1955 Jaguar XK140 SE "OTS"

This particular car is a 1955 XK140 Roadster SE. Originally a USA car and therefore technically an OTS, it was converted to righthand-drive in 1988 when it returned to the UK, at which point the colour was also changed from red to Old English White during its restoration. This is a not un-common conversion, largely because only 73 RHD Roadsters were ever built.

This ‘matching numbers’ example benefits from a black hood and tonneau cover plus wire wheels. It also has the C-type cylinder head (confirmed by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust certificate that comes with the car) and, as an SE, also profits from that model’s heavier torsion bars, twin exhaust pipes, and fog lamps which surely makes this the most beautiful and powerful XK140 of them all.

The owner, who’s owned the car since 2015 at which time it had a further refresh, drove the car to us, the two-hour journey leaving him with a smile on his face, which isn’t something you could say of all of its contemporaries.

The level of fit and finish to the panels is probably way better now than it was when the car left the factory. Even shutlines and a satisfying ‘clunk’ when the doors close all conspire to give confidence in the quality of the restoration.

The paint finish is genuinely very good all over, too. The only flaw we can see being a small microblister on the nearside rear wing at the very top where it meets the door. That we’ve felt the need to mention it speaks volumes as to the overall condition because this is a very small flaw and is, in the words of the chap who assessed the car, “hardly worth noting”.

The wire wheels seem to be straight and true too, and they’re in good shape. Shod with Blockley radial tyres, which are in fine fettle and still have plenty of tread left on them.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

As for the chrome, it really is rather good overall. Sure, there is some slight scraping and pitting plus the odd area where the chrome is lifting on the rear bumper but the front one is very good and has a good shine with barely any pitting. The front lights and surrounds are very nice but the chrome around the windscreen is a bit pitted and the windscreen has delaminated very slightly (slide #112 and #120).

The all-important soft top and tonneau cover are in very good condition. The rear window is also good but are going a little cloudy (#316).

Work to do is trivial. We can see some rechroming in the car’s future but apart from that, the only things we might consider doing is to tidy up the door shuts (#169 and #174) and to take a look at the mounting point for the offside sidelight (#133). That that is the extent of the work we’d do speaks volumes, doesn’t it?

The front bench seat was replaced with two fibreglass bucket-type seats from XK Developments (and trimmed by Classic Auto Retrims Ltd.) This is a sensible change as it makes the car much more comfortable and the design gives a huge amount of lateral support, which is important given the performance on tap. Of course, the original bench seat is included.

The factory steering wheel and horn boss have been replaced with a wooden Moto-Lita wheel, although the original has been retained and comes with the car. The new wheel looks and feels terrific and we’d have no qualms whatsoever leaving it in place.

The carpets are good, as are the door cards. Sure, some of the switches have lost some of their lettering but we think this just adds to the Jaguar’s charm, as does the DYMO labelling on the aftermarket switches.

The boot’s false floor hides a spare wheel, which is a matching wire example, obviously. The area above it is shallow but wide and impeccably trimmed; everything about this car impresses.

Overall, we’d assess the interior as being very nice and nicely patinated; some areas of the leather are different shades but it just has a really nice original feel to it despite the changes, and things like the chrome door lock knob are a wonderfully stylish touch for an item most manufacturers would have made as cheaply and simply as possible.

Faults? Well, the horn boss isn’t working, so the horn is operated by a switch on facia to the right of the steering wheel.

The vehicle comes with two security devices. First is a concealed “pull-push” ignition immobiliser switch, and secondly a concealed master electric cut-off switch.

The changes to the car’s mechanical specification include the following: a Facet competition electric fuel pump (supplied by and fitted by William Jowett); a Kenlowe electric engine cooling fan; conversion from positive to negative earth to provide electrical power and reliability, (the dynamo having been replaced with an alternator that was supplied by Classic Motor Spares and fitted by John May & Andy Parks); a front disc brake conversion replaces the drums (supplied by SNG Barratt and fitted by KCR Garages) to give substantially improved braking; a Luminition electronic distributor conversion upgrades the ignition and provides increased reliability and efficiency; and 185VR16 Blockley radial ply tyres replace the original cross ply.

