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Over the last 15 years, the car slowly took shape in the garage behind Len and Nancy Wheeler’s house – the “secret XK-150 project,” as Len jokingly described it. On Mondays, a group of friends would gather in the garage to lend a hand, men who knew their way around an engine block and shared Len’s enthusiasm for British sports cars.
Then, one morning last winter, Len declared the project finished and rolled it out into the Tucson sunlight: a meticulously rebuilt, shiny bright, ready-for-the road, dark green 1958 Jaguar XK-150 roadster, a two-seater British classic. In April, Len put the restored car up for auction on an online sales site, where it drew a winning bid of $91,000 from a collector in Monte Carlo.
When last heard from, the Jag was sealed tight in a shipping container, aboard a freighter on its way to Monaco.
Since Len and his brother bought the car in 2005 – six pieces of disconnected body frame, a working engine and boxes full of odd parts – restoring the Jag has been his passion.
Over time, he estimates he invested about $45,000 in the rebuild, which meant tracking down vintage parts -- everything from the wire wheels to a custom-leather interior.
What Len has not calculated are the countless hours of his own time he spent in his climate-controlled garage, patiently putting the Jag back together.
The project relied on friends he calls the "car guys,” fellow members in the Tucson British Car Register. The club counts about 150 members who own, drive and work on a variety of vintage British cars – MGs, Triumphs, Lotuses and Jaguars, mostly.
The crew included Steve Pancoast, a neighbor across the street and close friend of the Wheelers who sadly died last January, just a few weeks before the Jag was ready for its rollout. “I could call Steve and say I need an extra-hand and his answer was always, ’I’ll see ya in five,’” said Len. “He was always willing to help.”
Steve shared Len’s interest in Jaguars. Steve had a 1968 Jaguar XKE in his garage, and so does Len – a bright red XKE that until recently shared space with the restored roadster.
While Len never intended to drive the roadster – he put it up for auction as soon as the restoration was finished – the Wheelers take the XKE out for regular outings, joining rallies sponsored by the British car club.
Last week, the XKE was up on jacks in the garage and Len was in a familiar spot – bent over the Jag with tools in hand, refurbishing the brake system and making sure the car is in tip-top shape for the Wheelers next adventure.
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