2007-06-20 10:07:45 | pauls writes:

This car was seen at the Greenwich concour, Greenwich, Connecticut in '07. Tho the VIN was not observed, its believed to be this car. Anyone with corrections or omissions please contact the webmaster.

The info on the plate in front of the car states: 1956 Jaguar - Ghia XK140 MC.

2007-06-21 13:25:05 | Anonymous writes:

Paul,

You need to take a vacation!

2007-06-22 05:32:08 | Peter Ingram writes:

What is the post from Anon supposed to mean?

This is a great discovery. Left the factory as Chassis Only" with 814942 and must be one of the missing Ghia 140s. Any chance of finding the other numbers

2007-06-22 18:27:27 | Roger writes:

It should be noted this chassis number was identified with the help of John Elmgreen. It's not a positive ID at this point. I think Anon was pointing out that paul seems to add about 9 out of every 10 cars to the site. I swear without Paul, this site would have 2000 E-Types, and 2000 XKs. I should add a "buy Paul a beer" donation button on every car he enters.

2009-03-22 18:24:04 | bruno writes:

Everyone wrong! The red car is Chassis number S 815404, the third Ghia-bodied Jaguar, formely in the Behring collection. S 814937 DN is the 2-tone (cream and dark blue) seen at last year's Villa d'Este and Het LooConcours d'Elégances,and actually in Belgium. Last car was dispatched with another chassis (814942) to Mr. Robert M.Trad,the Jaguar distributor in Beirut, Lebanon, end 1955.

2009-03-23 04:39:25 | Roger writes:

I moved this car based on bruno's comment.

2009-03-23 15:14:34 | Peter Ingram writes:

A splendid update. May I ask bruno............Mr Beysens I presume if he can tell us the chassis no of the 3rd Ghia car that went to Trad in Lebanon " with 814942." In Anders Clausager's new book on 140 (P. 188) he speculates that 814942 was also a Ghia body. I note that neither S814937DN or 814942 are listed on this register!

2009-03-28 07:25:27 | Herve writes:

More info available in Roland Urban's *The Metamorphosis of the jaguar*, ISBN 2-86911-137-1, pp 177+

2011-03-20 18:05:55 | pauls writes:

Car is now on offer at:
www.carriagehousemotorcars.com
Still in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Sellers description:
VERY RARE 1955 JAGUAR XK-140 MC GHIA FROM OWNERS PRIVATE COLLECTION. Winner of numerous awards. Chassis Number S815404 is a custom bodied Jaguar XK140 MC with all-aluminum fastback coachwork by Ghia of Italy. Originally owned, we understand, by leading Mexican actor Ricardo Montalban. The two door fastback is in very sound order and has been restored within the last several years. The rear shelf is hinged for storage and the car is also fitted with 16" polished wire wheels, Jaguar Spinners and Firestone Tires. The Jaguar trusted 6 cylinder engine with twin Solex Carburetors has matching #'s head/block and the front headlamps are Marchal with the Yellow Continental Touring Bulbs. Unbelievable two door coupe and very very rare with the Jaguar MC Engine. INCREDIBLE AUTOMOBILE!!! $550k.

2020-12-19 12:27:31 | Jon Pollock writes:

I have a 2 page letter of questions and answers pertaining to this car signed by Mr Montalban. In it he says to his best knowledge it was bought originally by a Texas millionaire who bought it for his wife but she seldom drove it and sold it to a Gower Champion. Judd Bernard bought it from Gower in 1960, and then Montalban bought it in 1967 from Judd. He also stated in the letter that he was told the original price was $21,000.

2024-07-22 14:27:05 | pauls writes:

Car to be at auction 8/24

rmsothebys.com/auctions/mo24/lots/r0032-1956-jaguar-xk-140-se-coupe-by-ghia/

Auction description:

Lot 123

Monterey 2024

1956 Jaguar XK 140 SE Coupe by Ghia

A Private Collection

$500,000 - $650,000 USD  | Offered Without Reserve

Chassis No. S 815404

Engine No. G 6839-8S

Cylinder Head No. G 6839-8S

Documents US Title

To be offered on Thursday, 15 August 2024

One of no more than four examples hand-crafted in aluminum by Carrozzeria Ghia

A remarkable coachbuilt Jaguar; spiritual successor to Ghia’s XK 120 Supersonic

Formerly owned by actor Ricardo Montalbán and the Blackhawk Collection

Retains matching-numbers engine and cylinder head

An intriguing Anglo-Italian creation with tremendous concours, club, and touring potential

This design is sometimes attributed to Giovanni Savonuzzi, or alternatively Giovanni Michelotti, who worked as a freelancer stylist at the time, although at present there is no definitive proof of either designer’s involvement. It is interesting to note that, much like the Supersonic design before it, this bodywork was applied to a variety of chassis. In fact, the 1954 Alfa Romeo 1900 L by Ghia also offered in this catalogue shares many of the same major design cues, although the proportions of that car give it a very different overall look.

According to the research of Anders Ditlev Clausager contained in Jaguar XK 140/150 In Detail, Ghia is known to have bodied at least three, and perhaps four, XK 140s in this style. Chassis 810827 DN was commissioned by the dealer Delacroix in Paris, France and exhibited at the 1955 Paris Motor Show and S 814937 DN was sent to the Lebanese importer Robert M. Trad. Another chassis, 815942, was sent to Lebanon as well, though it is not clear whether it wore a similar Ghia body. The remaining chassis, number S 815404, is the car offered here.

Clausager’s research indicates that this special XK 140 was ordered by an R. W. Martin of La Jolla, California through the major Los Angles dealership, Hornburg. Each of these Ghia-bodied XK 140s varied in their details, and a photo that is believed to show this car soon after its completion in Turin indicates that it was finished in white (or a similar light color) with chrome rings around the headlamps, a shield-shaped Jaguar hood emblem, and a hood without an air intake.

The car was reportedly next owned by Gower Champion, actor and theater director, and his then-wife Marjorie. In 1967, the Jaguar was acquired by Ricardo Montalbán, known for his film acting in both Mexico and America and beloved in automotive circles for his role as the suave Chrysler pitchman—most unforgettably, for the Chrysler Cordoba and its “rich Corinthian leather.” When acquired by Montalbán, the car was red; a photo on file of the actor posing with the Jaguar shows that, during his ownership, it still lacked a hood intake.

Having made its way to Japan by the early 1990s, S 815404 next appeared in the prestigious Blackhawk Collection in Danville, California. During its tenure there it was shown selectively, appearing at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1992 and 1996. By that time, it had been restored to its present appearance of red over a tan leather interior—though not one of the Corinthian variety, so far as research indicates—with important details such as Marchal headlamps preserved. It also retains its numbers-matching dual-SU-carbureted engine and cylinder head, as noted by its accompanying Jaguar Heritage Trust Production Record Trace Certificate on file (which further confirms its dispatch as a bare chassis). At some point, a hood air intake was fitted, bringing this car in line stylistically with at least one of the other known Ghia-bodied XK 140s.

There is much to recommend a standard XK 140 to the discriminating modern collector, from its engaging road manners to its exhibition and touring potential. This striking coachbuilt Jaguar offers its next owner all that plus the rare distinction of a hand-crafted body—just as when it first rolled out of Ghia’s hallowed Turin works in 1956.