1953 JAGUAR XK120 Roadster

When William Lyons presented the Jaguar XK120 at the London Motor Show at Earl's Court in 1948, he was in a hurry to replace a sedan that was not yet ready. He was far from imagining the excitement that the car would generate. Orders flowed in, and the following year at the Paris Motor Show, history repeated itself. A legend has been born, and if Jaguar already has a reputation in the 1930s in England, with the Jaguar XK120 and William Lyons at the helm, the Coventry brand really takes on an international dimension. William Lyons himself supervises and designs the Jaguars. On the XK120, he doesn't deviate from this rule, but the urgency is there! The car must be presentable for the 1948 London Motor Show, which is held only a few weeks after the project's launch. In just two weeks, he achieves the impossible challenge without going through the steps plans and model. He forms directly an aluminium bodywork on a wooden frame. And when you contemplate his work, you feel that the artist's talent has struck again! An endless hood, an elegantly cut cockpit highlighted by a leather bead, semi-recessed front lights, a thin oval grille that will last in Jaguar history and a semi-pontoon line characterize this Jaguar XK120 Roadster. The windscreen is in two parts as it was in the good old days and the rear stern has an unparalleled finesse. Thin chrome blades act as bumpers, always with elegance, and the first models were fitted with rear fender skirts. Thereafter, spoke rims will be available for better cooling of the drum brakes. The first models were equipped with an all-aluminium body, while from 1950 the body was made of steel with light alloy sashes. To get into the car, you have to skillfully slip between the seat and the large four-spoke steering wheel. The dashboard is exemplarily simple, but very complete with the necessary bunch of meters. On Roadsters, it was initially painted and will only be covered with leather afterwards. An inimitable atmosphere emerges from a Jaguar XK120 and allows you to travel back in time... Studies on the XK engine began during the Second World War. It was initially intended to be available in straight-four and -six cylinders. On the Jaguar XK120, which owes part of its name to it, the XK engine with its cast iron block also presents a major innovation for the time with an aluminium cylinder head and two overhead camshafts. This straight-six 3.4-litre is very long-running with a consistent torque of 27 mkg from 2,500 rpm. It then develops 160 hp SAE at 5,000 rpm, giving it flattering performance for the time with a peak speed of 196 km/h, 18.3 seconds in the 400-meter stop-start and less than 10 seconds in the 0-100 km/h range. Not bad when the first contemporary 2CV was capped at 60 km/h! Its raging sound and SU carburettors give it an atypical and very characteristic personality. A true myth in the Jaguar range alongside Type C, D and E, the Jaguar XK120 is above all the one that started it all. Today, the charm and image of this English roadster are intact and its "oldies" side even gives an extra dimension. So either, like any old car of those years, there is no question of wanting to drive this car like a modern one. But once you have assimilated the instructions, and if you take care of it as it deserves, the Jaguar XK120 will give it back to you a hundredfold and the pleasure will be yours. You will also have a car that can stroll along the small departmental roads in good weather and be admitted to all events of old cars, even the most prestigious. In particular, it was a Jaguar XK120 Roadster that won the Coupe des Alpes in 1950 and 1951. Delivered new in 1953, we find our XK120 almost 30 years ago in the hands of a French Jaguar enthusiast. In 1991, it underwent a complete restoration: engine, gearbox, electrics, and would delight its owner on numerous outings until 2022, when our XK changed hands. Still equipped with its original engine, this XK120 roadster is the ideal car for your next international rallies.

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