Vehicle Description
The Jaguar XK120, their first post-war sports car, was manufactured
between 1948 and 1954. It succeeded the SS100, which ceased
production in 1940. The XK120 was launched in roadster form at the
1948 London Motor Show as show car for the new XK engine. It caused
a sensation, which persuaded William Lyons to put it into
production. The "120" in its name referred to its 120mph top speed,
which made it the world's fastest standard production car at the
time of its launch. It was available in two convertible forms,
roadster and drophead coupe.
This car, chassis number 670316, is an original lefthand drive
American car sold new 21 June 1950 by the Jaguar distributor,
Hoffman Company, in New York City. The original exterior paint
color was suede green, also the color of the interior trim. The top
was French grey.
The Jaguar Heritage Certificate does not name the original owner
but we known the car was owned by Prescott Foster of Arlington,
Louisiana, in 1960, whose brother Mike was governor for at that
time. It is believed that Mike Foster may have been the original
owner. In 1997 the car was sold to John Johnson of Franklin,
Louisiana, certified on the current Texas title. Mr. Johnson was a
successful steel manufacturer and participated in the the salvage
of the sunken ocean liner the Andrea Doria. The car was next sold
to Kenneth James of Converse, Texas, noted for his Jaguar
restorations and for his collection. During his ownership the car
had a full body-off restoration. One of the videos shows him
driving and talking about the car.
The car comes with the soft top, tonneau cover, side curtains,
handbook, oil gun, and miscellaneous hand tools. It also comes with
the original four-speed transmission #JR3011, which has bee fully
overhauled. Mr. James installed a Borg Warner five-speed
transmission, which makes driving the car much more enjoyable.
Now being auctioned on Bring a Trailer
