1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster

In 2017/18, this car was physically inspected and confirmed by the DVLA to be chassis #679035 (as per its accompanying JDHT certificate and supporting paperwork sent to our vendor from the DVLA)

• The XK120 Roadster - as elegant as XK Jaguars can ever be
• Sourced specifically by Jaguar specialists for restoration and enhancement
• An exacting 'ground-up' rebuild, now with new aluminium bodywork and added driving enhancements (including a 3.8-litre engine, disc brakes, stainless steel exhaust system and uprated suspension)
• Beautiful colour combination of British Racing Green paintwork with a Brown/Biscuit interior
• Recently finished, shaken down and ready to enjoy

A car-starved Britain, still trundling around in perpendicular pre-war hangover vehicles, glimpsed the future in October 1948 with the launch of the Jaguar XK120 at the Earls Court Motor Show. Production commenced in 1949 in Coventry, and the XK's swoopy shape and stylish occupants would become a common sight on British roads over the next 15 years. It heralded the arrival of Jaguar's famous 3.4-litre twin overhead camshaft XK engine, (the basis of all their engines for the next 25 years) with an alloy cylinder head and twin side-draught SU carburettors producing nearly 160bhp. The ‘120’ referred to the car's top speed which, at the time, made it the fastest production car in the world. Jaguar seems to have always had a flair for marketing and to illustrate that the car's top speed was not a figment of a publicist's imagination, in May 1949, on the Jabbeke to Aeltre autoroute, an XK120 with its hood and side screens in place recorded a speed of 126mph, and no less than 132mph with the hood and windscreen detached and an undertray fitted. The car was in almost instant demand and went on to spawn the famous XK lineage of fast and elegant sports cars.

The car offered here is a very special 1953 Jaguar XK120 OTS (or Roadster) which has been meticulously restored from the ground up by a long-established Jaguar and Bentley specialist in Northamptonshire. It was personally imported from the US, originally an FHC, but the bodywork was found to be a long way from any form of economic reclamation. Due to the builder’s extensive contacts within the classic Jaguar community, an all-new aluminium OTS bodyshell was sourced from a well-known XK restorers, whilst a 3.8-litre XK engine was fully rebuilt with new pistons and bearings and the head carefully built up by Wards of Rugby. The chassis was repaired and blasted, etch-primed and painted by Chandler Coach Works.

Mechanically, the car is fitted with a 5-speed Toyota Supra gearbox which is an excellent unit, and commonly used on uprated XKs, as its strong and suits the XK engine really well. From an acknowledged marque expert "recognised as the best modern 5-speed gearbox conversion for fitting into the XK120, XK140 & XK150, the Supra derived gearbox has been in performance use for many years, being robust and also the smoothest performer out there. The gearshift ratios are also nicely suited to the XK for a good overdriven 5th gear performance."

The brief for the car's build was to create a versatile XK that would perform well during fast-road driving or historic events, but would be equally at home pottering around a Concours lawn and consequently the specification includes an XK150 back axle with 3.03 ratio, uprated disc brakes all-round (with 3-pot calipers on the front), a new aluminium fuel tank, a new wiring loom, a stainless-steel exhaust system, adjustable telescopic shock absorbers and poly-bushed suspension all-round, an uprated ‘Broad-spec’ anti-roll bar, an XK150 steering rack (with adjustable steering column), a Kenlowe electric fan, 2-inch HD 8 carburettors (overhauled by ‘Mr Carburettor’ Dave Lonsdale), a new alternator and oil cooler, a re-cored XK140 radiator, bespoke aluminium clutch and brake fluid reservoirs, new stainless steel wire 6x16 wheels (with new Blockley tyres) and a beautifully fabricated pedal-box – a delight for heel & toe driving.

As the bodywork was now finished in a deep British Racing Green, it was important that the cockpit was in period colours and the car has been superbly retrimmed in Mushroom leather, Biscuit carpets and the seats in a classic Saddle Tan. The instruments were overhauled by XK specialist, Tom Kent. Chrome wire wheels, a Monza-style filler cap and leather bonnet straps complete the look.

During the restoration, simply no corners were cut, and the car features virtually every available improvement in accordance with the initial brief. The car has been ‘shaken-down’ with road trails and performs as well as it presents. Photographic records show every stage of the process, literally from the prepared chassis and up. 

The XK120 OTS was hugely influential in period and has an elegance of line that would be completely at home on the manicured lawns of Pebble Beach, however, there is no denying that, in standard form, the 1940’s mechanicals are a touch ‘agricultural’. This superb example, on the other hand, with its intelligent upgrades drives, brakes, and handles like a ‘modern classic’ offering, we believe, the best of both worlds.