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Details
1950 JAGUAR XK 120 ROADSTER (ALLOY)
Chassis No. 670047
Engine No. W1078-8
Yellow and black with dark red leather interior
Engine: six cylinder in-line, 3,442cc, compression ratio 7.8:1, 175bhp at 5,000rpm; Gearbox: four speed manual, synchromesh on top three gears; Suspension: front, independent coil springs, wishbones, rear, semi-elliptic leaf springs, telescopic shock absorbers; Brakes: four wheel hydraulic drum. Left hand drive.
Few cars remain as instantly recognisable 50 years after their inception as the Jaguar XK 120 which came about almost incidentally to publicise the new engine for a forthcoming Jaguar saloon. The new six-cylinder twin overhead camshaft engine was ready for production in 1948 but the new saloon car was still two years from completion so an intended limited production two-seater sports car was hurriedly introduced.
The car's success was, to say the least, sensational and took the motoring world by storm, for here was the most elegant 120mph sports car with the first mass production twin overhead camshaft engine, retailing at 1,000.POUNDS
Jaguar's plans for a limited production run of approximately two hundred cars in alloy had radically changed by the end of the 1948 London Motor Show; up-front orders had exceeded expectations tenfold, so dies for steel production bodies were prepared to cope with the two to three year waiting list. The first production cars began appearing during 1949 and were built with alloy panels over an ash frame.
This car, chassis number 670047, is a significant and historic sports car as it was first owned and raced by Brooks Stevens, the famous industrial designer. Stevens' sphere of influence was huge and he was responsible for many important designs of everday things, such as the Steam-O-Matic iron, Allis-Chalmers tractors, Miller High Life Soft Cross logo and the sensational 1959 Scimitar All-Purpose sedan, with Reutter body.
This XK Jaguar was bought new by him and then raced in various sports car events such as the Elkhart Lake road races held in late July during the early 1950's. The SCCA magazine of September/October 1950 shows Stevens in his XK on the first lap of the Seneca Cup race, in which he was to finish 7th.
Today the Jaguar is in lovely, original condition. It has the yellow and black colour scheme that he painted all his cars, and a red leather interior. The original mileage is just 29,300 which is quite astounding. The vendor has race videos and newspaper cuttings of the car in its early days.
An alloy bodied XK is a rare and desirable sports car. That this lovely example was owned by Brooks Stevens (who also owned such other great cars as a 2.9 Alfa Romeo MM and a Talbot Lago T150SS Teardrop Coupe) makes it a very attractive proposition for a Jaguar connoisseur.
Chassis No. 670047
Engine No. W1078-8
Yellow and black with dark red leather interior
Engine: six cylinder in-line, 3,442cc, compression ratio 7.8:1, 175bhp at 5,000rpm; Gearbox: four speed manual, synchromesh on top three gears; Suspension: front, independent coil springs, wishbones, rear, semi-elliptic leaf springs, telescopic shock absorbers; Brakes: four wheel hydraulic drum. Left hand drive.
Few cars remain as instantly recognisable 50 years after their inception as the Jaguar XK 120 which came about almost incidentally to publicise the new engine for a forthcoming Jaguar saloon. The new six-cylinder twin overhead camshaft engine was ready for production in 1948 but the new saloon car was still two years from completion so an intended limited production two-seater sports car was hurriedly introduced.
The car's success was, to say the least, sensational and took the motoring world by storm, for here was the most elegant 120mph sports car with the first mass production twin overhead camshaft engine, retailing at 1,000.POUNDS
Jaguar's plans for a limited production run of approximately two hundred cars in alloy had radically changed by the end of the 1948 London Motor Show; up-front orders had exceeded expectations tenfold, so dies for steel production bodies were prepared to cope with the two to three year waiting list. The first production cars began appearing during 1949 and were built with alloy panels over an ash frame.
This car, chassis number 670047, is a significant and historic sports car as it was first owned and raced by Brooks Stevens, the famous industrial designer. Stevens' sphere of influence was huge and he was responsible for many important designs of everday things, such as the Steam-O-Matic iron, Allis-Chalmers tractors, Miller High Life Soft Cross logo and the sensational 1959 Scimitar All-Purpose sedan, with Reutter body.
This XK Jaguar was bought new by him and then raced in various sports car events such as the Elkhart Lake road races held in late July during the early 1950's. The SCCA magazine of September/October 1950 shows Stevens in his XK on the first lap of the Seneca Cup race, in which he was to finish 7th.
Today the Jaguar is in lovely, original condition. It has the yellow and black colour scheme that he painted all his cars, and a red leather interior. The original mileage is just 29,300 which is quite astounding. The vendor has race videos and newspaper cuttings of the car in its early days.
An alloy bodied XK is a rare and desirable sports car. That this lovely example was owned by Brooks Stevens (who also owned such other great cars as a 2.9 Alfa Romeo MM and a Talbot Lago T150SS Teardrop Coupe) makes it a very attractive proposition for a Jaguar connoisseur.