with the car is the HMRC importation document dated 25/2/10. It is also supplied with Jaguar Heritage Certificate, and State of Georgia Registration. In the right hands, this exciting project will easily return back to original specification. It is attractive because many of the parts are in workable condition. The bodywork is accounted for, as is the engine, and some mechanical and interior fittings as can be seen from the photographs. The market remains hungry for barn finds and restoration projects and we feel that this car is priced very sensibly and offers the new owner the opportunity to build a car entirly to his or her specification.

2023-04-24 07:57:37 | pauls writes:

Car now offered at:

www.carandclassic.com/auctions/1955-jaguar-xk140-open-two-seater-4a0amn

Seller's description:

1955 Jaguar XK140 Roadster

Colour Grey

Odometer 41,897 Miles

Engine size 3442

Auction DetailsSeller Type Private

Town Cheshunt

Location Hertfordshire

Country United Kingdom

Ground up restoration costing in excess of £180,000

Offered at a fraction of that price

Rebuilt from the chassis up with no stone left unturned

Only driven 100 miles since restoration

Jaguar Heritage Certificate confirming numbers

Original and very appealing colour combination

Built on 18th January 1955

Dispatched to New York 

Sold via the Hoffman dealership

Originally left-hand drive 

Purchased by the current owner around seven years ago

The car has undergone a full restoration in recent years

Accompanied by an extensive history file

UK V5C

Heritage certificate

Originally supplied in Battleship Grey with a Gunmetal hood and red interior

Photographic records of full restoration from the bare chassis up

Extensive invoices on file for parts and labour

Only driven 100 miles since restoration

The Interior

Expertly trimmed red leather interior

Matching red carpets, showing no sign of wear

Converted to right-hand drive

Stepping into this XK140 must be a very similar experience to being in a Jaguar showroom in the 1950s. The recently completed restoration still looks fresh and unsullied by use. 

Red leather swathes the seating, dashboard and door cards. It is expertly stitched and fits snugly and smoothly. There is a little light scuffing to the top of the passenger seat, but otherwise we couldn’t see any signs of use. Even the driver’s seat appears to be free from creases, which implies that this car has covered a very low number of miles since the restoration was completed. 

The dashboard is well equipped with Smiths gauges and Lucas switchgear, all of which appears to be in untouched condition, with bold markings and clear glass. 

To the rear, the spacious boot is fully carpeted, with leather edge-banding completing the luxurious appeal. A full size spare wheel sits below the boot floor and the wheel well appears to be very clean and tidy. 

The Exterior 

Superb resprayed paintwork

Excellent chrome plating 

Beautifully clean underneath

The graceful lines of the XK140 are a sight to behold as they glide along the road. Its sweeping wings and narrow grille are instantly recognisable as being among the very best in 1950s automotive design.

This car has been rebuilt from a bare chassis, with expert attention being paid to its structure, bodywork and paint. The result is a reassuringly clean, straight and smart car all round. The only issue that we could see upon inspection was a slight dimple in the flat section of the front left wing, but this is barely noticeable.

A black hood provides weather protection and looks clean and tidy. It affixes to the split front windscreen and can be accompanied by sidescreens. The sidescreens themselves have not yet been fully trimmed, so are supplied as frames only. 

Generally the chrome trim appears to be very well finished and highly polished. The front grille is a little pitted but this doesn’t detract from the car’s overall high standard of polish. 

Underneath, the car is superbly clean and very well presented. The chassis components and body panels all look very smart and there is almost no dirt or dust to suggest that the car has been used. It runs on beautiful chrome-plated wire wheels with centre-lock spinners. They are highly polished and shod in a matching set of Avon radial tyres. 

The Mechanics 

Rebuilt 3.4-litre XK engine

Beautifully clean engine bay

Full mechanical overhaul

Under the narrow bonnet of this Jaguar lies its powerful XK engine, a straight-six masterpiece of engineering. Everything is presented ‘just so’ from the polished aluminium camshaft covers to the fresh-looking hoses and HT leads. 

Items of note include the glass screenwash bottle and two-speed windscreen wiper motor. The engine bay is fresh, clean and tidy, benefitting from the car’s full respray. And there is almost no dirt or oil to be seen throughout. 

The vendor informs us that the car’s mechanical components are all new or newly restored, and that it has only completed 100 miles since restoration.