2007-06-04 10:31:48 | pauls writes:

Ebay item 6/4/07
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Current bid $22,100 reserve not met, 4 bids, 7 days left in auction.

Sellers description:
This is a genuine 1957 Jaguar XK-140 MC. It came from the factory with the high performance C-type head, dual exhaust, wire wheels and front fog lights. This is a completely matching numbers car. It comes with the Jaguar Heritage Trust certificate showing that the chassis, body, engine and transmission numbers all match the original factory build sheet.

I have owned this car for 20 years. It is very complete and to original specifications. There are only three modifications to this car that I know of. An electric, thermostatically controlled pusher fan has been attached to the radiator to aid cooling. The electric choke, which was originally wired to a thermostat to operate automatically, has been wired to a manual switch in the cockpit to give the driver positive control. Finally, the original fuel pump went out many years ago, and at the time replacements for the square body pump were not available. A new mounting bracket was fabricated to hold the later round body fuel pump. The rebuildable, square body pump, along with new contact points and diaphragm assembly, come with the car. Since the current fuel pump works perfectly and you can’t see it without getting under the car, I have never bothered reinstalling the square body pump.

The car is currently in excellent driving condition. I have never had problems with this car overheating. It runs much cooler than the E-types and other XK-140 I’ve owned. It will hold 50+ psi oil pressure at cruising speeds when fully warmed. This car was fitted from the factory with an automatic transmission, making it very rare, especially with the MC specification. I found a description in the Sports Car Market database for a similar car that sold at auction in 2004. In that description it was claimed only 3 LHD automatic MC coupes were built in 1957. I spoke with an archivist at the Jaguar Heritage Trust about how many automatics were made. He said he didn’t have an exact number because it would require manually reviewing every build record, which hadn’t been done, but he confirmed that in his experience researching Heritage certificates, this specification is rare.

The interior is in excellent condition with a nice patina. The leather is still soft, and there are no rips, tears, holes or split seams. The right rear seat back cushion does have a scratch in the leather, but it does not go all the way through the leather. The headliner and side upholstery are all in good condition, as are the interior door panels. Deep tinted Perspex see-through sun visors are installed on both the driver and passenger sides. These sun visors were only fitted to coupes. The interior wood is in excellent condition all around, without any cracks or splits. The steering wheel and gauges are all the correct, original styles. The body is wonderfully straight and solid, and there are no rust problems on the body or chassis. Body gaps are very good, as is the chrome all around. The weakest aspect of this car is the paint, which dates back to the early 1970’s. The British Racing Green exterior looks very good from a few feet away, but close inspection shows a fair amount of crazing in the paint. More recently, some paint chips have started peeling off the aluminum boot lid. There is no rust or damage to the metal; the paint has just lost adhesion.

Work that has been competed within the last 200 miles includes: all six wheel cylinders rebuilt (White Post Restorations), Master cylinder rebuilt (Apple Hydraulics), new front brake self adjuster bars on both front wheels, both carburetors completely rebuilt (Joe Curto), new fuel level sending unit installed, new points and condenser, ignition timing set, leaking valve cover gasket replaced, and new differential oil seal installed.

This is a car that you can drive and enjoy for years just the way it is. Or if you want a show car, this is the perfect candidate for a restoration because it is so solid, straight and complete. This car underwent an extensive, show quality restoration in the early 1970’s, which accounts for its very solid and complete to original specification condition. Documentation I received from the previous owner includes several pages listing all the work that was done and who did it. Adding to its value, this car comes with a number of hard to find and expensive items that will make it a standout at club events or on the concours field. These include Lucas flamethrower spotlights, a period radio, a Smith and Sons Radiomobile (British) radio amplifier mounted under the rear cowl, and the optional windscreen washer assembly and corresponding dash switch. It also comes with a full tool set, including tool roll, jack and handle and grease gun. A new reproduction Thor knock off hammer is included. Even harder to find (and valuable by themselves), I have original workshop manuals. These are not reprints, but original books printed in the 1950’s. I have the standard workshop manual, the Jaguar/Borg Warner automatic transmission workshop manual (ever seen one of those?), and the transmission parts manual. I also have an owner’s manual, but I don’t know if it’s original or a reproduction.

For those of you who think an automatic equipped car is too slow and not worth considering, read the transmission manual section on how to get maximum acceleration. That was an eye opener. After reading that, on club events I’ve outrun several non-race prepared 120’s and 140’s equipped with the standard Moss crash boxes, especially now that they are 50+ years old and harder to shift. The automatic makes for a very pleasant touring and event car.

The car is available for inspection in Orinda, CA.

2007-06-05 04:53:41 | Peter Ingram writes:

Built 1956 (probably March)