The engine records a hot oil pressure of 45-50 psi at 3,000 rpm. The front brakes and master cylinder have been recently overhauled. We’ve driven it and can confirm that it is a good, strong example and drives as it should. It’s surprisingly quick too, but then that shouldn’t come as a surprise because it’s got more power than the original Audi Quattro.

The engine bay is fine but given the condition of the rest of the car we can see that the new owner will probably want to detail it to bring out its full potential. It’s much the same story with the underside and chassis, both of which are strong and free of rust but could do with a fresh coat of underseal to keep them this way.

NB: It also comes with a lot of spares, comprising: two side screens; a front bench seat; then original bench seat frame and back; the front hubs and drums; the old distributor and period Luminition parts; the old waterpump; the original steering wheel; and the dynamo. This means that the new owner could return it to its original specification.

It also comes with 4sqm of red leather (the same as was used to trim the bucket seats), a set of floor mats, an SU fuel pump, and an indicator switch and miscellaneous nuts and bolts. Please see slides #331 to #341 and #379 for details of what is included.

The listing has 232 separate pieces of paperwork, all neatly indexed and stored. There’s obviously too much to list here but it includes:

• Old registration documents from both the UK and US.
• FIVA identity card.
• 26 MoT Certificates dating from 1998 to 2021.
• 16 UK Tax discs plus later DVLA tax confirmation emails.
• Parts and service invoices.
• Jaguar/Daimler Heritage Certificate.
• Federation of British Heritage Vehicles (FIVA) Certificate
• Owner’s handbook
• Official Jaguar Workshop Manual

There are also many photographs of its restoration. Please contact us to make an appointment to view the car and its history file if you’d like more details.

Wonderfully, even though the Jaguar is exempt by virtue of its age, it nonetheless has an MoT until March 2023. Gained without any advisories (something it’s managed 14 times out of the last 16, only a sidelight and a tyre spoiling its record), that the owner has continued to put it through an MoT is further proof of his, and the car’s previous UK owners, meticulous approach to the car’s curation.

This wonderfully evocative Jaguar XK140 started life in Los Angeles where it must have drawn an awful lot of attention.

And it’s retained every single ounce of that Hollywood style even seven decades later; in fact *stage whisper* we think the Old English White coachwork suits its rakish lines even better than the original red would have done…

Usefully upgraded to better meet the demands of 21st century roads and drivers, the original parts have been retained, so the next owner can continue to use it for inter-continental blasts and the occasional track day, or could return it to factory specification and enjoy pottering around in it; in either case, there are few more tasteful ways to make an entrance than this.

Mind you, that style comes at a price, in this case probably somewhere between £75,000 and £85,000. Still, they’ve proven to be a solid investment over the past few years, and while past performance can do no more than hint at where future values may lie, we’d be surprised if it didn’t continue to do well; the market values only the very best cars of their type and this is a very good example indeed – and in the meantime you’d be enjoying driving and owning one of the very best sportscars Britain has ever built.

The sellers conclusion is: "All three XK 140 models were outstanding, however in our opinion the OTS model with the concealed hood was the most elegant and only the most expensive exotica could match them either under real driving conditions or for kerbside presence. Taking into account reliability, refinement and sheer pleasure of driving, the XK140 was one of the outstanding cars of its day and it remains one of the greatest classic cars.

This particular example has an extremely comprehensive history and although not concours is in excellent condition throughout. It has significant upgrades and has the added advantage of having much of the original equipment that has been upgraded included in the sale thus enabling the new owner to take it back to its original specification if desired. This is a rare example of one of the truly classic British cars."

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.