Documented Survivor: 1954 Jaguar XK120 Roadster
The Jaguar XK120 was the wellspring of the company’s celebrated XK series. Introduced in 1948, the car was never meant for production. Rather, it was cobbled together to showcase Jaguar’s new DOHC engine, painstakingly developed by engineer William Heynes beginning in about 1943. While the sports car was a star, the engine was a supernova, enduring for decades and propelling countless of Jaguar’s models. Two engine configurations were pursued: an inline four, and an inline six. The six won the day, starting at a displacement of 2483 cc’s. Its first job was powering the Jaguar Mk I. By the time the XK120 arrived, displacement had grown to 3442 cc’s. The new car’s light weight combined with 160 available hp gave a top speed over 120 mph – voilà! the fastest production car of its time. Here on craigslist is a survivor of this species – a 1954 Jaguar XK120 roadster with only 22,000 documented miles. The asking price is $138,000 and the car is located in San Jose, California. Thanks again to ToddK for this wonderful tip!
This is an SE (special equipment) car, which means the engine produces something closer to 180 hp. SEs might have C-type heads, lightened flywheels, larger SU carburetors, and high-lift camshafts. All SEs had wire wheels – most often painted body color but optionally chrome – and twin tailpipes. This car is said to be matching numbers in factory condition, with changes only to the consumables such as plugs and filters noted. The car has been tuned, the rear brake cylinders are new, and it rides on new wide whitewalls. The standard gearbox is a Moss four-speed, three-synchro manual. Early differentials were fragile; later cars received the Salisbury diff – thankfully, almost indestructible.
A Jaguar Heritage Trust certificate accompanies the car, memorializing its original colors of Pastel Blue over Blue. The two-toned leather seats show almost no flaws. A full complement of Smith’s gauges is seated in the leather-covered dash. The tool kit? Of course it’s with the car. The trunk is as tidy as it can be, showing off optional fitted luggage.
Leave it to me to quibble with one thing on this nearly perfect car: the production certificate indicates that the original hood (convertible top) should be fawn-colored. But the car has a near-perfect navy blue top. This one item is easy enough to change if you care, but it does raise a question when the car is described as a survivor. Speaking of “survivor” – what’s that worth? XK120 prices have been drifting down for several years now. It’s possible to buy a driver-quality SE roadster for around $60-$70k. Prospective buyers will need to gauge the appropriate premium for the low mileage, superb condition, originality, and ownership history. What do you think those factors are worth?
Auctions Ending Soon
2006 Ford Mustang Saleen S281 SCBid Now10 hours$15,000
2002 Subaru Impreza WRXBid Now3 days$333
1975 Chevrolet Corvette ConvertibleBid Now3 days$3,000
1964 Ford F-100 Camper CustomBid Now3 days$2,000
2006 Jeep Wrangler SportBid Now5 days$10,500
Comments
Beautiful car. Needs an LS. (Not really on the LS). I really love it, but for that money I can buy 3 cars I really want. Someone is going to get a good one
A numbers matching, low miles 1 owner classic should bring top dollar even though the prices of the XK 120-140 and 150 has trended down as the generation that desired them is disappearing. The hot ticket now are the Series 1 E-types which, while being a true classic can still be used as a daily driver.
Have you ever owned an E Type?? I finally got to the point where I realized that one should never be driven further than you can comfortably walk back from! My XKs 120 & 150 the same thing. Only my 1938 SS100 had any sort of reliability, and could and was driven daily, assuming you’re OK with parking nearly half a million at Safeway or the curb.
If you’ve had to walk home the cars weren’t maintained properly.
That opinion is based on owning a 1971 XJ6 for 44 years, an EType for 30 years and a MK7 for the last 5 years.
Way back in 1967 (I was 17) I had a chance to buy a 1956 XK for $1500! I drove it and fell in love. But since didn’t know anything about cars or how to work on them I passed because the seller said it would need a rebuild on the engine because of blowby. It smoked a wee bit….
As a kid in the very early 1960’s working in a service station, we had a customer who would drive his XK120 in for fueling. It was gray with red upholstery, absolutely gorgeous and as pristine as could be. I’d lovingly wash the windshield talk to him about that car and he’d let me sit behind the wheel on occasion and dream. Of course, never got to drive it, but even sitting in it was a real treat.
My “uncle” (he wasn’t really that, he was a younger friend of my father’s, born 1907) had one of these, not with those wire wheels, so his was not the specially-equipped “hot” version. He bought it new, and my father thought that he was “nuts”, but everyone else loved it. He named it, “Cholmondely Featherstonelaugh”, pronounced, Chumley Fenshaw”. He was an absolute “character” of the first order. Sadly, he dropped dead behind the wheel of his car in 1964 at the age of 57, and his wife, who couldn”t drive, had to navigate it to the side of road and call for help. His death left a hole in my life — and I never learned what she did with his Jag. He also had a 1939 Ford DeLuxe, and for awhile, after the War, he ran around in a 1947 Crosley, of all things! I would have loved to have been there to see the look on the dealer’s face when he drove the Crosley in to trade it in on the Jaguar! But he was the sort who would DO that!
That is a great story, Harrison. Thank you for sharing it.
