The Jaguar XK140 is a
sports car
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
manufactured by
Jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
between 1954 and 1957 as the successor to the
XK120. Upgrades included more interior space, improved brakes,
rack and pinion
A rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises a circular gear (the '' pinion'') engaging a linear gear (the ''rack''). Together, they convert rotational motion into linear motion. Rotating the pinion causes the rack to be driven ...
steering, increased suspension travel, and telescopic shock absorbers instead of the older lever arm design.
History
The XK140 was introduced in late 1954 and sold as a 1955 model. Exterior changes that distinguished it from the XK120 included more substantial front and rear bumpers with overriders, and flashing turn signals (operated by a switch on the dash) above the front bumper.
![Emblem Jagura XK 140](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Emblem_Jagura_XK_140.JPG)
The grille remained the same size but became a one-piece cast unit with fewer, and broader, vertical bars. The Jaguar badge was incorporated into the grille surround. A chrome trim strip ran along the centre of the
bonnet
A Bonnet is a variety of headgear, hat or cap
Specific types of headgear referred to as "bonnets" may include
Scottish
* Blue bonnet, a distinctive woollen cap worn by men in Scotland from the 15th-18th centuries And its derivations:
** Fea ...
(hood) and
boot
A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is cle ...
(trunk) lid. An emblem on the boot lid contained the words "Winner
Le Mans
Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
1951–3".
![XK140 SeitLinksHeck](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/XK140_SeitLinksHeck.JPG)
The interior was made more comfortable for taller drivers by moving the engine, firewall and dash forward to give more legroom. Two 6-volt batteries, one in each front wing were fitted to the Fixed Head Coupe, but Drop Heads and the Open Two Seater had a single 12-volt battery installed in the front wing on the passenger side.
The XK140 was powered by the William Heynes designed 3.4 litre
Jaguar XK
The Jaguar XK is a two-door 2+2 grand tourer manufactured and marketed by British automobile manufacturer Jaguar Cars from 1996–2014 in hatchback coupé and convertible bodystyles, across two generations. The XK was introduced at the Ge ...
double overhead camshaft
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...
inline-6
The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balan ...
engine, with the Special Equipment modifications from the XK120, which raised the specified power by 10 bhp to
gross at 5500 rpm, as standard. The optional C-Type cylinder head carried over from the XK120 catalogue, and produced gross at 5750 rpm.
When fitted with the C-type head, 2-inch sand-cast H8 carburettors, heavier torsion bars and twin exhaust pipes, the car was designated XK140 SE in the UK and XK140 MC in North America.
In 1956 the XK140 became the first Jaguar sports car to be offered with automatic transmission. As with the XK120, wire wheels and dual exhausts were options, with most XK140s imported into the United States having the optional wheels. Cars with the standard disc wheels had
spats (fender skirts) over the rear wheel opening. Factory spec 6.00 × 16 inch crossply tyres or optional 185VR16
Pirelli Cinturato The Pirelli Cinturato is a Pirelli-developed car tyre that was the first example of a wrap-around radial tyre structure. It was used to good effect in motorsport, and most modern tyres are based upon the design. The five-times Formula One World C ...
CA67
radial
Radial is a geometric term of location which may refer to:
Mathematics and Direction
* Vector (geometric), a line
* Radius, adjective form of
* Radial distance, a directional coordinate in a polar coordinate system
* Radial set
* A bearing f ...
s could be fitted on either 16 × 5K½ solid wheels or 16 × 5K (special equipment) wire wheels.
Body styles
The Roadster (designated OTS – Open Two Seater – in America) had a light canvas top that folded out of sight behind the seats. The interior was trimmed in leather and leatherette, including the dash. Like the XK120 Roadster, the XK140 version had removable canvas and plastic side curtains on light alloy
barchetta-type doors, and a
tonneau
A tonneau ( or ) is an area of a car or truck open at the top. It can be for passengers or cargo.
