1950 Jaguar XK 120 Roadster

Jaguar's first post-war car, the XK120, was the sensation of the 1948 Earls Court Motor Show and has firmly established itself as one of the greatest sports cars of all time. From the stunning lines by Sir William Lyons to the legendary XK straight-six engine, the XK120 looked and performed like nothing else on the road and, in a Britain still struggling to recover from the dark days of the war, soon captured the imagination of the public. A strong showing in competition certainly did the XK120s reputation little harm - in its most highly developed form, as the XK120C (or C-Type) the model won the most gruelling Le Mans 24-Hour race on no less than two occasions while standard cars were successfully campaigned all over the world. The XK120 was powered by a brand new 3.4-litre twin-cam six-cylinder engine developing 160 bhp, enough to propel the Jaguar to a top speed of almost 120 mph - making it the fastest production car of the day. Initially available as a roadster only, Jaguar then expanded to include a stylish fixed-head coupe and drophead coupe. Very few XK120s were built in right-hand drive guise, with most earmarked for export, and of the 1,175 roadsters made for rhd markets, just 192 steel-bodied examples were delivered in Australia. As values of the XK sports models have soared in recent years, XK120 roadsters have become increasingly sought after and finding an original, Australian delivery example in unrestored condition like the example offered here is now all too uncommon.