XK Centric
New Jaguar Heritage Trust online exhibition
Launched on 8 March 2024, International Women’s Day, the Jaguar Heritage Trust has a new online exhibition, The Women Who Made Their Marque.
It celebrates the women who over the years have made, sold, raced and
contributed to Jaguar and its associated marques. The Trust hopes the exhibition will inspire other women to consider a career in the automotive industry, in which they currently represent only 20 per cent of the UK workforce. A group discussion film has also been made, featuring current and past employees of Jaguar Cars Ltd, Jaguar Land Rover, JLR Classic and The Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, which explores women’s perceptions of the automotive industry, complemented by insights from current research and shared experiences within the field.
The exhibition can be seen in person at the Collections Centre at the British Motor Museum or online here.
XK Centric
New Jaguar Heritage Trust online exhibition
Launched on 8 March 2024, International Women’s Day, the Jaguar Heritage Trust has a new online exhibition, The Women Who Made Their Marque.
It celebrates the women who over the years have made, sold, raced and
contributed to Jaguar and its associated marques. The Trust hopes the exhibition will inspire other women to consider a career in the automotive industry, in which they currently represent only 20 per cent of the UK workforce. A group discussion film has also been made, featuring current and past employees of Jaguar Cars Ltd, Jaguar Land Rover, JLR Classic and The Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, which explores women’s perceptions of the automotive industry, complemented by insights from current research and shared experiences within the field.
The exhibition can be seen in person at the Collections Centre at the British Motor Museum or online here.
Latest XK and Jaguar News
XK332 – May 2025
Ex-Bira XK 120 offered for sale
Gloucestershire-based specialist Lynx is offering for sale the Jaguar XK 120 that was driven by ‘Bira’ – Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh – in an intriguing race held during the 1952 Daily Express International Trophy meeting at Silverstone. The programme described it as ‘an outstanding and unique event … Champion drivers will ballot for their car from a number of identical XK 120s supplied and tuned by Jaguar Cars Ltd.’ Stirling Moss won the five-lap encounter from Baron de Graffenried and Paul Pietsch, while ‘Bira’ came fourth in this car – chassis number 672063. It was then dispatched to the US and sold via Charles Hornburg, and has recently been restored and is back in the UK after a long spell in an American collection. Upgrades include a fivespeed gearbox, but the original has been retained.
XK331 – April 2025
A rare XK in the workshop
Twyford Moors recently had in its workshop an original UK-market, right-hand-drive XK 150 OTS, which on its own is enough to make it a rarity, being one of only 93 cars built. But not only that, it was also a 3.8-litre non-S model, making it one of only two XK 150 OTS 3.8s to be built in right-hand drive – and the only home-market car, with the other having been exported to Ghana. It’s thought that there may be a third such car that was converted to S specification at the factory. One other feature of this car is that it retains its original steel wheels and spats – a rare option for the XK 150. It was at Twyford Moors for a new clutch and we’ll hopefully have more about it in a future issue
XK330 – March 2025
D-type heads to auction
Broad Arrow Auctions will be offering an ex-works 1954 Jaguar D-type as part of its Amelia Auction on 7-8 March. Universally known as ‘OKV 2,’ chassis number XKC 403 was raced in period by the likes of Stirling Moss, Peter Whitehead, Peter Walker and Tony Rolt, and will be offered with no reserve. The auction house estimates that it will fetch between $6,500,000 and $8,500,000. ‘OKV 2’ was shared by Moss and Walker at the 1954 Le Mans 24 Hours but retired with brake problems. It was then raced at Reims and Dundrod later that year, and at Silverstone in early 1955, before being sold to Jack Broadhead for Bob Berry to race. Recent owners have included American D-type expert Terry Larson. See broadarrowauctions.com for more details.
XK329 – February 2025
XKs set to cross the block
The annual Rétromobile auctions in Paris will this year include a couple of XKs. Bonhams is set to return to the Grand Palais on 6 February and will be offering a 1952 XK 120 SE OTS. Delivered new to Max Hoffman in the US, chassis number S675454 is presented in its original colour combination of black with red trim. It’s said to retain its original block (F2871-8S), but has a replacement cylinder head.
