Unique barn-find Michelotti XK140 going under the hammer

One-off Jaguar being auctioned for charity

The treasures of one Belgian enthusiast’s collection have been revealed – and this one-of-a-kind Jaguar XK140 is the undoubted star of the show.

“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.

This is a unique, Michelotti-bodied Jaguar XK140 SE Coupé. “It is believed that there are three Michelotti XK140s, but this is the only one with this coachwork,” Tuytens said. Not only that, but it has a C-type engine.

It certainly stood out when he went to view a deceased gentleman’s collection, which will be auctioned for charity on 11 May at Bonhams’ Monaco sale.

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

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

Bonhams has spent a lot of time establishing the history of this one-off XK140 that is now waiting for its next owner.

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 has attracted huge interest,” Bonhams’ Gregory Tuytens told C&SC, with potential bidders from the UK, France, Belgium, US and further afield.

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, assuming it sells.

Heading south

Digging this one-off Jaguar from its storage location has been the first step – now it’s off to Monaco to be auctioned.

Going to the highest bidder

It’ll be sure to be one of the highlights of Bonhams’ ‘Les Grandes Marques à Monaco’ sale on 11 May – although given the work needed, the price is understandably low, at just €20,000 – €50,000 (£18,000 – £44,000).

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.

A golden ticket?

“I think it’s likely that collectors in general might go for it,” added Bonhams’ Tuytens. “You’re buying a ticket to any big event with this car” – once the work has been finished, of course.