1956 Jaguar XK-140 Ghia Coupe

This 1956 Jaguar XK 140 SE Coupe with hand-crafted aluminum coachwork by Carrozzeria Ghia is chassis number S 815404 with engine number G 6839-8S. It was ordered by R. W. Martin of La Jolla, California, through the Los Angeles dealership, Hornburg. It is believed that after the car was built, it was shown in Turin with a white (or a similar light color) exterior with a hood without an air intake, a shield-shaped Jaguar hood emblem, and chrome rings around the headlamps.

The car's second owner is believed to have been Gower and Marjorie Champion. Ricardo Montalbán purchased the Jaguar in 1967, and by this point in history, it wore a red paint scheme and still lacked its hood intake. By the early 1990s, the car had made its way to Japan, later making its way into the Blackhawk Collection in Danville, California. By the time it was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1992 and 1996, it had been restored to its present appearance of red over a tan leather interior. The leather interior was not of the Corinthian variety. It had Marchal headlamps and a numbers-matching dual-SU-carbureted engine and cylinder head. A hood air intake was added at some point, giving it an appearance similar to another Ghia-bodied XK 140.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2024