"The Jaguar XK120 was manufactured between 1948 and 1954; Jaguar's first sports car since the SS100, which ceased production in 1940. The XK120 was launched in roadster form at the 1948 London Motor Show as a show car for the new Jaguar XK engine. It caused a sensation thus persuading Jaguar founder and design boss William Lyons to put the car into production. The '120' in its name referred to its 120mph top speed which made the XK120 the world's fastest standard production car at the time of its launch. It was available in two open versions; first as the roadster then also as a drophead coupé from 1953 and also as a closed, or 'fixedhead' coupé from 1951. With an alloy cylinder head and twin side-draft SU carburettors, the double overhead-cam 3.4 litre straight-six XK engine was comparatively advanced for mass-produced units of its time. This same basic design of the XK engine, later modified into 3.8 litre and 4.2 litre versions, survived late into the 1980s.
This left hand drive Jaguar was originally sent to California from new and repatriated to the UK in 1964. Upon its return, this XK120 SE was put into storage for many years. A renovation was carried out paying great attention to keeping the car as original as possible. It was repainted in the original colour scheme and although the seats have been changed to more comfortable bucket type seats, the originals are included with the car, although they will need restoring. The engine was rebuilt at 55,548 miles and as this is an SE specification vehicle it has a C-Type cylinder head offering a better performance. A new Mohair hood comes with the car, along with newly refurbished sidescreens. The fastidious and knowledgeable vendor has owned this matching numbers XK120 since January 2014 and has enjoyed the car immensely. It has been thoroughly maintained, largely by himself and again the focus was always using original parts wherever possible, subject to availability. Presenting in good order throughout, this is a very nice genuine and useable example. Supplied with a V5C registration document, a Jaguar Heritage Certificate, a detailed history of the renovation and a good history folder. This 67 year old Jaguar has only had three previous keepers and is ready to be used and enjoyed by a new owner as much as it has been by its current owners.
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