Jaguar XK 120

The Jaguar XK120 Roadster was launched at the 1948 Earls Court Motor Show and was an immediate success. This very stylish car had a top speed over 120 mph (hence the 120 name), and was tremendously good value for money being considerably cheaper and more advanced than any rival. It was the fist car to feature the all-new double overhead camshaft engine, which in one cubic capacity or another went on to power all Jaguar cars - both saloon and sports, for about forty years. The XK 120 was hugely popular and orders were much higher than Jaguar had anticipated. The first cars featured alloy body panels over an ash frame, but after production of about 200 models jaguar switched to a mass-produced mainly steel body to keep up with demand. In 1951 a Fixed Head Coupe version was introduced, with a Drophead Coupe joining the range in 1953. Both of these cars featured wind-up windows, external door handles, and a walnut dashboard. A Special Equipment model was available from 1951 with a 180 bhp engine. Production of all models ended in 1954 when the XK140 was introduced.