Jaguar XK120

The Jaguar XK120 was a sports car manufactured by Jaguar Cars between 1949 and 1954. It was the first post-war sports car from the marque, succeeding the SS100 which ended production in 1940 with the start of the war in Britain. The XK120 was launched at the 1948 London Motor Show as a test bed and show vehicle to highlight the new Jaguar XK engine. The sudden popularity of the car persuaded William Lyons to put the car into production as a standard model.

The first cars manufactured in 1948 and 1949 were hand built aluminum bodied cars. Jaguar built approximately 200 of these alloy bodied cars prior to moving to a more mass production XK120 in order to meet the demand for this popular model. With the 1950 model year a production version had a steel pressed body with alloy doors, bonnet, and trunk skin.

Power came from a dual overhead cam 3.4 L straight-6 engine, Jaguar's famous XK engine. With an alloy cylinder head and twin side draft SU carburators, the XK engine was very advanced for a mass produced engine. This same basic design of the XK engine was used in 3.8L and 4.2L versions into the late 1980's.

The XK120 name referred to the vehicle's impressive 120 mph (193 km/h) top speed. At the time of its launch it was the world's fastest standard production car<ref>Template:Citation/core{{#if:|}}</ref>. It was available as a coupe (FHC or Fixed Head Coupe), convertible (DHC or Drop Head Coupe), or roadster (OTS or Open Top Sports). The OTS or Roadster had a very light weight canvas top and removable side curtains. The DHC or Drop Head Coupe had a padded top and roll up windows. Both the FHC and DHC had a elegant wood veneer dash.

External Links

• XKData.com volunteer maintained online registry with thousands of cars
• www.jag-lovers.org/xk-lovers/ International network of Jaguar XK model automotive owners and enthusiasts