Lot 332: Jaguar XK140 Drophead Coupe

1948 marked a carefully planned turning point for Jaguar Cars. At the Motor Show of that year the XK120 was launched and if Lyons' cars had previously looked better than they performed they now had both qualities in full measure. William Heynes and his team had designed a new twin overhead camshaft unit � the famous XK engine that was to power five Le Mans winners and remain in production for four decades.

Introduced in 1954 as successor to the XK120 and acknowledged the finest of all the XK models, the XK140 was in production for just three years and was offered in Roadster, Coupe and Drophead Coupe guises. Rack and pinion steering - which had been fitted to the 1951 Le Mans-winning C-type - was a key improvement over the preceding model's re-circulating ball arrangement. Visually the XK140 had stronger and more practical bumpers, a revised radiator grille with fewer but thicker slats and rear lights that incorporated flashing indicators. Power output was increased to 190bhp, carrying over from the XK120SE's specification, contemporary road tests regularly recording top speeds approaching 130mph.

174 YNY is well know to the Bonhams team � having been handled by them twice in the 1990s in their �Brooks� days. It is very smartly presented in maroon livery with chrome wire wheels and the snug cockpit upholstered in beige leather. The car is equipped with manual four-speed gearbox with overdrive. Prior to the present ownership the car had been owned by the 9th Earl of Chichester and during the period 1991 to 1993 was the subject of a painstaking and substantial restoration by P & K Thornton of Nottingham. A substantial file of restoration invoices and a quantity of restoration photographs record in detail the work carried out. The car has been very carefully cherished since that time and, although little used in recent years, has been regularly started and MoT tested, the last MoT expiring in December 2008. General presentation is very good indeed and this car has potential to be a front-runner on the Concours d'elegance lawns or indeed on the more demanding competitive road events. It comes with a quantity of previous MoT certificates and a Swansea V5C registration document.