The Jaguar XK140 Sports Car

1955 Jaguar XK140 Image

from Classic to Modern

The XK140 Jaguar sports car was, in essence, a further development of the XK120.

Launched at the London Motor Show in 1954, it introduced a number of refinements to improve driveability. These included:

Rack and pinion steering replaced the recirculating ball system
The outdated lever arm dampers were replaced by the telescopic version

The more powerful engine and stronger torsion bars preciously fitted to the XK120SE variant then became standard equipment on the XK140 sports car.

The engine and bulkhead were moved three inches further forward in order to create sufficient additional space to fit a small occasional rear seat, something that was absent in the convertible variant.

In terms of external appearance, the only change from the "120" was the addition of heavier bumpers and over riders, as used in the Mark 7 saloon, plus flashing indicators, which were activated from a switch on the dashboard, and were positioned above the rear bumper.

In the centre of the boot lid there was a red emblem, presented in gold, commemorating "Winner of Le Mans 1951-3".

Other changes in respect of the XK120 included:

The roof line of the fixed head coupe variant was raised by about 1.5 inches in order to create more internal space
More chrome and badges were present, including chrome strips down the middle section of the bonnet, and on the boot
A cast iron radiator grille with less, thicker slats, replaced the finer and more expensive previous arrangement

Following on from the "120", the fixed head and drop head variants also had the dashboard and internal door coverings finished in walnut, whilst the equivalent in the convertible were finished in leather. Jaguar cars performance:

Technical Data XK140 XK140SE Aston Martin DB3
Production 1954-1957 1954-1957 1954
Engine, cc 3442 3442 2580
Cylinders, bhp 6, 190 6, 210 6, 140
Top Speed mph 120 125 131
0-60 mph, secs 8.2 8.0 8.6
Torque ft/lbs 203 213 144
0-100 mph, secs 26.5 22.1 22.6
Standing 1/4 Mile, secs 16.4 16.1 16.7

1955 Jaguar XK140 This beautiful Coupe (I love the colour) was taking part in the 2014 Capel Classic Car & Bike Show in Surrey

1955 Jaguar XK140

Jaguar XK140

1954 XK140 Image

Jaguar XK140 Image

1955 Jaguar XK140

Full Screen

Start at 2.40 Full Screen

As with the XK120, there were three body styles available:

The two seater Convertible, with plastic side screens, a removable windscreen, a hood and tonneau cover
The 2+2 Drop Head Coupe, with a fixed windscreen, wind-up windows, and an attached canvas hood
The 2+2 Fixed Head Coupe had wind-up windows

The XK140 Jaguar sports was powered by a 3.4 litre, straight 6-cylinder, twin overhead cam, XK engine fitted with two H6 SU carburettors, which developed 190 bhp at 5500 rpm, and 203 ft/lbs of torque at 3000 rpm.

The was also a higher performance XK140SE variant, using the same engine, but fitted with two larger H8 SU carburettors and a "C" type aluminium head, which developed 210 bhp at 5750 rpm, and 213 ft/lbs of torque at 4000 rpm.

All three variants featured:

Hydraulic drum brakes all round
A four speed gearbox with overdrive, whilst three speed automatic transmission was an optional extra
Independent coil spring suspension at the front and leaf springs at the rear
16 inch wheels

The SE variant was also fitted with wire wheels, fog lights, overdrive, and an uprated exhaust system.

When production ended in 1957, the output for each variant was: Convertible = 3350, Fixed Head Coupe = 2800, Drop Head Coupe = 2793

This model was a further evolution in the range of Jaguar cars.

SPORTS CARS FOR SALE

A 1954-57 Jaguar XK140 in very good condition would fetch in the region of £75,000/$120,000 to £90,000/$145,000, whilst a really superb example would command around £120,000/$200,000.