Auction Date: 22 October 2011

Lot 352 - 1953 Jaguar XK120 Drophead Coupé

• Registration: MWY318
• Chassis Number: 667149
• Engine Number: F1074/8
• Odometer reading: TBC
• Estimate: £15,000-£20,000
• Hammer: Sold
• Plus Commission: £28,000

When Jaguar resumed car production in 1945, it dropped its pre-war sports car line to concentrate on saloon manufacture. But at the 1948 Motor Show the firm astonished the public by announcing a new two-seater roadster, the XK120 name reflecting its top speed. It heralded the arrival of Jaguar's famous 3.4-litre twin overhead camshaft XK engine, intended for the Mk. VII saloon, then two years away. Its chassis was essentially a shortened version of the simultaneously announced Mk. V saloon, with torsion bar independent suspension. The XK120's comfort and road holding set new standards for British sports cars and, of all the XK series cars, its name alone reflected its top speed. In May 1949, on the Jabbeke to Aeltre auto route, an example with its hood and sidescreen in place, recorded a speed of 126mph and no less than 132mph with the hood and windscreen detached and an under-tray fitted. The car was in almost instant demand and it caught Jaguar by surprise. The first 240 examples retained coachbuilt aluminium bodies before pressed steel took over. The open two-seater model was joined by a fixedhead coupé version in 1951 and a drophead coupé followed in 1953. The 120 lasted until 1954 before making way for its XK140 successor. It was to prove the most popular of the series, with 12,061 examples built, and of these only 295 were righthand drive drophead coupés like the car offered here.

This original righthand drive Jaguar XK120 drophead coupé was purchased by the vendor as an very day motor car in 1967 and was used regularly for two years. In 1969 the car broke a tooth on the starter ring gear which meant that sometimes it was difficult to start unless the car was pushed forward in gear to be able to engage the starter on a different part of the ring gear. At the end of 1969, the XK120 was park in the garage with the intension of replacing the faulty part and this is where the car has been since with the exception that in around 1980 the car was started, driven and put into a different garage on the estate. The car appears sound with only surface rust visible on the bodywork and chrome. The passenger door hinges require replacing and new hinges are supplied with the car. The engine has not been run for thirty years but the car has been stored in a dry garage and the only fault with the car when it went into the garage was the starter ring gear. The XK120 is finished in the original dark green paint with the original vinyl roof and original red leather seats. The car is fitted with the Coombs type rear wheel spats and aluminium bonnet and boot lid. Supplied with the car are a number of spare parts, an original log book, the old style V5 registration document, MoT test certificates 1967 to 1969 and a number of bills from the same period. A very rare opportunity to acquire highly original and unmolested rareright hand drive XK120 restoration project. With originality being so important in today's marketplace, this car represents an ideal investment opportunity for the prudent collector.