By the way, there was, what might have been a 1/8 scale metal model of the XK-120, light blue, like the one our “uncle” was driving at the time, complete with suspension springs, chassis, interior, steering, soft rubber tyres, which I got and built from a kit in his honour, and gave to him. I never again saw another model car-kit quite like that. Maybe someone remembers it?
I had one. The steering worked too, if I remember correctly.
I have that very model, given to me as a Christmas gift by an uncle. I built the kit and spent many hours driving it about the living room, practicing parking and any difficult maneuver I could conjure up. That was at least 70 years ago. Still have it, a bit scratched up and minus the cast grill. I have the original grill but the post for the speed clip broke off. I also have a brand new grill and clip I found on e-bay. Beautiful toy/collector item, best of all reminder of a very happy youth and a special Christmas gift.
Al
First 2 seat sports car I ever drove was a ’52 120 Roadster. The memory of hammering down on that car out on the highway is still implanted in my memory bank. Sound alone is worth the drive, not the least blowing up over that 100 mph mark. Have owned over 36 roadster sports cars since and still own 2 as we speak. This car is as good as you will ever see.
A beauty, in a great period color combo. Price is steep, though.
This shade of blue is absolutely gorgeous. I love it. I might have to paint my Mk II this color.
The xk120 came years before the mk1. The 3.4 likewise came before the 2.4.
What’s a fair price for this vehicle?
It looks like he might be in the ballpark, Southhampton Motors in NY has one advertised on Ebay for $122k:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/225927557605
Growing up in Corning, NY just south of Watkins Glen and son of a car fancier, SCCA member, we attended many Glen events, dad was a corner communications volunteer and I had the cushy job of a Timer/Scoring team member back when it was all done with stop watches. Glen visits often included visits to Smally’s Garage, the former tech center before the facilities at the track were built. On one such visit I discovered a partially dismantled XK 120 coupe said to be raced by the famous Bill Milliken. It was for sale! Dad wanted no part of it and as a 15 or 16 year old it was beyond both my wallet and skill. But I can still see that car, wonder if it became scrap or fared better?
This is a beautiful car but anyone paying attention to prices knows that the XK 120 reached it’s peak selling price about a year ago. Prices have steadily declined since then.
One of the most beautiful cars ever made. I would lose the white walls.
In 2014 a list of $145,000 for a 1954 XK120 s rdstr. in #1 condition. $140,000 for the 160 hp XK120 rdstr.
In the write up the chronology of jaguar models is not quite right.
XK120 to showcase the new engine and then orders rolled in and off it went.
Then in 1950 the car the engine was designed for the MK7.
The Mk1 came along later.
Paul Sine and Al: thanks for sharing about the model! The one I built had operational steering also. And I remember the springs which held the bumpers on, just as with the real car. This was in the 1950s, when I was a young adult, hence I did not run it all over the floor, needles to say. I built it as a gift for my “uncle” (all those self-tapping screws — it all comes back!). But I would love to find one now, still in the box, never having been opened or assembled, and build it once again! — that is, if arthritis would allow my hands enough strength to turn those screws in! I failed to recognise, at the time, that this essentially was a one-off, that other such models would not come to exist (at least, to my knowledge). The older I get, the more clearly I remember the details of my young years, and every song I heard on the radio in 1947, word-for-word and note-for-note. [but, can you remind me why I came into this room, and, have you seen where I left my keys?]
Harrison, you are not alone.
I scanned ebay earlier today but none appeared. Keep a watch there. Sooner or later, who knows.
Harrison: After a brief internet search, I found “our” Jag model. It was built by Doepke, 1:8 scale. If U do an Internet search for “1:8 scale Doepke Jaguar XK120” you should find multiple images as I did.
Good luck, Merry Christmas
To 370zzp: not alone on WHICH? — having built the model? — or, “senior moments?” (smile). Speaking of the latter, I was surprised to hear the song, “Pretty Blue Eyes”, on the radio the other day. The birth name of the singer, Stanley Liebowitz, came right away to me. I could see the picture sleeve of the 45 in my mind (I was a disk-jockey on the radio at the time that record was,a hit, and I played it countless times). But, I felt internally humiliated when his stage-name refused to connect to my brain. I finally had to look it up: “Steve Lawrence”. It’s incidents such as that, which are maddening. How could I forget something I’ve KNOWN for well beyond sixty years?
Harrison, I was referring to the senior moments comment. The fragmentation of memories, often times the ones from only five minutes ago. And yet I clearly recall the taste of the best burger I have ever had, at an A&W in Panama City Florida, in 1965.
Alfred Hitchcock….The Birds…
Sorry, but the car Tippi Hedren drove was an Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe. Both are beautiful cars.
Thanks, it been many years and I try not to always cheat with the magic box. Old foreign 50s things elude me as I only remember them from blurps in movies or the rusted hulks I sometimes scraped back in the 80s.
Hi, 370zpp! Now I don’t feel so bad! My memories of the 1940s and 1950s are as sharp as can be — but these days, I wonder if I remembered to eat breakfast… or, I get 20 miles from home and I suddenly am not sure if I locked the door — or, this road is strange to me: where did I fail to turn? Worse, someone a walks-up to me and greets me with an enthusiastic hand-skake and an appreciation of the lengthy informative conversation we had two weeks ago… and I draw a complete blank, not only about that conversation — but I’m looking at this total stranger, thinking, “Who ARE you?”