1956 Jaguar XK 140 Roadster
Jaguar is a British luxury car manufacturer located in Coventry, England. Founded by Sir William Lyons in 1922 as a manufacturer of motorcycle sidecars, the company’s subsequent car designs – such as the XK120 and E-type – are widely regarded to be some of the most beautiful in automotive history. Jaguar is currently part of Jaguar Land Rover, which was purchased by Tata Motors from the Ford Motor Company in January 2008.
We offer a worldwide selection of Jaguar XK 140s.
Jaguar Cars launched the XK140 at the London Motor Show in October 1954 with a raft of improvements over its predecessor, the landmark XK120. The styling was enhanced by a revised grille and larger bumpers along with new rear lights, which now incorporated the indicators. The handling was improved by rack and pinion steering and telescopic dampers and the interior space was enlarged to allow the addition of occasional rear seats.
The power unit remained Jaguar’s well-tried, 3.4-litre, twin-cam six, which now produced 190bhp in standard trim thanks to higher-lift camshafts and revised porting. To ensure reliability, steel bearing caps replaced the previous cast-iron type. A close-ratio gearbox enabled better use to be made of the increased performance whilst a Laycock de Normanville overdrive became an option for the first time. Special Equipment (SE) XK140s came with wire wheels and Lucas fog lamps and could be ordered with an engine developing 210bhp courtesy of the ‘C’-type cylinder head.
The cabin is trimmed in black with a matching dashboard, door panels, and carpets lined with rubber mats. Lap belts are fitted for both occupants, and additional equipment includes a dash-mounted rear-view mirror and passenger-side grab handle. An aftermarket speaker has been fitted in the passenger-side door panel.
A wood-rimmed three-spoke steering wheel fronts a central instrument panel that houses a reverse-sweep 6k-rpm tachometer with an inset clock, a 140-mph speedometer, and auxiliary gauges for fuel level, amperage, oil pressure, and coolant temperature.
The XK140’s demands on you are absolute. Your body, entire. Your attention, total. And your patience. But get behind the wheel of one and you’ll gladly let it have it all.
