WPK38 has been restored twice. The first was a rolling restoration between 2007 and 2014, addressing what was dangerous and what was ugly while the car stayed on the road. The second began in autumn 2017, when it came off the road entirely and the body came off the chassis.
The restoration was completed in 2022, but still not satisfied with Jaguar's 1950's solution for cold starting, this was modified later. Finally, in 2026 the ignition system was upgraded, culminating in a rolling road session to optimise engine BHP and torque.
In autumn 2017 I took my treasured Jaguar XK140 Fixed Head Coupe off the road with the intention of bringing it back to better condition than the day it rolled out of the Browns Lane factory back in 1955. Owned for nine years and well used in all weathers, it went downhill rapidly in the final two, with minor blemishes turning into rusty sores, coming through from behind, wherever water and occasional salt spray had found a way in.
The specialists did the machine shop work, the body, the paint and the trim. Everything else was done at home.
I employed the best specialists I could find for the machine shop work, body restoration, paint and trim, but I did my bit taking it apart, reconditioning every other part, and putting it back together with all the care and patience I could muster.