This car was kindly donated to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust in December 2024 by ex-speedway rider Des Lukehurst. The car was built on March 8^th 1956 and was originally finished in Birch Grey with a red interior with steel wheels and spats. It was sold Via Henleys of Manchester and was first registered in the county of Cheshire on April 20^th of the same year.

Some history of the car is known; by the 1960s it was in Wales and being used daily in Maesycwmmer, until it broke down in a nearby village. The owner pushed the car into a farmyard and walked away so the farmer decided to utilise it to house his chickens. In 1968 a man from Caerphilly purchased it from the farmer for £6. Now in need of serious restoration, the original owner was located and agreed to ‘officially’ hand it over plus a great deal of spares and the paperwork, for a further £15.

After stripping the car for repair the new owner lost his garage space, so offered it for sale in Exchange and Mart for £75. It ended up with medical student Mike Doig who got the car back together and used it daily. In 1976 at a show, Mike was awarded the ‘Scruffiest XK’ award (a wooden spoon) by famed race driver Duncan Hamilton. This inspired Mike to make the XK presentable again, and it was resprayed in Ford Arctic white. Mike sold it to fund his first house in 1979 and the car ended up in New Romney, Kent. By 2010 however, it was again in need of total restoration.

Des Lukehurst also from Kent, purchased the car in ‘box of bits’ condition in 2012 and completed the restoration over a two-year period in his barn. Des took the opportunity to change the paint and trim to red and white to match his ex-Sir Norman Wisdom Daimler Roadster which he had restored in the same barn several years before. 

Des then used the car, attending local shows in the Kent area until ill-health and lock down restrictions forced him to park the car up during the COVID pandemic. Late in 2024, Des and his family decided that it was time to part with both this XK140 and the Daimler Roadster. They wanted both cars to be seen and enjoyed by the public so approached the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust. Sadly, in January 2025 barely a few weeks after the cars were donated to the JDHT, Des Lukehurst passed away. We aim to recommission both cars in memory of Des.