Jaguar

The Jaguar XK was given the body-type number 120 to represent its top speed. This proved to be an understatement of the car’s capabilities when factory test driver Ron Sutton was clocked in a prototype at over 132 mph. Race versions of the XK 120 were potent in the hands of drivers like Stirling Moss and Phil Hill, both of whom scored important victories in 1949. With its 160 hp, inline six engine with twin overhead cams in original tune, the production Jaguar XK 120 not only looked and sounded magnificent, but had the performance to match.

The Jaguar XK 120 was the most popular car of the stars. Famous Hollywood actors and actresses preferred the beautiful styling of the New Jaguar XK 120. WIth such names as Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, and Gene Kelly its easy to see why the Jaguar XK 120 is still so popular today.

At the Earls Court Motor Show in October 1948, this Jaguar XK made its first public appearance, and what an introduction it was. Spectators marveled at the new Jaguar XK . One journalist commented at the time that “all preconceived notions as to what was a series-production sports car disappeared overnight.” It was a show stopper.

During new Jaguar second World War, Sir William Lyons and his colleagues envisioned a new car that would feature the world’s first high-volume twin-cam engine. Called the Jaguar XK series, it would be a short-wheelbase chassis mated to a two-seat sports roadster body. When combined with the new engine, the result would be nothing less than sensational—a sleek, beautiful, and strikingly modern automobile.