
1955 XK140 FHC SE RHD
Wearing its bodywork like a favourite old sports jacket, faded in places with patches at the elbows and buttons missing, this delightfully ‘old school’, older restoration XK140 is a wolf in wolves’ clothing. Under the vintage 80s paint, touched up here and there, and bodywork with stress cracks and bubbles, is a triple carburettor 3.8 litre engine, and many other modifications making this ideal for historic rally use. It won’t win any beauty pageants, but in the right hands it might just make a front runner in competitive events.
However it is well-documented that this XK140 was owned for nearly a decade by the Chairman of the Historic Grand Prix Car Association (HGPCA), Julian Sutton. Prior to this, the car was used for moderate competition in the 1990s and the history file records its participation in a series of Sprints and Hill climbs at The Jaguar Car Club Meeting at Cornbury Park; Bentley Driver’s Club Sprint (in which it competed with a D-type/XKSS/Lister Jaguar and Allard);The Boscombe Sprint; Crystal Palace meeting and Sedlescombe.
During Julian Sutton’s ownership, from 2002-2010, he added to the considerable Competition Mods already carried out by a previous owner, by commissioning respected Jaguar specialist Ian Nuttal of IN Racing to rebuild the triple carburettor 3.8 litre engine. The specification of the car is now as a fast road/race car and is as follows:
- Rebuilt 3.8 litre engine, with triple SU Carbs, producing 268bhp and 331 lb ft of torque, and featuring special cool-air intake and box; alloy radiator; alloy expansion tank; larger water pump and electric fan.
- Jaguar disc brakes all round.
- Uprated suspension with location bars and telescopic dampers.
- Straight-through Stainless Steel Exhaust.
- Bucket seats with full racing harness.
- New Dunlop racing wheels.
- Locking Le Mans filler fuel cap.
- Tow-hook; fire extinguisher and electric choke.
- Removal of heavy bumpers and addition of racing louvres to bonnet
The history file contains older invoices for over £35,000, while the current owner has further invested £40,000 rebuilding the car from the inside out, and fitting Dunlop alloy race wheels, but stopping short of doing anything to change its wonderfully patinated appearance.
£POA