XK328 – January 2025
XK set for Scottsdale sale
RM Sotheby’s returns to the Arizona Biltmore on 24 January for its Scottsdale auction, and the catalogue includes an XK 140 MC OTS. Chassis number 811267 left the factory on 4 April 1955 and was originally supplied via Jaguar Cars New York. Finished in Lavender Grey over a Suede Green interior featuring Biscuit piping, it was then sent across the US to West Coast distributor Charles Hornburg in Los Angeles. It later spent 35 years in storage in Fort Worth, Texas, before being fully restored over the course of two years, during which the colour was changed to blue with a red interior. The XK has been owned by the vendor since 2007 and has formed part of what RM calls a ‘distinguished and significant collection’. It carries an estimate of $150,000-200,000.
XK327 – December 2024
New classic show at Haynes museum
The Haynes Motor Museum in Sparkford, Somerset, has announced its own classic car show, The John Haynes Classic, which will take place on Sunday 7 September 2025 and pay tribute to museum founder John Haynes OBE. The event will feature the Haynes Manual Display, a curated collection of cars and motorcycles that have featured in Haynes Manuals, the Car Club Arena, and the Live Show Paddock, which will feature talks, debates, live music, and a special vehicle parade. There will also be a hands-on Discovery Zone with workshops, demonstrations, and interactive activities, plus the South Somerset Artisan Market with a variety of local food, drink and produce. For more information, see www. johnhaynesclassic.co.uk.
XK326 – November 2024
E-type wins class in Italian concours
The second Concorso d’Eleganza Varignana 1705 was held in Italy from 27-29 September. Hosted by the Palazzo di Varignana resort near Bologna, it comprised 35 cars that were arranged into six
classes and judged by a panel comprising Stefano Pasini, Stephen Bayley, Alessandra Giorgetti, François Melcion, Gianni Mercatali, Adolfo Orsi and Peter Read. Best of Show was awarded to a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB owned by Giuseppe Matildi, while the ‘British Postcards’ class was topped by Andrea Baroni’s 1963 Jaguar E-type
roadster. Other class winners included a Bugatti Type 35A, Alfa Romeo 2500 SS Villa d’Este, Porsche 904, Group 4 De Tomaso Pantera and a 1940 Auto Avio 815.
XK325 – October 2024
Pebble Dash Rewarded
A 1955 Jaguar D-type that had been sold by Fiskens to new owner Mark Haddawy earlier this year, then restored by CKL Developments, won its class at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The rebuild focused on maintaining originality of XKD 526 and was overseen by Mark Hews. It involved sourcing thousands of period photographs in order to rebuild the car to exactly how it would have been when it left the factory. ‘Just six months ago, we took on this D-type restoration with Pebble Beach as the goal,’ said Hews. ‘It felt like a victory just getting the car ready in time, so to win the biggest accolade in the business… We are thrilled.’
XK Centric
New Jaguar Heritage Trust online exhibition
Launched on 8 March 2024, International Women’s Day, the Jaguar Heritage Trust has a new online exhibition, The Women Who Made Their Marque.
It celebrates the women who over the years have made, sold, raced and contributed to Jaguar and its associated marques. The Trust hopes the exhibition will inspire other women to consider a career in the automotive industry, in which they currently represent only 20 per cent of the UK workforce. A group discussion film has also been made, featuring current and past employees of Jaguar Cars Ltd, Jaguar Land Rover, JLR Classic and The Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, which explores women’s perceptions of the automotive industry, complemented by insights from current research and shared experiences within the field.
The exhibition can be seen in person at the Collections Centre at the British Motor Museum or online here.
XK318 – March 2024
Unusually modified XK 140 at Race Retro auction
A heavily modified 1955 XK 140 FHC will cross the block during the Iconic Auctioneers Race Retro Collectors’ car sale on 24 February at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. The vendor is an amateur race engineer who apparently enjoys automotive projects, and found an XK 140 shell that had been stripped of most of its parts. Chassis number S814473 is now fitted with a rebuilt 4.2-litre engine from a Series 2 XJ6, upgraded suspension, electric power steering and a new limited-slip differential.
Additional mechanical work includes: a rebuilt rear axle; rebuilt 2in HS8 carburettors with a manual choke conversion; electronic ignition; high-torque starter motor; stainless-steel twin-pipe exhaust, complete with multi-branch free-flow stainless-steel manifold; and a twin-circuit braking system that comprises a front disc conversion with twin-piston calipers and single-piston rear discs, plus servo-assistance. It has an estimate of £38,000-45,000. See iconicauctioneers.com for more information.
