Boot Trim

(1)  I understand that Special Equipment 120 FHCs had Hardura trim on the
boot sides (other 120s had nil).  Can all FHC owners advise whether they
had trimmed boot sides, esp. the FHc owners?  What about SE OTS cars? (2)
Also, I see it suggested that only XK140 Special Equipment cars had
aluminium on the boot floor / spare wheel lid.  Does not sound like what
this list said (I don’t recall any cars without the aluminium).  Comments?
(3)  also suggested that only 140 Sp Eqt (not standard cars) had the
chromed bezels around the boot floor (spare wheel lid) holes for the T key.
Sound right to any of of you 140 guys? As always – all info gratefully
received. – Regards, John Elmgreen

John, I do have photos of definitely original “standard” XK140 with no
aluminium skin on spare wheel lid, no chrome bezels around budget lock
holes, no hardura trim on boot sides and no rexine on hinge-panel face.
Just like the Spare -parts Catalog says. – Roger Payne

John: I have seen at least 6 120 SE FHCs besides my own and none has had
hardura covering the sides of the boot. Ditto for 120 OTS SEs, even with a
larger sample. – Dick Cavicke

XK 140 OTS S811752  Left hand drive: 1- “Matt Black” (original)?- painted
aluminum covering of plywood trunk floor, chrome fitted bezels to locking
devices. 2- Aluminum dash panel,  chrome  “panic handle” mounting holes on
this dash appear factory stamped for RH drive application but hand- hewn
for the LH drive version. The single, RH or LH formed cut-away for steering
column clearance suggests that the dash panels might have been produced in
Left hand AND Right drive version together and possibly there may have been
a mistake in the stamping of the positions of the panic handle mount holes
for the LH drive versions which led to non-jigged modifications to the dash
panels before upholstering and assembly.  Bollockings all around from Sir
William once again if this was the case!! BTW…I didn’t have the original
chrome panic handle with my car- a spirited PO had obviously had enough of
passengers panicking and had ditched the thing (no evidence of it being
“torn” from the dash panel) so I went back to the trusty Lansing Bagnell
fork- lift truck and stole the chrome lift handle off the battery cover.
The handle is almost identical to the original Jaguar part, the hole
centers are the only slight difference, about 3/16″ smaller. – Regards,
John Morgan

John, Interesting about the “panic handle” mounting trivia. Since were over
1,000 OTS’s produced between our cars, there must have been quite a
significant manufacturing mistake! Good fodder for John Elmgreen’s book? –
Mike Carpenter, S812797