Barn-find Jaguar makes a fortune for charity

One-off XK140 goes for seven times its asking price

A unique Jaguar XK140 was the undoubted star of the show at Bonhams’ Monaco auction – making seven times its upper estimate.

The Michelotti-bodied Jaguar XK140 SE Coupé was found in a barn in Belgium when its owner passed away.

It was put up for sale at Bonhams’ ‘Les Grandes Marques à Monaco’ auction with an estimate of €20,000-€50,000 (£18,000-£44,000), and the promise that the proceeds would go to charity.

But a fierce bidding war erupted at the auction on Friday and it ended up going for an amazing €356,500 (£313,720).

Click through our gallery to see and learn more about this amazing car.

From crashed to coachbuilt

The XK140 SE Coupé was delivered new to France on 25 May 1955 with its standard factory bodywork – it was the 286th left-hand drive coupé built.

From France to Monaco

The car’s chassis number is S814286 – it was delivered new via the French distributor Charles Delecroix and was sold to a Mme Jeanne Gaymard in Paris.

No longer standard

When this Jaguar XK140 left the factory in 1955 it was cream with a two-tone blue interior.

Following a crash two years later, the original body was beyond repair and it went to Michelotti to be re-bodied.

Upgraded inside and out

It’s not just the exterior that Michelotti altered: the interior, the instruments and other details all benefited from the Italian coachbuilder’s touch.

A complicated history

Before the sale on Friday (11 May), Bonhams spent a lot of time establishing the history of the one-off XK140.

“When we first saw it, we didn’t know what it was!” Bonhams specialist Gregory Tuytens told C&SC. But it was soon revealed to be a very rare car indeed.

“It is believed that there are three Michelotti XK140s, but this is the only one with this coachwork,” Tuytens said.

“The building was being donated to the Animal Rescue Centre in Ghent along with its contents,” he added. “There were 10 or 13 cars – most weren’t worth much, and then there was this!”

A celebrity owner?

It was once thought that French actress Brigitte Bardot owned this unique XK140 – and several magazine articles back up this claim.

Bardot's ownership can’t ultimately be substantiated, but if she did own it, it would have been when it looked like this – rather than being in its current slightly sorry state.

Enthusiast owners

What is known for sure, is that French Jaguar Drivers Club President Roland Urban once owned it.

In need of a new home

Whoever else may have owned it in the preceding half century, Mr Schepens bought this car in 1999 in Brussels and enjoyed driving it for several years.

“When he bought it, nobody, before the internet, knew what it was worth,” said Bonhams’ Tuytens, “so he probably got a good deal!”

Indeed, Tuytens adds that he paid 1million Belgian Francs for it, which is around €25,000/£22,000.

Wanted: loving new owner

The Jaguar was certainly the pride and joy of its late owner. He began restoring it in the mid-2000s and was still working on it when he died in 2016.

For the love of Jaguars

Schepens was a coachbuilder – hence why he felt able to undertake the restoration himself; it would be beyond most non-experts. 

He was also a keen Jaguar man who once owned two Series 1 E-types – one coupé, one roadster.

A unique proposition

It is no surprise to Tuytens that the XK140 ended up going for such a large amount.

“It has attracted huge interest,” he told C&SC before the sale.

An XK with a C-type engine

The engine is of particular interest, as it’s from a C-type that was crashed in 1953 or ’54 – it has been with this XK140 since 1957.

Proof of its rarity

The engine block carries the number 'E-1016-8', which proves it was from the C-type with chassis number 'XKC016'.

Ready for restoration

Although it needs extensive work, it’s believed that the XK is 100% complete, items such as gauges, windows, badges and so on included in the sale.

Are you sitting comfortably?

The XK140’s seats have already been reupholstered and are ready to be fitted into the finished car.

Italian-bodied beauty

This Jaguar’s unique Michelotti aluminium coachwork is well worth a specialist’s time and effort.

A charitable sale

The XK140’s late owner, Mr Schepens, was an animal lover, and when he died aged 80, he hoped the sale of his collection would raise funds for Ghent’s Animal Rescue Centre – which is exactly what will now happen.

Which is very good news for the charity: that €350,000 will presumably buy plenty of dog biscuits.

Going to the highest bidder

The other cars from Mr Schepens’ collection – which include a Ferrari 308 GT4, a Series 1 Jaguar E-type, a Wolseley and a Citroën – will be sold at Bonhams’ Beaulieu Sale in September.