XK120

We mentioned that it was coming last week, and now here it is … This 1954 XK120 SE by Pininfarina could be the rarest Jaguar ever. After a full nut and bolt restoration taking 6,725 hours by world-class specialists Classic Motor Cars (CMC), the wraps came off this unique Pininfarina bodied 1954 Jaguar XK120 SE yesterday at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California, USA. The car was well received by the crowd of collectors and aficionados gathered at the event and finished second in class O-2 Postwar Closed.

For the last two years thirteen staff at Classic Motor Cars (CMC) have been working on a top secret project, the restoration of a one-off Pininfarina bodied XK120 SE which is to be unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours on Sunday, August 20th. On Friday 4th August, the team, which had been supported by everybody on company’s the 60 plus workforce, were pictured with the car – “under wraps”.

Jaguar XK 120: The Remarkable History of JWK 651, second in the publisher’s “Exceptional Car” series, is one of those books that is hard to classify. On the one hand, authors Chas Paker and Philip Porter have done such an amazing job detailing the story of this one particular Jaguar that the book is definitely a history book. On the other hand, this is documentation – documentation of one car, its provenance, and its current state. On on a third hand (we all have three hands right?), this is an art book. The photographs rival any automotive coffee table book on the market today. Regardless, however you classify it, this book is a delight that you can sit and read or just flip through and marvel at the images. The Remarkable History of JWK 651 tells the story of one of the six […]

Our video this week features a breed of car that just oozes the charm and style that exemplifies British Sports cars, the Jaguar XK120 and XK150. Along with the timeless E-Type, the XK line is still what flashes through many peoples mind when they think of a Jaguar. And who can blame them? The lines, the sound, the driving experience, are all pure art in motion. The video comes by way of the King Rose Archives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukEzugfb8Co

Visitors to this year’s Classic & Sports Car Show will be treated to an amazing sight this autumn: the live restoration of a one-of-a-kind ‘lost’ Jaguar by a team of specialists from Classic Motor Cars (CMC). In its first public appearance for 40 years, the 1954 XK120, which features bodywork by Pininfarina, will be restored at the event from 28th – 30th October, giving show goers unprecedented access to the techniques and skill that goes into bringing a classic car back to its full glory. And what a car. The unique Jaguar is believed to have been created for US importer, Max Hoffman, and was displayed at the 1955 Geneva Motor Show. It will be the key focal point in a special restoration hall at the Alexandra Palace show.

Jaguar XK DIY Restoration & Maintenance by Bob Exelby is an impressive book. This is the story of how one man completely restored his XK 120 roadster, transforming it from dereliction into a thoroughly beautiful example of this iconic sports car.  Bob Exelby also took the time to investigate and incorporate numerous detail improvements, making the car even more usable and practical for today’s roads, some 65 years after it was built. All of the modifications were tasteful, though some might still argue with their applicability to a true restoration. Exelby wanted a useable and dependable car in addition to a valued classic.

A JD Classics-restored Jaguar XK120 ‘Jabbeke’ – famous for its Flying Mile world record – has won Best of Show at the world-renowned Salon Privé Concours d’Elegance. The impeccable Jaguar also won in the Post-War Coachwork class. The Salon Privé Best of Show accolade is the latest in a string of successes for the XK120 ‘Jabbeke’, named for the Jabbeke Highway in Belgium where it set a Flying Mile world record, piloted by Norman Dewis OBE. Following a full JD Classics restoration in 2013, the car won at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2014 in the Post-War Sports Racing class. A world-class judging panel, consisting of 18 automotive experts headed by five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell, carefully scrutinised a selection of the world’s finest cars in the stunning grounds of Blenheim Palace during the weekend’s Salon Privé. The […]

Car enthusiast and judge on the hit TV series The Great British Bake Off, Paul Hollywood, is set to race in the Jaguar Heritage Challenge at the Brands Hatch Super Prix on 11th and 12th July 2015. Hollywood will race in a stunning XK120 in the third round of the new and exciting racing series that is composed entirely of pre-1966 Jaguar models. Also lining up on the grid will be former Jaguar works driver and 1988 Le Mans winner, Andy Wallace in a MkI Saloon. Competing alongside Paul as part of the Tester Racing team will be current British Dunlop Endurance Championship leader, Calum Lockie, also piloting an XK120.

Jaguar is celebrating an excellent team performance in the 2015 Mille Miglia with all nine cars finishing the grueling 1,000-mile endurance rally across Italy, with two cars inside the top 200 finishers. In the year that Jaguar celebrates its 80th anniversary, Jaguar Heritage headed to the start in Brescia with three C-types, three D-types, two XK120s and an XK140 driven by famous faces from the world of motorsport, TV and music. In total, well over 400 cars took part in the punishing four-day event, which started in Brescia, headed to Rimini on the east coast, before dropping down to Rome, back up to Parma – taking in historic Siena and Pisa on the way – before finishing back in Brescia. Supported by an expert crew of Jaguar Heritage technicians, the nine Jaguar entries never missed a beat allowing each driver […]