A tonneau cover in current automotive terminology is a hard or soft cover that spans the back of a pickup truck to protect the load or to improve ...
cover. The door tops and scuttle panel were cut back by two inches (50mm) compared to the XK120, to allow a more modern positioning of the steering wheel. The angle of the front face of the doors (A-Post) was changed from 45 degrees to 90 degrees, to make access easier. The windscreen remained removable.
The Drophead Coupé (DHC) had a bulkier lined canvas top that lowered onto the body behind the seats, a fixed windscreen integral with the body, wind-up side windows, and a small rear seat. It also had a walnut-veneered
dashboard For business applications, see Dashboard (business).
A dashboard (also called dash, instrument panel (IP), or fascia) is a control panel set within the central console of a vehicle or small aircraft. Usually located directly ahead of the driver ...
and door cappings.
The Fixed Head Coupé (FHC) shared the DHC's interior trim and rear seat. The prototype Fixed Head Coupe retained the XK120 Fixed Head roof-profile, with the front wings and doors the same as the Drophead. Production cars had the roof lengthened, windscreen placed further forward, shorter front wings, and longer doors, all resulting in easier entry and more interior space and legroom.
Engine specifications
Performance
A stock XK-140 SE could achieve a top speed of 120–125 mph (193–201 km/h). ''Road & Track''s XK-140 MC test in June 1955 recorded a best two-way average of . Best one-way run was . ''Sports Cars Illustrated''s test of the same model in Aug 1957 had a fastest two-way average of . Their best one-way run was . Karl Ludvigsen's test published in ''Sports Car World'' (July 1957) had the same results as the ''SCI'' test.
Acceleration times from 0– were 8.4 seconds, 9.1 seconds and 9.1 seconds respectively. Only the ''R&T'' test tried 0– which took 26.5 seconds. Standing 1/4 mile (~400 m) times were 16.6 seconds ( approx) and 16.9 seconds ().
Coachbuilt versions
The Jaguar XK140 Zagato Coupé was built for Guido Modiano (a personal friend of Elio and Ugo Zagato) whose XK140 was damaged in an accident.
Zagato
Zagato is an independent coachbuilding company and total design centre located northwest of Milan in Terrazzano, a small village near Rho, Lombardy, Italy. The company's premises occupies an area of 23,000 square metres (250,000 sq ft)- 11,000 of ...
displayed the car at the 1957
Paris Motor Show
The Paris Motor Show (french: Mondial de l'Automobile) is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently take ...
, hoping to sell more. Two more were built, although they were XK150s.
File:1957 Jaguar XK140 Zagato Coupé, front left (Greenwich 2019).jpg
File:1957 Jaguar XK140 Zagato Coupé, rear right (Greenwich 2019).jpg
The Jaguar XK140 Coupé by
Ghia
Carrozzeria Ghia SpA (established 1916 in Turin) is an Italian automobile design and coachbuilding firm, established by Giacinto Ghia and Gariglio as "Carrozzeria Ghia & Gariglio". The headquarters are located at Corso Guglielmo Marconi, 4, Turin ...
was designed by
Giovanni Michelotti
Giovanni Michelotti (6 October 1921 – 23 January 1980) was one of the most prolific designers of sports cars in the 20th century. His notable contributions were for Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati and Triumph marques. He was also associated with ...
in 1955. Three cars have reportedly been built.
File:1955 Jaguar XK140MC fastback coupe Ghia.jpg
File:1955 Jaguar XK140MC Ghia fastback coupé rear.jpg
File:1955 Jaguar XK140MC Ghia dashboard.jpg
File:Jaguar XK140 (Ghia body) 1955.jpg
Production
Chassis numbers as supplied by Jaguar Heritage Trust
Jaguar Heritage Trust
accessed 21 March 2020
References
External links
XKData.com
volunteer maintained online registry with thousands of cars
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaguar Xk140
XK140
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
24 Hours of Le Mans race cars
Cars introduced in 1954
Coupés
Roadsters