XK317 – February 2024
XK 150 Drophead Coupé at Artcurial’s Rétromobile 2024 sale
This 1958 XK 150 Drophead Coupé will be offered for sale at Artcurial’s Rétromobile auction in Paris on 2 February with no reserve. It was delivered new on 3 December 1958 to New York, in its current colour combination of Cream with red interior.
Bought in 1989 by the current owner’s father, it has remained in the same Austrian family ever since. Chassis number S837837BW is equipped with its original engine (‘matching numbers’) and a Borg Warner automatic gearbox. The car is the subject of an older restoration, and the catalogue listing states that ‘it has been little used since and the bodywork still looks very good, with well-aligned panels and white paintwork which shows only a few minor faults. The underbody has been well looked after and the chromework is in good condition.’
The XK 150 has been fitted with an electric Kenlowe fan to make it easier to use in any weather conditions. Its odometer reads 60,318km and the car has been registered with the Österreichische Veteranen Register; a FIVA identity card has been issued for it. Accompanied by a history file, it has an estimate of €70-90,000.
XK316 – January 2024
Goodwood Members’ Meeting timetable announced
Goodwood has announced the timetable for the 81st Members’ Meeting on 13-14 April 2024. The Peter Collins Trophy returns with D-types, Aston Martin DB3Ss and Maserati 300Ss taking to the track for the final race of the weekend. The grid will also feature sports-racing cars that were in use between 1948 and 1955, featuring cars from the years when Kidderminster-born Collins was at his most prolific and before he joined Scuderia Ferrari. It is a timely celebration because Collins’s legacy is revisited in the upcoming Ferrari film.
The Graham Hill Trophy will have its fifth running for closed-cockpit GT cars of a type that raced up to 1966, so expect to see some spectacular examples of E-types, AC Cobras and Lotus Elan 26Rs in action.
Goodwood has also announced four new House Captains for the Members’ Meeting in the annual competition towin the House Shield. They are World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx (Aubigny), nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen (Darnley), three-time British Touring Car Champion Gordon Shedden (Methuen) and IndyCar Champion Dario Franchitti (Torbolton). For more details, see goodwood.com.
XK315 – December 2023
Patsy Burt’s XK 120 at H&H Classics’ Buxton auction
Bought new by renowned British racing driver Patsy Burt, this XK 120 FHC is being offered for sale at H&H Classics’ auction on 29 November at The Pavilion Gardens, Buxton. Chassis number 669108 is one of only 195 XK 120 FHCs built to right-hand-drive specification and was supplied new via Henlys of London. Registered ‘OLF 460’ on 1 January 1954, the Jaguar was among Burt’s first competition cars. After competing in rallying, driving tests and circuit racing, she became best known for her success in hillclimb and sprint events. In 1968, she won the famous Brighton Speed Trials, setting a new course record in the process, and in 1970 she won the inaugural British Sprint Championship with her pale-blue Oldsmobilepowered McLaren. The XK 120 was driven by Burt in a variety of sprints and hillclimbs, and continued to chase silverware in the hands of second owner Robert Rees Esq. ‘OLF 460’ was bought by the late Richard Colton and restored and upgraded. Purchased by the vendor from Colton’s estate in 2015, it is offered for sale with an estimate of £100,000- £120,000. See www. handh.co.uk.
XK314 – November 2023
Two XKs at Iconic Auctioneers’ NEC Motor Show auction
Iconic Auctioneers (formerly Silverstone Auctions) has two XK lots in its upcoming sale at the NEC Motor Show on 11 November. The 1955 XK 140 Drophead Coupé shown above – chassis number 807170 – has a guide price of £80,000-£100,000. Completed on 16 June 1955, it was despatched on 24 June to Belle Vale Service Station (later Henlys, Manchester) prior to being delivered to its first owner – a Leo McParland of Wallasey, who registered it as DHF 28.
In 2014, the XK 140 had a full engine rebuild with a new clutch, a five-speed T5 gearbox conversion, power-steering kit and upgraded cooling fan.
Also listed is a 1958 XK 150 3.4 Roadster, chassis number S830464, which has a guide price of £65,000-£75,000. The left-hand drive XK 150 was despatched to Jaguar Cars, New York on 30 May 1958. It was later shipped back to the UK, where a £50,000- plus restoration was undertaken. The process included a respray in Old English White, rechroming and polishing the brightwork, a retrim, new wire wheels, and rebuilding the matching-numbers engine. For more information, see iconicauctioneers.com
