A friend is currently part-way through the restoration of a fixed-head Jaguar XK140, which will be used mainly for continental touring (his current MG TD is fine for runs to the pub on Sunday lunchtimes, but not much more without severe discomfort).
He's got to the stage of deciding what to keep original and what to change. Like my E-Type he wants to keep it as original as possible, but updating some bits for the sake of practicality. Doesn't matter what the concours judges say, as it's never going to a councours....
It presently has the original disk wheels. If it was my car I'd keep them for two reasons - for appearance, since it means the original rear wheel spats can be fitted which to me looks better in the overall line of the car, and for practicality they are a damn sight easier to clean than the chrome wires which he is veering towards.
Here comes the "but". Wires were indeed a factory option from new, but from my hazy memories they were body coloured and not chromed. I've tried to find out via JEC and JDC, and had as many different opinions as a bunch of economists. So - anybody in this NG who was around in the mid-fifties remember? Any brochure collectors?
TIA,
Geoff MacK