Jaguar XK 120 1954

1954 Jaguar XK120 Roadster
Post War Europe was a different time, a time when an automotive icon, capable and successful racing and road car as the XK120 could go from conception to construction in a matter of months. It was first presented to the public in 1948 at the Earls Court Motor Show, causing a sensation and the accompanying demand for the hitherto unheard of 120mph top speed of the world’s fastest production car.

Jaguar was caught by the surprising demand and had to redesign the car to keep up with orders, a 20-month process of development before production could begin.

At its heart was the 3.4 liter 6-cylinder twin overhead cam engine designed through the war for the Mark VII saloon. It boasted 160bhp, enough to propel a car to 126mph+ on the E40 south of Bruges in 1949. And yet, in that Jaguar tradition, it was a new standard of comfort, roadholding and performance for British sports cars at more than reasonable pricing. The XK120 was produced until 1954 and would prove to be the most popular of the XK series, with 12,078 examples built.

The motorcar offered
The 1954 Jaguar XK120 Roadster offered here comes from a decade of ownership in the hands of a Southern California collector of discerning taste in two and four-wheeled machines. Purchased in February 2013, the odometer read 9,348 miles. Now, that odometer reads only 13,416. In those 4,000 miles of meticulous ownership, the car was transformed in to a useable and supremely reliable car with the addition of Wilwood disc brakes at the front, new custom racing style seats, reminiscent of the D-Type, while the originals accompany the sale, a center console for handy storage and boot-located battery connectors. A slightly smaller steering wheel was installed, while the original also accompanies the sale.

Service work was performed by marque expert John Pollock Restorations in Reseda, California, and Yorks & Lancs Automotive in Chatsworth. Only a couple of receipts accompany the sale, as the car has been used sparingly, and has proven to be perfectly reliable.

The white paint is in excellent condition, virtually free of any blemishes at all. Brightwork is generally excellent with some minor wear present on several pieces. The black leather interior is also very well presented with only minor wear present on the carpets. The black canvas top and tonneau are in superb condition, as are the chrome wire wheels. The car comes with tools and jack and a wonderfully raspy exhaust note from the twin pipes.

The car truly needs to be driven to appreciate how well restored it was, how tight and nimble it feels on the road with strong power, smooth shifting gearbox and the confidence-inspiring brakes. Not one to be missed.

The Jaguar XK120 was manufactured between 1948 and 1954 and was Jaguar's first sports car since the SS100 which ceased production in 1940. The XK120 was launched in roadster form at the 1948 London Motor Show as a show car for the new Jaguar XK engine. It caused a sensation, thus persuading Jaguar founder and design boss William Lyons to put the car into production. The '120' in its name referred to its 120mph top speed which made the XK120 the world's fastest standard production car at the time of its launch. It was available in two open versions; first as the roadster, then also as a drophead coupé from 1953 and also as a closed, or 'fixed-head' coupé from 1951. With an alloy cylinder head and twin side-draft SU carburettors, the double overhead-cam 3.4 litre straight six XK engine was comparatively advanced for a mass-produced unit of the time. With a standard compression ratio of 8:1 it developed 160bhp. This same basic design of the XK engine, later modified into 3.8 litre and 4.2 litre versions, survived into the late 1980s. All XK120s had independent torsion bar front suspension, semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear, re-circulating ball steering, telescopically adjustable steering column and all-round 12-inch drum brakes.

This superb iconic British sports car is presented in cream with red leather interior and as far as we are aware is a matching numbers example, with the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust Certificate confirming its DNA including the fact that it still retains its original colour from factory (details in history file). Its black mohair hood is in good condition as is its lovely leather interior and also the colour coded cream wire wheels. In 2014 the present owner had a Short Engine rebuild which was carried out by WinSpeed Motorsport Ltd at a cost of £14,000 (itemised invoice in the history file). This very pretty Jaguar comes with some old log books, various old MoT test certificates and a Jaguar Operating, Maintenance and Service Handbook. A wonderful example in good condition!

The XK120 was launched in open two-seater or (US) roadster form at the 1948 London Motor Show as a testbed and show car for the new Jaguar XK engine designed by Jaguar Chief Engineer William Heynes. The display car was the first prototype, chassis number 660001. It looked almost identical to the production cars except that the straight outer pillars of its windscreen were curved on the production version. The sports car caused a sensation, which persuaded Jaguar founder and Chairman William Lyons to put it into production.

Beginning in 1948, the first 242 cars were wood-framed open 2-seater bodies with aluminium panels.Production switched to the 1cwt or 112 lb (51 kg) heavier all-steel in early 1950. The "120" in the name referred to the aluminium car's 120 mph (193 km/h) top speed (faster with the windscreen removed), which made it the world's fastest production car at the time of its launch. In 1949 the first production car, chassis number 670003, was delivered to Clark Gable.
The XK120 was ultimately available in three body styles, all two-seaters and available either as Left (LHD) or Right Hand Drive (RHD): an open 2-seater described in the US market as a roadster (OTS); a fixed head coupé (FHC) from 1951; and a drophead coupé (DHC) from 1953. Certain Special Equipment roadster and fixed head coupe cars were produced were sold between 1948 and 1949 as an early production build for enthusiasts, denoted by an 'S' preceding the chassis number.[citation needed]

A version with a smaller engine (2-litre 4-cylinder) designated the XK100 and intended for the UK market was cancelled prior to production.

On 30 May 1949, on the empty Ostend-Jabbeke motorway in Belgium, a prototype XK120 timed by the officials of the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium achieved an average of runs in opposing directions of 132.6 mph with the windscreen replaced by just one small aero screen and a catalogued alternative top gear ratio, and 135 mph with a passenger-side tonneau cover in place. In 1950 and 1951, at Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry, a banked oval track in France, open XK120s averaged over 100 mph for 24 hours and over 130 mph for an hour. In 1952 a fixed-head coupé took numerous world records for speed and distance when it averaged 100 mph for a week.

XK120s were also highly successful in racing and rallying.