One owner for 50 years: mint Jaguar XK120 up for auction

Paul Hudson
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A 1951 Jaguar XK120 roadster bought for £180  in 1969 and owned by the same person ever since is estimated to fetch between £80,000 and £100,000 (NZ$150,000 and $190,000) when it comes up for auction in Somerset on February 11.

The owner bought the Jaguar, which had had only four previous owners, when he was a 19-year-old architecture student. Over the following decades he enjoyed driving the car at hillclimbing events and always found the money to keep it top condition.

In 2010 the XK120 began a body-off restoration by a marque specialist that lasted two years. The original 3.4-litre, straight-six engine block was bored out to 3.8 litres and larger twin SU carburettors were fitted along with a Salisbury rear axle and disc brakes all round, to bring the performance into line with later Jaguar models.

At the same time, it was decided to repaint the car in its original colour combination of metallic bronze, with a two-tone tan leather interior.

The XK120 comes with a Jaguar Heritage certificate and has correct matching numbers for the chassis and engine.

Apart from the period engine modifications, the only deviation from the XK120’s standard specification is a smaller steering wheel and for the driver’s seat to be taken off its rails and mounted further back, as the owner is 6’ 7” tall. The original seat rails will be included in the sale.

After the restoration was finished, the owner added another 25,000 miles but, approaching 70 years old, he has reluctantly decided to sell his pride and joy.

Matthew Whitney, head of the classic car department at Charterhouse, which is selling the car, said: “The Jaguar XK120 roadster has always been a sought-after car, but what a car it must have been to own as an architecture student in 1969.

“Rarely do you come across cars which have had nearly 50 years of continuous ownership.”

The Jaguar XK120 roadster is being sold by Charterhouse on February 11 at its Bath & West Showground sale, near Shepton Mallet. 

- Telegraph UK

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