JAGUAR XK120 full history details

The XK120 was the fastest, most exotic car that Britain offered in 1948, it came about almost by accident.  In 1945, Jaguar Cars offered a range of stylish sedans and tourers, but used bought-in engines. Company founder William Lyons planned a new sedan with a brand new Jaguar-made engine, designed in secret during World War II.

This twin-camshaft straight-six was a masterpiece. Flexible and powerful, its basis was a cast-iron block with a seven-bearing crankshaft. On top was an all-alloy cross flow Westlake cylinder head. It had two noise reducing timing chains, and twin 1.75in (4.5cm) SU carburetors. It looked superb with its polished aluminum cam covers, and stove-enameled exhaust manifold.  Delays in the sedan’s development meant that Jaguar had no car in which to install its showpiece. So William Lyons hastily constructed a sports car body on a shortened sedan chassis, thinking it might generate publicity and act as a rolling tested.

The result of this was breathtaking:

the XK120 was beautifully, classically proportioned and confirmed Lyons’ genius as a stylist. It was fast, too. On a motorway at Jabbeke in Belgium, test driver Ron Sutton achieved 126.5mph (203.5kph), and over 132mph (212kph) with the windshield and hood removed.

Jaguar was deluged with orders, but a new problem arose: satisfying demand. Indeed, most production was exported to the US; one rarely saw an XK120 on British roads.

SPECIFICATION

YEAR REVEALED 1948

PLACE OF ORIGIN Coventry, Warwickshire, UK

HISTORICAL STATUS production car

ENGINE six-cylinder, 209ci (3,442cc)

MAXIMUM POWER 160bhp

LAYOUT front-mounted engine driving the rear wheels

BODYWORK two-door two-seater roadster and coupé

TOP SPEED 124mph (200kph)

NUMBER BUILT 12,055