ORIGINAL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FAMILY OWNER CAR - RECENTLY PURCHASED FROM THE SON OF THE ORIGINAL OWNERS!
West Coast Classics are proud to present a rare and original southern California family owned and rust free example of this coveted and highly desirable 1953 Jaguar XK 120 SE M Coupe Left Hand Drive U.S. delivery model FHC with the optional 'M package' Special Equipment Package 180HP matching #'s and original 3442 cc 6 cylinder engine and which was the beneficiary of a mechanical restoration with a rebuilt engine and clutch etc in the mid 2000's before being stored. The car was built on 12/5/1952 and dispatched to 'Hornburg Jaguar' of Santa Monica, CA on 12/15/1952 in original 'Cream' exterior paint over 'Red' leather trim and sold to its original and only southern California family owners in 1953.
We recently acquired the car from the son of the original owner with the car sporting an excellent body with no signs of any damage history and no rust! The car has its all original interior which will need restoring and its older repaint is now showing its age and the car should therefore be considered a good running car in need of restoring. It still boasts its original matching #'s SE engine, five steel wheels, spare wheel, roadside jack and its original matching numbers engine as verified by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust Certificate.
This rare US Left Hand drive model was exported to the U.S.A. to its original and only southern California family owners in 1953 from whom we recently acquired the car. The car's engine is it's factory installed inline six cylinder engine with twin SU carburetors matched to a 4 speed manual gearbox and the original engine was removed and fully rebuilt and rebored with new cylinder head, pistons, rods, valves, cam, rings, seals, head gaskets etc with no expense spared in 2004/2005 along with the clutch, brakes, master cylinder, timing chain, upper/lower ball joints, exhaust/mufflers, suspension/shocks, rebuilt carb etc and with service records showing over $45K invested in the rebuild at a renown independent Jaguar specialists of Fullerton, CA and the engine 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 should since its mechanical restoration.
The car shows no signs of any previous accidents and has a razor straight body with no rust although there are some very small parking dents and imperfections. The car is presented in its 'White' color paint with a painted Red Hardtop and matching steel wheels and its original leather seat interior has deteriorated to the point of needing restoration and the wood will need restoring too.
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 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 these early XK120 models will truly capture the imagination and investment dollars of the worlds premier sports car enthusiasts and collectors.
When the 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 73 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.
Engine # W6838-8S
Chassis # S680463
Body # J2467
Gearbox # JL14421
In summary, this original southern California family owned matching #'s example with a comprehensive mechanical overhaul prior to being stored some ten years ago will make an ideal candidate for a full cosmetic restoration by the Jaguar enthusiast.
