1954 Jaguar XK120 Roadster
The Jaguar XK120 is a roadster sports car manufactured by Jaguar between 1948 and 1954. It was Jaguar’s first sports car since SS 100 production ended in 1939.
The XK120 is a highly desirable model. In 2016, Bonhams sold a matching numbers left-hand-drive alloy-bodied roadster – one of only 184 – for $396,000 (£302,566). This marks the highest price achieved for an XK120 at auction so far.
This 1954 Jaguar XK120 Roadster is a excellent matching numbers example that’s ready for mechanical recommissioning. White with red interior. The car is very solid and has a beautifully straight body.
This Jaguar XK 120 Roadster is a full ground up restored car finished in Old English White over a red Connolly leather interior. It has steel wheels, wide whitewall tires, Lucas headlamps and driving lamps, rear wheel spats, tonneau cover and new side curtains. As a properly and attentively restored car that has seen some light use, this is the perfect XK 120 to enjoy on spirited drives, just as it was designed to be. The purest and most elegant of the original XK series, the XK 120 Roadster (known as the Open Two Seater in the English-speaking world) is a thoroughly rewarding car both to look at and to drive, and this is an ideal example that is ready to be driven and enjoyed immediately.
Beginning in 1948, the first 242 cars wore 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 roadster, was delivered to Clark Gable.
After proving itself on race and endurance courses around the world, the XK engine would become the mainstay of all future Jaguar products over the next six decades. The 160-horsepower 3.4-liter inline-six-cylinder engine was standard for the XK 120; also available was the 180-horsepower XK 120 SE (“Special Equipment”) specification. In addition to a C-Type cylinder head, the SE was fitted with wire wheels, upgraded suspension, and dual exhaust.
Roadsters were also successful in racing and rallying.
