If history is fundamental to your purchase consideration then look no further. You can search for years and years and will not find a car better documented than this quite amazing XK140ots roadster

Included with this car is a most thorough forensic and yet amusing and uplifting account of one owners 58 years enjoying one of Coventry’s finest cars. We are proud to represent this car on behalf of Richard Woodley. Sadly Richard cannot drive the car anymore but he very much wants the car to go to the ‘right’ new custodian. This is a challenge we are proud to take on.

This car has led a great life and been very enthusiastically used with pretty much each and every journey chronicled in some 200 pages of neat hand writing. Also within that journal is an accountants book keep of every penny spent. It is a truly remarkable story beginning when Richard collected the car 22nd May 1968 showing 80855 on the odometer. He had the car serviced on the 28th May at Chapples costing £6-4-2. Yes that’s 6 pounds, 4 shillings and tuppence! The reference is so detailed that we could warranty the mileage at 160k miles. Such is the attention to detail that the speedometer even has a ‘1’ marked in front of the 5 barrel odometer making 160049 miles. There are thick files of invoices for everything that has been done to the car.

Richard has written a detailed account of life with ‘The Wild One’. It’s a great read. On page 56 of the journal there is very important history for this car relating to owners and things done to the car that remain today. Exported to New Jersey in February 1955 an Englishman in New York Mr M K Russell took delivery at 16000 miles in September of 1959. Mr Russell had the rear tonneau panel modified to the way it is today This was 1961 by which time ex pat Mr Russell was in Florida as this is where the work was done. It is believed this was for luggage or even a small child. The modification was done professionally indeed inexperienced XK people wouldn’t even notice it.

Mr Russell returned to the UK in July 1962 and bought the XK home with him. In June of 1964 XK renowned expert John May converted the car then registered 110BOW to Right Hand Drive. In June of 1965 Mr R T Baynes bought the car for £300 with circa 52k on the odometer and soon sold it to a Gerrards Cross based mechanic for £350. Here is where the next big event in the cars life occurred. The car was switched to what was known as a Gold Top Head with 3 x2” carburretors as the E Type. The car retains this carburretor set up today. Mr R A Fuller and K V Malone took the car from 58000 to 80855 miles and 23rd of May 1968. This being the date our historian current owner Richard Woodley loosened his wallet from his jacket breast pocket and bought the XK for the princely sum of £385.

From that point in 1968 the car has given 80,000 miles of pleasure as documented in the journals. Jaguar tours of America and Europe being just some of the dozens of events this car and the Woodley’s have enjoyed. It is a remarkable read and the car is a fantastic leaping cat deserving to be cossetted and enjoyed by an equally enthusiastic new custodian

So, what is the car like today?

The XK has stood in a dry garage for a couple of years. It is in my workshop now. I am performing some careful recommissioning to give the prospective new owner a really clear brief on what they might expect.

Pretty much the last entry in the accounting log is in the sum of £11, 118.22 to Guy Broad for a fitting a fully refreshed engine complete with service of the 3x 2” SU carbs. The car runs well and changes gears nicely. The brakes will be serviced and the cars fluids refreshed. Presently on drum brakes I am considering putting discs brakes to the front because the uprated engine delivering circa 265bhp needs to have stopping power to match its accelerating ability in my view.

So the car is mechanically excellent with a fresh motor (original matching number block also with the car) and very little to spend on the mechanical side.

The cabin has lovely seats nicely patinated. Same for the dash. The hood and sidescreens are also good. You might change the carpets. I wouldn’t. The bodywork requires some attention. Essentially there is a bare metal respray required to make the car look as well as it goes. You could spend as little as £5k on the paint OR you could go full on and spend over £10k. For me, I’d go the whole way and take the car back to bare metal. For the purchase consideration and the cost of paint you will be driving one of the most outstanding XK140 I have ever seen.

A fabulous fabulous car from an amazing custodian of 58years. I will never see the like again I suspect. Do not miss this car. It is truly a piece of Jaguar History