HISTORY
This 1956 XK 140’s first owner kept the car for six decades and also restored it over a 19-year period resulting in the perfectly presented example seen here
THE FIRST owner of this 1956 XK 140 drophead coupe owned the car for 62 years. To put that into perspective, when he first took delivery of the car, Sir Anthony Eden was still prime minister. When he sold it in 2018, 12 premierships had come and gone and Theresa May was half-way through her three-year term.
But after seeing the car for myself, it’s easy to understand this extended ownership. Elegant and graceful yet offering all the performance the XK range was famed for, I can imagine when that first owner ordered it in the mid-Fifties it was their ultimate car yet despite how often the country would change its prime minister over the next 60 years, this view clearly didn’t.
Together with the open-two seater and fixed head coupe, the drophead coupe was part of the XK 140 family from its debut at the 1954 Earls Court Motor Show in October. Just as the original XK 120 version had done, the XK 140 DHC offered all the luxury of the FHC – including walnut veneer on the dash, door frames with winding windows and a more comprehensive roof – yet still having the wind-in-the-hair thrills of the more basic roadster.
This example – chassis number 807342DN – was built in late 1955 and delivered to the first owner’s Devon home through Henlys of London early the following year. This would be the start of a long but clearly frustrating relationship. Repainted blue at some over the subsequent 16 years, in September 1972 the owner decided to return it to its original maroon, taking nine months to take it back to a bare shell. The following October the body was lifted from the chassis and taken to a local garage where it received a full mechanical strip down. The chassis was also shotblasted and repainted while the engine and gearbox were removed and rebuilt.
Whether it was due to a lack of money, time or both the repainting took 17 years to complete with the final layer of maroon not applied until 1989 when the engine was also removed once again and rechecked.
After the owner received the restored body and running chassis in October 1989 to start the rebuilding process, the interior was sent to the trimmers where over six weeks the original leather was replaced plus a roof lining and hood fitted.
The car was only finished on May 18 1991, almost 19 years since the restoration had started. To the delight of the owner, the Jaguar soon won Best Sports Car at a local classic car show.
He would keep the XK 140 for a further 27 years, only selling in 2018 to another Jaguar enthusiast who wanted something more co
