Vehicle Description
Chassis No. S 681124
Engine No. W 82438S
Transmission No. JL 16471
Body No. J 3140
Originally intended as a low-volume model to show off Jaguar's
newly developed XK six-cylinder engine, the XK120 caused a stir
amongst the motoring press and attendees at its 1948 London Motor
Show debut. With orders swiftly coming in for the elegantly
streamlined roadster, company founder William Lyons , smartly
convinced of higher than anticipated demand, subsequently ordered
the XK120's aluminum coachwork to be redesigned in pressed steel so
it could be produced on an assembly line, rather than handbuilt
like the prototype and first series cars.
The XK's William Heyes-designed 3.4-liter dual-overhead-cam
inline-six was technically advanced for the period and featured an
aluminum cylinder head, hemispherical combustion chambers, inclined
valves, and twin side-draft SU carburetors. Contributing to good
road manners, underpinnings included a steel chassis, independent
torsion bar front suspension, rear semi-elliptic leaf springs,
recirculating ball steering, adjustable steering column, and 12"
Lockheed drum brakes. In November 1949, The Motor magazine tested
the show car, reporting 0-60 mph in 10.0 seconds and a 124.6 mph
top speed making the XK120 the fastest production car in the world
at the time of its launch.
While initially released in Open Two-Seater (OTS) roadster form, a
Fixed Head Coupe (FHC) debuted at the March 1951 Geneva Motor Show.
More practical and refined than the spartan roadster, the coupe
featured a handsome teardrop roof profile, expansive headroom, and
a quieter, more relaxed cabin. Other features included locking door
handles, wind-up windows, and cabin ventilation flaps in the front
fenders. Beginning in June 1951, an optional Special Equipment 'SE'
package was made available, and included wire wheels, a revised
suspension, dual exhaust system, and a modified engine producing
180-horsepower at 5,300 rpm and 203 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm
compared to 160-horsepower at 5000 rpm and 195 lb-ft at 2,500 rpm
for the standard model.
According to its Jaguar Heritage Certificate, this 1953 Jaguar
XK120 SE Fixed Head Coupe was completed by the factory on 21 April
1953. Finished in Pastel Green over a complimentary Suede Green
interior, this XK120 was, in fact, equipped with the desirable SE
package as denoted by its 'S' chassis prefix. Delivered new through
Charles Hornburg Jaguar in Los Angeles, California, this example is
said to have been later traded in at a Los Angeles-area Ford
dealership and subsequently purchased by Lawrence J. Brancato Jr.
of San Clemente, California in May 1955.
Noted to have been highly prized by Mr. Brancato , this XK120
remained within his family ownership for fifty-eight years until
2013 when the car was rediscovered in storage. Understood to have
been lying dormant for some years, this XK120 was stated to
maintain the majority of its factory-applied finishes and was given
a sympathetic but thorough recommissioning under new ownership
before being acquired by current owner in 2014. Today, this Jaguar
runs and drives beautifully while maintaining a wonderful patina
and original feel and presents as the benchmark example of how an
XK120 departed Coventry in the early 1950s. One of approximately
2,672 examples built from 1951-1954, this XK120 is accompanied by a
substantial file of documentation detailing its continuous history
its Jaguar Heritage Trust Certificate, California black plate,
original tool roll, jack and spare. A landmark car when introduced,
this sale is an opportunity to acquire a well-preserved, numbers
matching Jaguar XK120 FHC.