184 | GOODWOOD REVIVAL SALE256
From the estate of the late John Coombs
1950 Jaguar Xk120 roadster
Registration no. OLH 3
Chassis no. 660280
Engine no. W2853-8Racing driver John Coombs had enjoyed considerable success in
his chosen career, including a win in a minor Formula 1 race, before
giving up competitive driving to concentrate on running his Guildford-
based Jaguar dealership. He continued to prepare and enter cars
under his own name for other drivers, including stars of the day such
as Ron Flockhart, Roy Salvadori, Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren.Coombs’ name will forever be linked with that of Jaguar, his Mk1
and Mk2 saloons being at the forefront of British saloon car racing
throughout the late 1950s/early 1960s. Capitalising on the lessons
learned from competition, he offered a wide range of race-proven
modifications aimed at making the road-going Mk2 both faster and
more reliable.When the E-Type sports car came along he raced that too with
considerable success. More recently his company has built several
up-graded Jaguar E-Types using the best of modern technology.
John Coombs sadly passed away at his home in Monaco in August
2013, aged 91.Chassis ‘660280’ was first registered on 22nd November 1950
as ‘LXD 437’. Subsequently reregistered ‘OLH 3’, the car was
enthusiastically campaigned in club races by Benjamin Harvey
Bowring, its owner from January 1954. During WW2, Flying Officer
Bowring, as he then was, had flown Hurricanes with 111 Squadron
during the Battle of Britain and later (from November 1940) with 260
Squadron on air defence and convoy patrols from its base in Scotland.1
National Race Meeting, Goodwood, 19542
Cats Eyes Rally, 19543
National Six Hour Handicap Relay Race, 1954(^123)