Sir William Lyons, founder of the Jaguar car company, knew, as domestic car production returned to the UK, after World War II, that it would be a fast race for the hearts and minds of car enthusiasts around the world. Lyons also knew that while Jaguar—and in its earlier iterations Swallow and SS—was known for luxurious touring cars, what it needed in the heady postwar days was a “halo car,” a proper sports car with a thoroughly modern design.
As early as the final years of the war, Lyons had directed his engineering staff—led by Claude Baily, William Heynes and Walter Hassan—to design an entirely proprietary engine for Jaguar’s return to post-war production. The engine they designed was a cast-iron inline 6-cylinder bottom end with 3.4-liters of displacement, mated to an alloy DOHC head. This new bespoke unit would ultimately breathe through two 1-3/4-inch SU carburetors and produce 160-hp and 195-lbs/ft of torque at a mere 2500 rpm.
By 1948 this new XK engine was ready for production, but Jaguar’s newest line of saloons was not yet ready to receive it. As such Lyons directed his team to build a limited production (originally slated for just 200 examples), two-seater sports car using the new XK engine and mating it with a modified Mark V saloon car chassis and a gorgeous, enveloping alloy body that he himself penned. Up front, the car would be suspended by wishbones and torsion bars, while at the rear the Salisbury live axle would be supported by semi-elliptic springs. The notion was that this new XK120 (120 signifying the car’s reputed top speed) would bring some attention to Jaguar in anticipation of the new saloon car line. How right he was.
The XK120 made its public debut at the 1948 Earls Court Motor Show and was nothing short of a revelation. Not only were pundits and the public alike smitten with the lines of Lyons’ curvy new cat, but to be able to purchase a production automobile capable of 120 mph for just £1263 was a revelation in 1948. Interestingly, most of the early XK120s were slated for export as raw materials in postwar industrial Britain were being preferentially allocated to manufacturing companies that exported their products for payment in foreign currency. This bias toward export helped accelerate Jaguar’s sales in sports car hungry countries like the United States and Australia.
Perhaps to Lyons’ and Jaguar’s surprise, orders quickly began to flood in for the XK120, so much so that full scale manufacturing had to be developed for what was originally to be a “boutique” automobile. With the difficulty and cost of manufacturing an alloy body on an ash and steel frame (240 examples ultimately built in total), Jaguar soon switched over to making the full production roadster with a steel body (7,374 examples built). By 1951, Jaguar offered an enclosed Fixed Head Coupe (FHC), that provided more creature comforts, including roll-up windows and walnut veneered fascia panels (2,680 examples built in total). While by 1953, a hybrid version of the open top roadster and the FHC was offered. This third body style, the Drop Head Coupe (DHC), blended the best of both worlds and offered a more refined convertible top that could be raised and lowered from inside the car, as well as wind-up windows and a more luxurious interior trim. All told, 1,767 examples of the DHC were built, up through 1954, when the next generation XK, the XK140 was released.
Behind the Wheel
One’s impressions of the XK120 experience can be vastly influenced by one’s automotive frame of reference. Purely from the standpoint of aesthetics, few would argue that the XK120 is one of the most shapely and attractive sports car designs of all time. Combining a pre-war sense of luxury and grandeur with a post-war take on styling, the XK120 stands out as one of those rare designs that holds up, even some 65 years after its debut. On this point, most enthusiasts would agree. In terms of what the XK120 driving experience is actually like, however, views will vary greatly, depending on the type and era of cars that one owns or gravitates toward.
Opening the cut-down, driver’s door reveals a cozy cockpit resplendent in red leather and dominated by a very large black, 4-spoke steering wheel. Climbing into the large upright seats is a definite challenge for any driver with an inseam longer than 28 inches. Perhaps the single biggest factor in a driver’s perception of the XK120 is how well he or she fits into the ergomomically challenged interior of the roadster. For all but the shortest drivers, the seating position is so close to the steering wheel and firewall mounted pedals that it requires the driver’s legs to be splayed around the wheel almost is if one was trying to hold a giant Bosu ball in between the knees. This makes operation of the close fitted pedals tricky. So much so that the first time we went to hit the brakes, on our test drive, we accidentally got the accelerator pedal at the same time—creating a brief moment with high “pucker factor.” However, if you can come to grips with the seating position (which is somewhat less extreme in the Fixed Head Coupé variant), then the XK120 can be a delight to drive. With stump-pulling torque and a broad power range, combined with road holding that, for its time, was rivaled only by vastly more expensive, race-bred machines, the XK120’s flexibility belies its relatively large size for a sports car from that era.
Of course, being a car from the late ’40s the XK120 does suffer from drum brakes that are prone to fade and a Moss 4-speed gearbox, which is fairly agrarian when compared to contemporary German and Italian offerings. But again, one’s impression of the XK120 is primarily driven by one’s own automotive experience. If a driver enjoys driving virtually any car made before 1950, the XK120 will be a joy by comparison. If however, you gravitate toward later classics from say Porsche or Alfa Romeo, then the XK120 will feel heavy and a challenge to drive. Regardless of whether driving an XK120 is a joy or a burden to you, however, one thing is certain, you’ll turn heads everywhere you go.
Driven Classics at a Glance:
SPECIFICATIONS
1952 Jaguar XK120
Production 1948-1954
Number 12,061
Layout Roadster, FHC, DHC
Engine DOHC, inline 6-cylinder
Bore x Stroke 81 mm x 106 mm
Comp. Ratio 7:1
Induction Twin SU 1 ¾
Power 160 hp @ 5200
Torque 195 lbs-ft
Transmission Moss 4-speed, with synchro on 2nd, 3rd and 4th
Wheelbase 102 inches
Length 14’ 5”
Width 5’ 2”
Front Track 51 inches
Rear Track 50 inches
Height 53.5 inches
Weight 2,859 pounds
Brakes Girling 12-inch drums
PERFORMANCE
Top Speed 120 mph
0-60 mph 12 seconds
Average fuel consumption:
19.8 mpg
VALUATION
Price at launch $2,041
Excellent $100,000
Good $92,000
Average $82,000
Poor $72,000
(above valuations apply to roadster)
