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SEVEN DECADES OF THE XK140


20 October 2024 | General News

It was 70 years ago this month that the second generation of Jaguar’s classic XK – the XK140 – made its official debut at the Earl’s Court Motor Show, London, with the newcomer boasting a number of improvements over its six-year-old predecessor.

The XK120 had done well for itself, giving Jaguar its first genuine sports car since the SS days. October 1954, however, saw it replaced by the XK140, which enjoyed only a three-year career but successfully bridged the gap between the rawness of the XK120 and the relative sophistication of the XK150.

A grand total of 8935 XK140s found buyers worldwide, the Roadster being the most popular derivative with sales of 3347 cars, while the FHC (fixed-head coupé) and DHC (drophead coupé) were remarkably close to each other at 2798 and 2790 cars respectively. But those figures don’t tell the whole story, as the XK140 proved to be a valuable foreign currency earner thanks to its high percentage of export sales, resulting in home-market cars being a rare sight even when new. In fact, just 73 right-hand drive examples of the XK140 Roadster were produced.  

The XK140 adopted as standard the 190bhp version of the 3442cc XK unit previously fitted to the SE version of the XK120, complete with high-lift cams. Buyers craving more power, however, could pay extra for the C-type head option, which added an extra 20bhp for even stronger performance. Also available at extra cost was a Laycock de Normanville overdrive unit operated via a switch on the dashboard.

Suspension was improved via the adoption of telescopic shock absorbers as well as the stiffer anti-roll and torsion bars previously found only on SE-spec XK120s. And just as important was the XK140’s standard-fit Alford & Adler rack and pinion steering, ensuring a more rewarding experience than the XK120’s steering box set-up.

One of the most important changes to the XK140 was Jaguar’s decision to relocate the car’s engine, firewall and dashboard further forward than before, liberating legroom for taller drivers and, in the DHC, allowing space for two very small rear seats.

When The Autocar tested the XK140 FHC in 1955, its writers were in awe of the Jaguar’s performance, hailing it as the only car at its price capable of reaching 100mph in under 30 seconds: “There is no other car which can approach it in the high performance sphere, and it is a fine advertisement for the British automobile industry.”