XK-140 DHC
1957 JAGUAR
XK-140 DHC
My Jag History:
The first time I saw this car, it was in an open garage. After a few years, the roof of the garage had fallen on top of the convertible car roof. I would drive by and cry as I saw her slowly deteriorate. Finally, after much pleading with the owner, I was able to purchase it in 1974 for $1000. I went to pick it up with 4 friends and a trailer. As we pushed this hunk of junk (sorry-no pictures) car onto the trailer, my friends laughed at me and said, “You paid $1000 for that?” It was a classic case of “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. I saw beauty…they saw a junk. She was in pretty bad shape with the convertible roof crushed and door and side panels rusted away. The brakes were stuck and the engine had a cracked block. I soon had her running and she was a beauty.
The original color was black –
Then green -
and finally red. -
What I didn’t know was anything about its real history or how valuable it would become. Come to find out according to records, Jaguar production tables contain what is hoped are the most comprehensive and detailed figures which have yet been compiled and published. They give detail of all cars from 1931 to 1988. The figures have been compiled using Jaguar’s own records.
The record shows that the above make and model car was one of 44 produced. That included right and left hand models. This Jaguar model is called a drop head coupe.
I rebuilt the motor in 1974, restored as much as I could on a tight budget and drove it for 20 years. The following pictures are from a restoration of the entire car in 2001. Including wire wheels with new tires, a newly rebuilt motor, clutch, brake shoes, a stainless steel exhaust system complete with original hangers, windscreen motor, windshields, new burled walnut dashboard and wood interior, convertible roof, leather seats, leather interior, rugs, floors, paint, some chrome, and an awesome sound system (not-stock) and other small detail items. She is a beauty. Sorry, she’s not for sale.
