Original “SPARES” box delivered with these XK Series. I was once owner of a 30K mileage XK-120 SE FHC. In the boot was a tan rectangular cardboard box of dimensions approx. 4" high X 30" wide X 12" deep. It had a slide on top and a stick on Jaguar factory label listing the contents of the spare parts within. These included a head gasket , several manifold gaskets , ignition points set and a condenser along with radiator hoses and possibly spark plugs. The body # of the car was handwritten on the top of the box. Unfortunately I failed to take a photo of the item and the car left my custodianship years ago. Is anyone aware of this original equipment spares box and can confirm that they were provided and my description of what I recall above ? Thanks for your response, Jack Richards in Chesterfield, Missouri,USA
Jonathan, welcome to the forums, I’m sure someone with greater information will come on stream at some time.
Thanks , Robin , for the welcome to the forum. I look forward to response to my inquiry. Best
Regards , Jack Richards in Chesterfield, Missouri , USA.
Here’s an original “Replacement Outfit” inventory for a US-delivered car. Note how the extra Headlamp Bulbs have been crossed-out, since the US cars had sealed-beam lamps…
Welcome Jack.
You are indeed correct that there was what was called a “Jaguar Minor Replacement Outfit” in a cardboard box that was supposed to be included in the boot (trunk) of all cars, but some were misappropriated by the dealers for their own shop use.
The most enthusiastic and fastidious of concours entrants try to get them, and as I recall someone on this forum was going to reproduce the box.
Jack, as sited by others, these were called MINOR REPLACEMENT OUTFITS and kits were made up and supplied new to SS Jaguar, Mark IV, Mark V, Mark VII, XK120 and XK140 - but not later vars such as XK150/Mark VIII/Mark 1 - or that’s all I am aware of… There was some evolution of the heavy card box, but more age related as in SS Jaguar are smaller than the post-war, albeit I haven’t fastidiously checked all dimensions. The paper label stuck onto the box detailed its contents and were specifically assembled to suit the p[articular model Jaguar Outfit was supplied with, indeed there is an early XK120 and a late XK120 that differ slightly. They were only supplied with cars exported from UK that did not have a reliable Dealer/Spare Parts Supply, so Jaguar didn’t want a customer stranded for what of some minor service item. LHD Jaguars were only made/supplied from end of 1947 onwards, so back then Jaguar deemed no reliable network yet for Spare Parts, and if you want a recent reminder of how bad things were, read the recently released book on MAX HOFFMAN - Million Dollar Middleman, the East Coast USA Distributor from 1948, but only interested in new Jaguar Sales, and not at all interested in Service nor Spare Parts back-up. So bad Jaguar cancelled his Distributorship in 1955. But what happened is that new Jaguars delivered to USA with a Minor Replacement Outfit provided free-of-charge for the new owner, rarely got to the owner, being robbed by the dealership to sell themselves as spare parts. Thus these days, very rarely found, and if found the cardboard box is usually really poor/damaged and the contents mostly gone/used. These are not required/nor judged in Concours, but a few collectors still like to have one or more… There was a source of good standard reproduction Boxes including the stick on Label, but these have no longer been made for many years, but assembling a set of all the correct and ‘period’ contents is a huge challenge, even for the most energetic… see pic of an original XK140 box - far far better than most, and one of the no-longer available reproduction boxes…
What a marvelously effective data source this Jaguar-lovers website/forum has proven to be ! Late in the afternoon of 2-12-23 I joined the forum and posted an inquiry regarding what I recalled about a spare parts box which was in the boot of a wonderfully original 1953 Jaguar XK-120 SE FHC I once had the pleasure to own. In response to my inquiry I we have four delightful responses on the rather arcane piece of Jaguar history. The respondents were Robin_O_Connor of Aukland , NZ , F8driver Dick of La Jolla , CA , USA , Rob_Reilly ? , USA and Roger_Payne of Canberra , AU --a truly international response. F8driver , Rob Reilly and Roger Payne sent photo images of actual “Jaguar Minor Replacement Outfits” and contents.
I want to thank each of you for your responses and the codification of this detail of the truly amazing history of the early Jaguar XK-Series. See you down the road , Jack Richards in Chesterfield, Missouri , USA.
There was also a Continental Touring Kit with even more parts in it, for if you were touring in Europe where there were no Jaguar dealerships. Those were returned to the factory if not used, or the owner would pay for any parts that were used on the tour.
