1956 Jaguar XK 140 Ghia Supersonic Coupe (coachbuilt)
- Engine
- Dual SU carburetors, numbers-matching unit (displacement and cylinder count unspecified)
- Colour
- Red over tan leather interior
One of at most four Jaguar XK 140 chassis clothed by Ghia of Turin in the Supersonic-derived coachwork style, this car carries chassis number S 815404 and was completed in 1956. Ordered new through Los Angeles dealer Hornburg, it later passed to entertainer Gower Champion and his wife, then to actor Ricardo Montalbán in 1967. After a period in Japan, it entered the Blackhawk Collection, where it appeared twice at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It retains its numbers-matching, dual-SU-carbureted engine.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$335,000
- 1956 →Factory deliveryR. W. Martinpartial documentation
La Jolla, California resident who ordered the car via the major Los Angeles dealership Hornburg; the car was completed in Turin and reportedly finished in a light color.
- 1967 →Acquisition unknownRicardo Montalbánpartial documentation
Mexican-American film actor who acquired the car in red; a period photo of him with the vehicle survives and shows no hood air intake during his tenure.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownGower Champion and Marjorie Championpartial documentation
Gower Champion was a noted actor and theater director; his then-wife Marjorie was co-owner during this period.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownJapanese owner from the early 1990snone documentation
The car had reached Japan by the early 1990s; no further detail about this custodian is provided.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownBlackhawk Collectionpartial documentation
Prestigious collection based in Danville, California; during this period the car was restored to red coachwork over tan leather and shown selectively at major concours events.
Competition
- 19551955 Paris Motor Show
A different Ghia-bodied XK 140 (chassis 810827 DN), commissioned by Paris dealer Delacroix, was displayed at this event — not the car offered here.
- 19921992 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
Shown while in the Blackhawk Collection; part of a selective display program during that ownership period.
- 19961996 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
Second appearance at Pebble Beach during the Blackhawk Collection tenure; the car had by this time been restored to its current red and tan presentation.
Maintenance & restoration
- —Restoration
The car was comprehensively refurbished to its current configuration: red bodywork over a tan leather interior, with period-correct Marchal headlamps retained and the numbers-matching dual-SU engine and cylinder head preserved.
The work is described as having been completed by the time the car appeared at Pebble Beach in 1992; it was carried out during the Blackhawk Collection's stewardship.
- —Modification
A bonnet air intake was added at an undetermined point, bringing the car's appearance into closer alignment with at least one other known Ghia-bodied XK 140 example.
The intake was absent during Montalbán's ownership, so it was fitted at some later stage.
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