Here Is What You Need To Know About The Beautiful Jaguar XK120

Jaguar is a British Manufacturer known to embrace car enthusiasts with some legendary cars, one of them being the XK120. It is a sports car manufactured between 1948 to 1954 with a total production of 12045 cars including left and right-hand drives. The first prototype was displayed at the 1948 London Motor Show and it was love at first sight.

It was a revolutionary car, not only in terms of design but also performance and technology. The “120” in the name of the car stood for the top speed, as it was capable of reaching a top speed of 120 mph which made it the fastest production car of that time.

What was the performance like?

The performance of the Jaguar XK120 was simply outrageous, the driving dynamics of the vehicle were average except it had an amazing engine.

It was a high-performance car and the engine had an endless grunt on offer.

The specification of the car does not really impress according to today’s standards however the XK120 was the fastest car of its time. It was engineered with all the advanced technology available at that time. The elegant design and impressive performance made this car something people want to own and experience.

What were the different variants?

The XK120 was available in three main variants, where the internal of the car remained similar, however, the body style changed. The three body styles were a roadster, a fixed-head coupe, and a drophead coupe. From 1953, all the XK120 were left and right-hand drive, and there were certain Special Equipment roadster and fixed roof versions of the car made between 1948 and 1949 that came with an improved engine and were entirely dedicated to the love of driving.

In 1952, the Jaguar XK120 set the land speed record with Norman Dewis in the driving seat. For the attempt the car received several changes such as the perspex bubble windscreen and the body also received changes to lower the drag.

How was the exterior design?

From the exterior, it is needless to say that it is a beautiful-looking car. The body of the car uses hand-formed aluminum depending on the model. It has a sleek and aerodynamically designed, long hood and short rear end. At the front, it features a prominent front grille, with a jaguar emblem placed at the center.

The car sits on wire-spoked wheels with whitewall tires and there was also space to mount the spare tire at the back. It was available in a variety of color options, however, our favorite was the British Racing Green.

Was the interior plush?

The interior of the Jaguar XK120 is luxurious and spacious for a sports car, with comfortable leather seats and a wooden dashboard. It has a three-spoke steering wheel with a large central horn button. The dashboard of the car features a speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, air pressure gauge, and water gauge.

One stand-alone feature of the car is that it had roll-up windows which were not common in that era.

Racing pedigree

The Jaguar XK120 actively participated and won several prestigious races around the world. The first victory for the car came on the Silverstone circuit for the One Hour Production Car Race sponsored by the Daily Express. After that, it went to several other races and also finished at the podium. In 1950, three heavily modified XK120s went for the Le Mans, they didn’t win but the experience gained by them was priceless and helped in future events.

How much is a Jaguar XK120 now?

It is a vintage car, and we need to consider factors such as the model, condition, color, and authenticity of the car. The initial handful of alloy roadsters is more significantly expensive than other models. The drop dead coupes come at a similar price tag as the roadsters despite being rarer. The prices of Jaguar XK120 tend to fluctuate depending on the demand in the market. On average, an excellent quality SE can fetch upwards of $100,000.