1955 Jaguar XK140MC OTS
Comprehensive Nut & Bolt Off-Frame Restoration
Twice National Champion Jaguar Modified Class
Chip Keener – Houston, TX keener.chip@gmail.com 832-526-4310
550 of 3356 XK140 OTS’s are documented to survive. From the Heritage certificate, this is one of the very early XK140’s and is a special equipment ‘MC’ (Modified Competition) car ... built 21 Oct 54 / dispatched 9 Dec 54 ... the 9th delivered of the surviving LHD cars (6th of the US cars).
The car had had an engine fire in the late 60's and had been substantially dismantled with aborted intent to restore when I bought it from Joe Egle in 1992 (Kansas City dealer & vintage race car driver). He had been on the title since 10 April 1969. The car was notably missing an engine & transmission, but with few exceptions all other parts were accounted for. I was able to source a 3.4-liter XK block, more challenging – a proper C-Type head, and everything else missing or compromised.
Though I’ve restored other cars ... this was a project well out of my scope. My search for a credentialled restoration company led me to Dan Mooney of Classic Jaguar in Austin (who since has expanded attentions to all manner of classic cars and rebranding the company as TeamCJ). For want of time & money, I didn't commission the no-expense-spared, nut & bolt, off-frame restoration until 2006, and paced the spend across five years ($340,000 of documented invoices from Dan Mooney additional to the $20,000 purchase price and sundry other purchases ... engine, C-type head, HD-8 carbs, tool kit, etc.). The frame was powder coated. Any rot was cut out & replaced as original. All body work was leaded in.
Perfection!
Jaguar recognize three classes of vehicles in their concours events ... Champion Class (100% stock), Driven Class (bonnet down cosmetics on a stock car), and Modified Class (permitting tasteful enhancement of original) ... which I elected, choosing subtle upgrades to improve safety, handling & reliability.The only non-stock evidence is the aftermarket steering wheel & gear shift knob, vintage appropriate Guy Broad leather race buckets (yielding significantly better head & leg room), and seat belts. Beneath the bonnet is an aftermarket radiator with electric fan, electronic ignition, alternator, a five-speed transmission, and a pair of Le Mans appropriate SU HD-8 sandcast carburetors (further boosting the bhp). The front uprights have been swapped for E-type uprights and front disk brakes, and the rear axle has been swapped for an XK150 rear axle with rear disk brakes. A complete list of non-stock refinements is linked.
From the Heritage Certificate, the original owner was O. D. Dodge Jr of Buhler, Kansas. With a bit of sleuth, I traced the name to a Kansas phone number and was able to speak with his widow, Mary ... a testy exchange until I related the reason for the call. Orrin (or Bud as he was known to friends) had purchased the car in his early 20’s and had regrettably passed away in 2002. They were farming folk who had the good fortune of finding oil on their property. Mary sent me early pictures of the car and further put me in touch with Bud’s friend Gene Dick in Vancouver, WA who recalled with fondness sitting in the passenger seat at speeds of more than 100 mph. He sent me the original Kansas license plate.
The original factory color is documented as Lavender Grey ... the interior was Biscuit with Red piping ... the top was Fawn. It was repainted in red in 1966 or 67. I have finished the car in more flattering XK140 colors - Pacific Blue with grey leather and a blue hood (a factory appropriate option).
Attached are the paint specs ... a PPG tech color matched the paint to a modern formulation. I’ve shown the car extensively around Texas & Oklahoma in 2011-2014 ... routinely winning Best-in-Class and Best-in-Show honors (the prestigious “Keels-and-Wheels” car show in Seabrook TX, local British Car Shows, and on the Texas-Oklahoma Jaguar circuit). The car was twice the National Champion in the Jaguar Modified Division. In 2014 I quit competing to give others a chance at the trophies, and soon after quit showing the car.
It’s never been driven in the rain or on the interstate. It’s only rarely driven more than the two miles between the house and the golf course and resides in a climate-controlled garage at the house.
The car recalls a postwar moment when Jaguar’s revolutionary XK engine was dominating on race circuits, and the elegance of the marque was turning heads on both sides of the Atlantic. At the age of 75 now, it’s time for me to let go – and pass that legacy to another appreciative steward.
