1951 Jaguar XK 120 Roadster

Description

Arguably the most influential sports car of the immediate post-war era, Jaguar’s XK120 stunned the world at the time of its launch at the 1948 Earls Court Motor Show. The combination of streamlined styling and a powerful overhead-camshaft six-cylinder engine put the XK120 in a league of its own, with a top speed of 120 mph in an era when most cars could barely top ‘the ton’. In a Britain still struggling to recover from the dark days of the war, the XK120 captured the public’s imagination in a way few cars before or since could manage and Jaguar successfully exploited this through a series of record breaking attempts and of course, on the track. A strong showing in competition certainly did the XK120s reputation little harm – in its most highly developed form, as the XK120C (or C-Type as it is usually referred to) the model won the most 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 160 bhp, making it the fastest production car of the day. Initially available as a roadster only, Jaguar then expanded to include a stylish fixed-head coupe and more luxuriously equipped drophead coupe. Very few XK120s were built in right-hand drive guise, with most earmarked for export, and of the 1,175 roadsters made for rhd markets, just 192 steel-bodied examples were delivered in Australia. As values of the XK sports models have soared in recent years, XK120 roadsters have become increasingly sought after and finding an original, Australian delivery example in unrestored condition like the example offered here is now all too uncommon. Had the car been produced in the limited numbers originally envisaged by Jaguar, values today would arguably be on a par with low volume exotics from Aston Martin, Ferrari and the like – cars in whose company the Jaguar can stand tall. XK Jaguars are proving hugely popular, not only for Jaguar Club events but are welcomed by the VSCC and also make fabulous events cars. With film star looks, performance unmatched by just about any other production sports car of the era and a proud heritage, it’s hardly surprising the XK120 has seen a surge in values in recent years.