West Coast Classics are proud to present an absolutely exceptional and very rare and original rust free example of this coveted and highly desirable early model 1952 Jaguar XK 120 Roadster convertible roadster Left Hand Drive U.S. delivery model which was the beneficiary of a frame off restoration in the early 2000's to like new condition with an already excellent body with no damage history and no rust! This beauty still boasts it's original five disc-type steel wheels with original fender spats, aka Fender Skirts (in America!) owner's manual, spare wheel, tool bag, roadside jack and it's original matching numbers engine as verified by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust Certificate.
This rare US Left Hand drive model was completed on 1/18/1952 and exported to the U.S.A. one week later through the 'Hoffman Motor Company' of New York to it's first owner, one Mr M. McMahon and was recently sold from the collection of a prominent Greenwich, CT owner. The car's engine is it's factory installed inline six cylinder engine with twin SU carburetors matched to it's original 4 speed manual gearbox and it runs as smooth as silk with the 4 speed manual transmission shifting smoothly through the gears and the car driving exactly as it should with only very few miles since its restoration. The car has been recently tuned and mechanically inspected prior to sale and is driving beautifully and has a brand new canvas top.
The car shows no signs of any previous accidents and has a razor straight body with no rust. The car looks extremely impressive in its 'French Grey' color paint with matching steel wheels and boasts a beautiful and quite stunning and sumptuous new Red 'Havana' leather interior with new door panels, seats and carpets.
The XK 120 was produced by Jaguar between 1948-54 and caused an absolute sensation when launched and was immediately destined to become one of the most collectible cars of all time. Its name referred to its straight six, 3442 cc 120 mph (193 km/h) top speed (faster with the windscreen removed!) engine which was insanely fast for its day and made the XK120 the world's fastest standard production car at the time of its launch and a very successful racer which spurred Jaguar onto breaking many world speed records. The roadster's lightweight canvas top stows out of sight behind the seats and its doors have no external handles. The windscreen can be removed if desired! The drophead coupe (DHC) had a padded and lined canvas top, which folded onto the rear deck behind the seats when retracted and roll-up windows and the dashboards and door-caps in both the DHC and the closed coup (FHC) were wood-veneered, whereas the more spartan and lighter roadster's were leather-trimmed.
The first 242 XK 120s made had wood-framed open-top aluminum bodies with two seats; Perceiving the design line from the front wheels, over the hood, and to the rear was like watching a rolling wave: smooth, calm, powerful and this design was to set the tone for all post war sports cars and continues to influence to this day, just look at the taper from the hood to the rear on Jaguar's 2018 F-Type. Production switched to all-steel construction better for making the cars in volume by 1950. It eventually came in three versions: as an open two-seat roadster (OTS) and later, as a fixed-head coupe (FHC) in 1951 and a drop-head coupe (DHC) in 1953. The XK 120's are more desirable than the later-model XK 140's and 150's, especially the ones designed before 1950 because those had aluminum skins, with racing history examples commanding many millions of dollars, but these days any of the open cars command more money than any coupe but it is always the bare bones roadster that truly captures the imagination and investment dollars of the sports car enthusiasts and collectors.
When this stunning model debuted in 1948 at the Earls Court Motor Show in London, England it was the darling of the show and remains today as much of a show stopper as it did then, over sixty-six years later! The car set numerous and now legendary speed records and was the fastest production car in the world in it's day and Jaguar used its engine for decades to come. In terms of design, the two-seater roadster with its classically simple flowing lines, slender tail and exotic flush-sided body was a massive leap forward for sports car design at the time and in many ways its styling remains unparalleled. Combined with new standards in terms of performance, Jaguar had obviously built what was destined to become this milestone and eminently always collectible classic car.
You will look long and hard to find a finer restored and matching #'s example available anywhere else.
