Having owned and loved an XK150 during his youth, the seller had a hankering for another XK, but even in late 1980s prices had moved beyond his budget. But he had some engineering experience, and on looking through the Friday Free Ads newspaper saw a listing for a newly imported XK140 FHC project. He made an inquiry and received some photographs from the Jag-shop of Goldhawk Road, London. After a telephone discussion a price including delivery was agreed, and the Jaguar was delivered and unloaded into the barn in early 1992. The seller subsequently spent the next 25 years working abroad in Mexico and the Middle East, returning to the UK only occasionally.
On each visit he did a little work to the Jaguar, but a house build and family took precedence, and progress was slow. Some work was completed, including converting the Jaguar to right hand drive, re hanging the doors after repairing the pillars, and removal of the engine for a top end rebuild which was all that was required. The Jaguar continued to receive occasional attention and progress was made, but as quite often happens time passed, and other projects got in the way.
Now, 30 years on, the Jaguar is being offered for sale as the current Owner thinks he is unlikely to complete it and believes it to be a worthwhile project. Thought to be one of just three XK140s built with the column shift and 2-speed Borg Warner automatic transmission it is a rare example. On the day we visited we were unable to move the Jaguar from the barn as there was enough slope outside to ensure that if we rolled it out there was no way we were likely to get it back in! So some areas of the car were tricky to photograph, but hopefully you should be able to see enough to get an idea of the work required to bring the Jaguar back to life. With some work already completed it is, as they say, “ripe for restoration”.
Thought to be one of 3 Fixed Head Coupes built with an Automatic transmission in 1957
Rare Column change Borg Warner 2 speed Automatic
Purchased in Florida and imported into the UK in December 1991, arrived in 1992
Bought by the seller from photographs as a project in 1992
Parked in his barn for 30 years whilst he worked on it sporadically
Some work completed over the past 30 years
Converted to right hand drive
Dash and instruments replaced with second hand items imported from California
Engine removed and top end rebuilt in 2008 and runs
New fuel lines, and pump
Fuel tank cleaned and reinstalled
Refurbished braking system with new copper pipe work
Stainless steel exhaust
Pillars rebuilt and doors rehung
Original Florida Title from 1989
Shipping note from 1991
Stamped 386 NOVA letter dated January 1992, HMRC import duty paid
Photographs of the Jaguar as imported and sold by Jagshop of London
Original receipt from Jagshop to the seller from 1992
Seller has applied to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust for a Heritage Certificate that will, he hopes, prove the Jaguar still has its original engine and gearbox.
Sale includes some parts including new door interior cards trimmed in red, original front screens, replacement rear screen, front and rear screen rubber seals and some interior wood trim parts, plus anything else he can find that belongs to the Jaguar.
Dash and instruments replaced with second hand items
Some original wood trim parts
Replacement fully trimmed door cards
As can be seen from the photographs the interior is stripped back to the bare bones. The floors have been replaced and steel areas, although covered in surface rust, appear to be solid. The bucket seats are solid and both still have their base cushions but these are heavily creased, with plenty of damage and may be too far gone for repair. The dash was missing entirely when the Jaguar arrived so at some stage a used replacement was purchased from California and shipped back with instruments and gauges.
The mileage reads 75,620, but that bears no relation to what this Jaguar has covered, could be more or could be less? The wooden dash itself is in reasonable condition and would probably look a lot better once clean as it is intact with no major cracks. The column mounted gear selector is present, but again this would need some work as the plastic (Bakelite?) the cover is broken in a couple of places. Looking at the roof from the inside there are the remnants of some lining material and both glass sun visors are present. The seller has some of the original wood trim that runs around the top of the side windows.
Moving to the boot area again the wooden floor has been replaced. There is some evidence of the Jaguar’s original colour here, thought to be Pastel Blue. Again there is plenty of surface rust but it appears to be reasonably solid. The aluminium boot lid is in good condition and fits correctly when closed.
It was hard to see, let alone photograph some areas of the interior, but overall we would say that the bones are solid, but all the flesh is missing!
The exterior of the Jaguar is a mixture of good and bad. The aluminium panels are all good. The bonnet is straight with no major dents, as is the boot lid. In general the car is straight with only a few areas of damage. The worst of these is around the rear window on the passenger side. Looking at the photographs of the Jaguar as purchased back in 1992 you can see a large dent to the back of the roof. This has mostly been knocked out but there is still work to be done before the rear window glass would fit correctly. The doors have some issues along the bottom edges. In places it appears that earlier restoration work has taken place with some panels edged with tack weld marks. There are a few areas where rust has eaten through the steel, for instance around the passenger side drip rail. There are also areas that some ancient filler has been daubed on and never flattened so there will be issues beneath that no doubt. At the front of the Jaguar the metal around headlights, sidelights and front valance is all straight, and the wing mounted and welded side light areas are free from major corrosion, although there is still plenty that will require attention.
Looking at the glass areas the original screens are with the car and could be used. We laid them in place for some of the photographs. There is also a new rear screen with the car along with the rubber seals required for both front and rear. The door glass is intact and undamaged. Behind the doors the glass from one of the pop out rear quarter lights windows is missing on the driver’s side although the frame is there. The passenger one is present with its fittings. The headlights are intact as are the front spot lamps. Both the front and rear bumpers are missing.
Wheels are steel type with Jaguar hubcaps all round, although we couldn’t examine the rears as they were covered by the wheel spats.
We would agree with the Seller that the exterior is reasonably solid with areas that just require removal of surface rust, but there are also areas that will require substantial work. There will also be a few hidden surprises, but that’s what you’d expect on a project of this magnitude.
When we visited the Seller he told us that the fuel tank had been removed from the Jaguar, cleaned and reinstalled, and new fuel lines and electric pump had been installed. The engine had been run a few days before but we did not want to put any fuel into the tank as it was dry and best kept that way, so we did not hear the 3.4 litre engine running. It was removed in 2008 and examined, and upon close inspection there was little that needed doing. The bores were clean and there was no play in the crank bearings. New piston rings were installed along with a couple of valves, the head was skimmed and a new gasket installed. The seller tells us it runs well, with no smoke or untoward noises!
Looking underneath the Jaguar as you might expect there is plenty of surface corrosion but the chassis appears to be pretty solid. We noted some rust in the forward most areas of the chassis, below the radiator, but generally we think it lasted pretty well. There are areas that have obviously received attention, but with the poor light and the surface oxidation it was hard to see what had been renewed and what was original. The smart stainless steel exhaust stands out brightly, and runs from the tailpipe forward to the bottom of the manifold. The Seller rebuilt the braking system, with new shoes, copper pipes, slave cylinders and a new master cylinder, although this was some time ago so it may need inspection.
The automatic gearbox is thought to be original to the car and is a correct Borg Warner 2 speed item.
We think that considering its age and condition upon arrival back in the UK 30 years ago mechanically it has survived pretty well, and should be a rewarding project with some work already completed.
At first glance you would be forgiven in thinking that this Jaguar might be “beyond economic repair”. But having looked closely there doesn’t appear to be anything that couldn’t be remedied, especially considering that everything is available through specialist suppliers. All body parts, chassis, running gear and interior parts and chrome work is readily available in the right hands so it’s likely to be completely restored. We are sure it will be an exciting and financially rewarding project.
BUT, it does have a certain charm as it is! We thought it might be fun to restore it mechanically, give it a new interior, get it running and driving reliably and keep the exterior just as it is, just sealed with a good coat of clear wax, (but maybe that’s just us!)
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1957 Jaguar XK140 FHC Automatic
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