To Be OFFERED AT AUCTIONEstimate:
£100,000 - £130,000
- Single family ownership until 2017
- Unrestored and overwhelmingly original
- A spectacular preservation-class concours entrant or
restoration basis
Please note this car is titled by its engine number
Please note that this lot will need to be collected from Tilburg,
Netherlands.
According to the accompanying Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust
certificate, this XK 120 SE Roadster was built to left-hand drive
specifications and finished in Light Grey over a Black leather
interior with Grey piping and a black soft top. Completed by the
factory on June 22, 1954, the car was destined for the united
states and sold new through Charles Hornburg's distributorship in
Los Angeles.
This car's fascinating early history is recorded in a letter from
the son of the first owner, which is included in the history file.
After arriving in the Golden State, the XK 120 was purchased by
John Hutchins from the dealership British Motor Cars located in
Oakland, California. Hutchins purchased the car intending for it to
be driven for his wife as a 25th anniversary present. Initially
cautious about the car and managing its power and performance, Mrs.
Hutchin's quickly became comfortable with her new XK 120 and drove
it to and from work, which continued until the early 1970's. Mr.
Hutchin's certainly enjoyed her time behind the wheel as well, and
after his retirement in 1964, would drive his wife to and from work
in the XK 120 as well.
Their son, also named John, learned how to driven on the car when
he was sixteen years old in 1956 and even used the car for his
driving test. John remarked that the car was prone to overheating
on the hills and in traffic, but it was otherwise tremendous fun to
drive. In the Hutchin's family's ownership, the car did not stray
far from Northern California, and John recalls in his letter that
the furthest he took the car away from their native Oakland was to
Pinecrest, California, roughly 150 miles east. John Hutchin's
senior passed away in December of 1972 at the age of 65.
The XK 120 sat in their garage in Oakland until Mrs. Hutchin's
moved to Danville to be closer to her son, and the car was brought
with her. Despite the move, the car would remain preserved there
for nearly forty years. John attempted to recommission the car in
1980 in an effort to get it back on the road but due to a change in
his working life, this work was never completed. It remained with
the family until 2017 at which point it was sold to the consignor,
a dealer based in the Netherlands. Since arriving in the
Netherlands, the car has remained unrestored and untouched with its
current owner, without even being cleaned since its arrival in the
Netherlands.
Importantly, the car is accompanied by a soft top, spare tyre, tool
kit, tyre pump, jack, top cover, and side windows. The engine is
presently running, although it is advised that further mechanical
work be completed before it is returned to the road. Although it
cannot be proven conclusively, the car's mileage showing just under
44,000 miles from new is believed to be original.
Presented in overwhelmingly original and unrestored condition
including original paintwork except for the trunk lid according to
the consignor, the paint could easily be preserved if the new owner
so desires. The possibilities are seemingly limitless for its next
custodian. An excellent candidate for a restoration or for
preservation-class concours events,
Should you want more information on the condition of this lot and
or discuss the possibility of an in-situ inspection, please contact
our office at
+44 (0) 20 7851 7070 or email Britta Buchmann
at
[email protected]To
view this car and others currently consigned to this auction,
please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/lf20.