1953 Jaguar XK120 Drophead Coupe

Jaguar's first post-war car, the XK120, was the sensation of the 1948 Earls Court Motor Show and has firmly established itself as one of the greatest sports cars of all time. From the stunning lines by Sir William Lyons to the legendary XK straight-six engine, the XK120 looked and performed like nothing else on the road and, in a Britain still struggling to recover from the dark days of the war, quickly captured the public imagination. A strong showing in competition certainly did the XK120s reputation little harm - in its most highly developed form, as the XK120-C, the Jaguar won the gruelling Le Mans 24-Hour race on no less than two occasions while standard cars were successfully campaigned all over the world. The XK120 was powered by a brand new 3.4-litre twin-cam six-cylinder engine developing 160bhp, enough to propel the Jaguar to a top speed of almost 120mph, and was initially available as a roadster before the range was expanded to include a stylish fixed-head coupe. Following on in 1953 was the final variant of the XK120, the drophead coupe. The folding top mechanism was a masterpiece of simplicity and beautifully trimmed, with a Perspex rear window and even had an interior light, affording excellent protection from the elements. Jaguar intended the drophead coupe to be a more luxurious package and equipped the car with wind-up windows, wider doors and the walnut-veneered dash also found in the fixed-head model. As the final member of the XK120 family, the drophead coupe was unsurprisingly built in the fewest numbers and just 1,760 were made (roughly ten per cent of total XK120 production) with the vast majority going to American customers.