Having spent the majority of its life in Arizona, this 1955 Jaguar XK140 SE represents a solid and complete restoration project. In its day, this was a pretty potent British sports car, and there appears to be no reason why it couldn’t be returned to that state once again. Located in North Canton, Ohio, you will find the Jaguar listed for sale here on Craigslist. The owner is asking $45,000 for this project car.

The original owner of the Jaguar dismantled it with a view to undertaking a full restoration, but this never eventuated. The current owner strongly reassures us that the car is complete and that every part that has been removed by the original owner is actually present. He says that the car is as solid as a rock, with the only rust being a small area in one corner of the battery tray that is showing some rot. This is a very common fault and is quite easy to fix. The frame is said to be clean, and while there is no evidence of any real accident damage, the owner says that there is some evidence of some very minor dent repairs. He believes that judging by the techniques that have been employed, these repairs were probably performed at some point in the 1950s or 1960s. The rest of the panels look essentially straight, and whipping them into shape for a fresh coat of paint should be an easy task. One interesting inclusion with the Jag is an aftermarket fiberglass hardtop. This appears to be in good condition, although the rear window does look like it might be a bit cloudy.

It isn’t at all surprising that the interior is in need of a complete restoration. I would say that the original leather and leatherette was finished in red, and would have looked pretty classy. A retrim is not going to be a cheap exercise, but given the relative rarity of the car, it should be well worth the effort. A full trim kit will cost in the vicinity of $7,000, but that will include everything that you would need to have the interior looking like new, with the exception of the wheel and gauges. A replacement wheel will add around $550 to the restoration cost, and while the original gauges are present, the owner stated that they will require restoration.

The Jag is a numbers-matching car, and while it currently doesn’t run, the owner has checked, and the engine does turn freely. This is a 3,442cc DOHC straight-six engine, and with the inclusion of the original C-Type cylinder head, it originally pumped out 210hp. Unique to the SE version was a dual exhaust, 2″ sand-cast carburetors, and heavier torsion bars for the suspension. The power from that beautiful engine found its way to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission with overdrive. All of these components remain present, but how healthy they are is the great unknown. Given the fact that the car appears to have been sitting for quite some time, I suspect that there will be some quite intensive inspection work in the future, and possibly some refurbishing as well.

This 1955 Jaguar XK140 SE represents a restoration project that is not the biggest that we’ve ever seen, but it is going to be a fairly intense one nonetheless. The asking price doesn’t represent a cheap entry point for someone hunting for a project car, but the reward at the end of that process is a car that could potentially be capable of achieving a healthy six-figure value if the restoration is completed to a high standard. Even if you ignore potential values, the end result will be one truly beautiful car.