Model history
From 1948 until the Jaguar E-Type appeared in 1961, Jaguar produced 3 series of sleek, low-slung sports cars that became incredibly sought-after – the XK120, XK140 and XK150. The XK140 was first shown at the London Motor Show in the autumn of 1954, succeeding the XK120. The straight six of 3,4 liters was carried over from the XK120, but now had 190 HP. Like its predecessor, the car could be delivered with a C-Type top taken from the racing car of the same name. It produced 210 hp – and made the XK140 a supercar for its time.
Jaguar offered 3 variants – the Open Two Seater with sunken doors without external door handles, the Drop Head Coupé with a folding top and the Fixed Head Coupé with a fixed roof. As for extras, there was the option of choosing a white Blümel steering wheel, white sidewalls, luggage rack, fog lights, - not to mention close-stepped gearbox and double tail pipes.
About the pictures
The white "C" registered car is photographed at Holmen outside Oslo. According to the car's chassis number, it is an XK140 3,4 SE Open Two Seater. "SE" means that there is a C-type top (twin cam derived from the C-Type racing car). This gives an extra 20 HP - a total of 213 HP. The other white car (L140) is also an Open Two Seater photographed outside the Norwegian Vehicle History Museum at Hunderfossen. The dark car is an XK140 Fixed Head Coupe 3,4 with 193 HP.
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