The Jaguar XK120 was manufactured in England by Jaguar Car Ltd. between 1949 and 1954. The XK was introduced at the 1948 London Motor Show and showcased the new XK engine.
Image, performance, styling and mass appeal. Mass appeal of the kind that drove people to crave exactly the kind of car Jaguar was producing. Take yourself to a time when American cars in the 30’s and 40’s were full-fendered, curvy and sensual. Demand for automobiles was increasing significantly. Most of what the market offered was transportation and comfort oriented. Then along comes the XK120. So sensual in itself it created a new demand and expectations for American carmakers to deliver. That long bonnet, short tail and fenders reaching over and in front of the tires provide the distinct image of a long lean cat ready to pounce.
The XK120 is certainly worthy of its performance reputation equaled only by its sexy curvy body. And now, some 50 years later, the Jaguar is a classy cat that has only gotten better with time.
various sources
The XK engine was a dual overhead cam 3.4-liter, straight 6 with an alloy cylinder head and twin side-draft SU carburetors producing 160 horsepower. This motor was fairly advanced for the times. ‘The Motor’ magazine reported a top speed of 124.6 mph and a 0 to 60 time of 10 seconds. This performance made it one of the most powerful sports cars of its time. The XK120 was the first sports car produced by Jaguar after the war.
The name ’120′ came from the 120 mph top speed the car could attain.
Sir William Lyons founded Swallow Sidecars in 1922, which created motorcycle sidecars and automobiles in the 20’s and 30’s. Upon introduction of the all new SS 100 Lyons wanted a more sensual name for his company. He worked with his advertising agency and settled on “Jaguar”. Obviously, the impression one gets when thinking of a Jaguar typically runs to speed and agility. Lyons is said to be quoted as saying “a car is the closest thing we can create to something that is alive”. Alive indeed. Lyons requested chief engineer William Heynes to develop a sedan that could appeal to a post war marketplace.
The first new “Jaguars” manufactured featured hand built aluminum bodies. About 200 of these were built before Jaguar moved to a more mass production XK to meet increasing demand. For model year 1950, the car sported a steel body with alloy trunk, doors and bonnet. The 120 chassis featured independent torsion bar front suspension, recirculating ball steering, leaf springs at the rear and front and rear drum brakes.
In the United States, Jaguar and MG are credited with starting the American sports car craze. The styling and performance is what Americans began to crave. (To address these desires, Chevy introduced the Corvette.) With the performance the XK delivered, it was thought to be the best sports car in the world. And with performance comes racing. In the early 50’s road racing was beginning to take off. International Motors was the authorized Jaguar dealer in California. Roger Barlow, its owner, helped found the California Sports Car Club. Many early racers came through Barlows organization such as Stan Nowak, Richie Ginther and John Von Newman. In 1949 the XK took the first two places at Silverstone. Sterling Moss took the Tourist trophy at Dundrod and Silverstone.
