1950 Jaguar XK120 Roadster 3.4 Litre

Jaguar XK120 3.4L Roadster, Black Body, Beige Hide and Beige Carpets. This authentic and historically important car is the second Right Hand Drive XK120 Roadster to have been built and comes with full matching numbers. One of the earliest surviving steel bodied cars.

Sleek and fast, Jaguar cars were the brainchild of William Lyons, who began by designing motorcycle sidecars. He set up the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, but by 1927 his thoughts had drifted to cars and in 1931 he launched the SS1.

While concentrating on manufacturing military sidecars during the Second World War, the company also learnt about aircraft design and production techniques. So when Jaguar introduced the XK120 at the 1948 Motor Show, with an engine output of an unprecedented 160 BHP, it quickly became one of the greatest sports cars of all time.

Originally designed as a show car and known as the XK Open Two Seater Super Sports, the XK120 was needed to stir up excitement for Jaguar's post-war design and the new XK engine researched during the wartime period when cars could not be produced. Lyons had planned to market it as a low volume speciality car until the introduction of the Mk VII.

The XK120 was an unprecedented sensation. Enormous order numbers meant it was redesigned from a metal rather than aluminium body to enable it to be made on a production line from 1950. The inital model became the Roadster; the Fixed Head Coupe was introduced in 1951 and the Drop Head Coupe in 1953.

An estimated 7,374 cars were produced of the Jaguar XK120 3.4L Roadster between 1950 and 1954.

HISTORY:

Subject of a total chassis off restoration in 1991 with detailed photographs of each stage.

Restored to an exceptionally high Concours standard, with only 200 miles since.

Original specification throughout.

A stunning example.