I cannot recall which of our terrific archivist/authors, ( Skilleter, Porter, Schmitt, Viart, …?) it was but one book gives extensive information that includes the Continental Touring Kit that Rob mentions. It was, as I recall, in a substantial wooden box and was provided on-loan. I have never actually seen one of these in person.
Wouldn’t that be a fun thing to reproduce ? But then seeing how Jaguar has reacted to C & D type replicas recently,… they might come seize it at a car show, claiming it wasn’t properly returned in the 1950’s, and charge the owner with robbery. ;-)))
It is PORTER - the only published reference I recall seeing is in Porters ORIGINAL JAGUAR XK book. It was first shown in the original issue published in 1998, and has been carried over into revised Second Edition, the hugely expanded and revised THIRD EDITION of June 2012, and indeed reprinted current edition… There is not a lot known about these in detail, but generally they were generally a box of parts assembled by the factory, and made available to local UK owners on a hire-out basis (and presumably an appropriate security deposit) for those travelling to the Continent (as in the European Continent) - thus their name, as a readily available source of spare parts as/if needed during their continental tour. On return to UK, the Continental Touring kit was returned, and if any parts had been used, their cost was paid for, with the Kit topped up by Jaguar for the next usage/hirer. I guess if you didnt return the kit (for whatever reason) you had effectively purchased it with your hire/security deposit fee. But nothing really known about the contents, nor indeed what models/what ages they were available with no known labels of listing-of-contents - so probably along the lines of the MINOR REPLACEMENT OUTFITS, but far more contents/expanded. Porters photos show included coils and fuel-pumps and braking system spares… and all packed in a timber box. See attached photo, noting the inclusion of LOCKHEED spares indicates being originally for an XK120/XK140 or Mark 1…, but other inclusions suggest later top-ups…
I have to laugh here many years ago I was in touch with a bloke in South Australia who had owned an XK120 from new though car had been sold in the 50’s and he happened to mention he had the spares box still that was in the boot.
All excited I asked did he want to sell it, yes so sent him some money and also postage. A few days later a small box turned with all the contents of the kit no MRO cardboard box.
I rang him to enquire about the box, the reply it was chucked out years ago he couldn’t believe some would pay money for a cardboard box!
Nicely filled box, but that presents a difficult choice. Do you put the box in the boot? and then either your or her luggage? There’s room for two out of the three, you bear the consequences of that choice. Here’s mine prepped for a 900 mile two week trip. The key is soft luggage. The tools and spares are in a soft bag snuggled forward of the fuel filler shield, around and on top of the spare tire, and with some in the tray above the battery.
Nick I have both the spare parts box and continental touring Kit. Bought the continental Touring Kit from Guy Broad over 20 years ago. Its just a big square box loaded with parts. The spare parts boxes seem to vary either by year or model as I have several of them Many years ago a friend brought them to me from his boss saying the boss didn’t need them anymore. Full of parts but the radiator hoses don’t appear to fit a 120.
Out of interest, an incomplete box was auctioned several years ago on eBay - I think it was sold for around $3000.
Tadek
Stirred and old memory. A gentleman whose first name was Tadek ,and who was at one tome making exact reproduction fitted luggage, made a short run of reproduction boxes say 25 years ago. As I recall there were two variants of the label. I bought one of each at that time. The single feature I remember clearly was they were wrapped with some very distinctive paper that seems to have a texture of many small rectangular cells. Very “English” looking.
Sorry, the name was not Tadek. It was Taris Charysyn, My apologies to Tadek. I have a set of his luggage too. As with many parts, it cost more than I paid for the entire car.
Karl Kirkman
The boxes are probably empty. I have been assembling a set of contents over many years, but that presents the quandry of whether or not to to tear open the wraps to display the whole pile of stuff.
I have continued to research the spare parts box matter but expanded it to the Continental Touring Kit.
My interest being an XK120, I studied the two pictures in Porter who labels one for the 120 and 140 and one for 150. The Porter photo two looks somewhat like Rogers photo he posted here but with different contents. I wondered at first if the stamped “8290” was some sort of part number, but the two pictures depict a box with the tears in the wrapping tape appearing to be the same. so I believe it to be pictures taken of the same Kit at different dates. The Porter photo clearly shows the 120/140 box made of cardboard and an earlier post stated that the early boxes were “square” . The different proportions seem to reflect that.
Does anyone have further information or dimensions to help define the 120 box more clearly ?
Karl