Oh ohh, I just bought a car older than I am! - 1957 XK140 MC OTS

I've been buying and enjoying cars for 44 years, but this is the first time I bought a car older than I am. It feels like I just broke a natural barrier of some sort, like the speed of sound or something. I'm not sure what the implications are.

I've had my eye on Jag XK's for quite a while and have come close to getting one once or twice. Along the way I've learned that I prefer the "swoopy" lines of the XK120 & XK140 to the straighter XK150. I also learned that at 6'3" I really don't fit in an XK120, and that the XK140 has 4" more leg room, plus rack & pinion steering and telescopic shocks that were not on the 120's. I've always been a fan of roadsters and cars that were traditionally designed as such so I really only considered the Open Two Seater (OTS) as opposed to the Fixed Head Coupe (FHC) or Drop Head Coupe (DHC). Being a bit of a performance junkie I also wanted the "MC" option which includes the head from the "C-Type" LeMans racer with larger valves and ports, sportier cams, and dual exhaust along with other goodies like stiffer torsion bars and driving lights. So of all the 18 XK variants (XK120, XK140, XK150 : OTS, FHC, DHC : MC, std) for me, it had to be an XK140 MC OTS. You don't see them that often, but whenever I stumbled across one I would consider it.

Recently I happened across this British Racing Green XK140 MC OTS that was on its second owner, who had owned it 40 years. It looked great in the pictures, the owner was an enthusiastic engineer who was very educated and into the marque, and the price was very reasonable. I decided to grab my toolbag and fly out for a look. I was tentative on my way out, would the car be as good as it looked? Would I fit? I've never sat in a 140, so I wasn't sure if that extra 4" of legroom would do the trick. I'd never driven an XK at all so I wasn't even sure if I'd like it. I thought perhaps it might feel too "truckish" to me. After a quick chat with the owner and his wife we went into the garage and my jaw just about hit the floor. The car was stunning! Perfect body gaps, excellent paint, beautiful interior patina, no rust. Compression was 150 down the line, just as he said it would be. Then it was time for a drive. I fit reasonably well, that extra 4" makes all the difference in the world. I really enjoyed driving the car, it's powerful, smooth, and relatively nimble. It's actually surprisingly quick for a 60 year old car. They call them XK140's because Jaguar tested them at over 140 mph, there's a plaque on the dash attesting to it. These must have just blown peoples minds in the 50's when going 100mph was a big deal! The car sounds great and the non-synchro first gear makes a wonderful whine. Although they require a bit more pressure than discs, the drum brakes actually work quite well and haul the car down nice and straight. Bottom line the car checked all my boxes and was very reasonably priced so I just couldn't not buy it. Since then I've been really enjoying it, I go for a quick ride every moment I can. Every drive is an occasion and an adventure.
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Thanks for the Jag mechanic tips guys. I like to do most of the minor stuff myself but certainly can benefit from having access to experienced mechanics when the going gets rough.
BlueBottle, I really like that! right up my alley.

 

That's awesome! Thanks