At Auction: Denise McCluggage’s 1956 Jaguar XK140 MC DHC

By John Coyle - August 25, 2022

Expect this Jaguar XK140 MC DHC, a piece of racing history, to inspire a lot of interest during September’s The Auburn Auction.

It’s an unfortunate reality that women are incredibly underrepresented in motorsport. And that makes the career of legendary driver and journalist Denise McCluggage all the more extraordinary. Because McCluggage was a pioneering force in the sport back in the mid-1950s, long before there was a real talk of inclusion, and racing was blatantly — and proudly — a boy’s club. Now, the machine she used to win her first race is hitting the auction block.

The car in question is a 1956 Jaguar XK140 MC DHC, and it’s delightfully unrestored. Adding to the big cat’s pedigree is the fact that it was supplied to McCluggage by another automotive icon, Briggs Cunningham, who along with owning a famous racing team, was also one of Jaguar’s first domestic distributors. While the car was obviously special to McCluggage, according to a listing on Worldwide Auctioneers, its exact location was unknown until just a few years ago.

For a racing machine, it actually looks pretty proper. First off, it’s a convertible, which seems like a strange choice for competition, since the fixed roof version would have been both lighter and stiffer. Then, there are the bumpers, which you would think have been plucked off in the name of weight savings. Also, the painted wires wheels were common enough on racing machines of the day, but I have to wonder if McCluggage actually went into battle with white wall tires. Personally, I’ve always thought they look homely.

As far as the greasy bits go, this XK140 is sporting 3.4-litre DOHC straight six-cylinder engine, double SU H6 carburetors, and four-speed manual gearbox, all of which helped it become one of the fastest cars of its day. The interior looks rough, but given the historical significance of this machine, you’d have to be certifiable to do anything more than rub it with a little Meguiar’s. Though even that might be too much. This should probably be kept as is.

At this point, there aren’t any pre-auction estimates on the listing page. But given that both McCluggage and Cunningham are both members of the Motorsports Hall of Fame, I would expect interest in this piece of racing history to inspire a lot of activity during September’s The Auburn Auction. Watch the video below to see a brief tribute to this pioneering race driver, and see some brief footage of this old war horse moving under its own power — it’s inspirational stuff!

Photos: World Wide Auctioneers