Description
Supplied by Henlys of Manchester in late 1953 with the same registration it wears today, this home-market (thus factory right hand drive) 3. 4 litre XK120 offers a new custodian the chance to enjoy a fully-sorted drop-head experience for weekend blasts or more extensive jaunts.
Tasteful cosmetic modifications include a Le Mans style fuel cap, yellow Lucas spot-lamps, painted front number plate, louvered bonnet (including a slight raise at the bulk-head to further aid cooling) and black wire wheels. The engine has been worked on (read on for details) to back up the modified look. Coopercraft disc brakes with billet aluminium 4-pot calipers also feature and though not a period option on the XK120, these disc brakes all-round provide utter reassurance that the car will pull-up evenly and effectively… which it most certainly does. Similarly, a 5-speed ‘box which now features makes for both more relaxed cruising along with easier shifting thanks to the addition of synchromesh. An electric fan and inertia-reel seatbelts further add to the overall usability.
Though the early history is not known, there is a wealth of documentation covering the cars life since the 1980’s. This includes an abundance of invoices from Moss Motors Ltd and Twin Cam Sports Cars from California and Florida respectively. The car spent some considerable time in the USA whilst belonging to a British engineer who sold the car in 1996 leading to its repatriation to the UK.
Thereafter much work was clearly undertaken, with invoices from suppliers which include; XK Engineering, Coventry Auto Components Ltd, Norman Motors Ltd, Paul Beck Vintage Supplies Ltd, Jaguar Enthusiasts Club, SNG Barratt, Jag Bits etc.
The largest invoices include those provided by suppliers such as; UK Axles for the provision of a higher ratio diff and VSE for the provision of a modified cylinder head and SU HD8 carbs. The head is documented to have been converted for unleaded petrol, ported, gas-flowed and polished and an L14 ‘fast-road’ cam fitted. The engine work was speculatively expected to result in a power output of 280BHP, though there is no dyno print-out to verify this only written correspondence. The engine sounds sweet and the car pulls very well though, with the gear ratio’s matching the output well.
P&K Thornton appear to have performed much of the mechanical shake-down and finishing, whilst Suffolk & Turley were tasked with the red hide re-trim and black mohair hood – both of which present superbly today. It is worth mentioning that the elegant rear letter-box style window is period correct and often lost to a larger aperture when replaced. Classic Veneers supplied the replacement burr walnut trim, so this too is in superb order.
Michael Cannon (Classic Jaguar Specialist) and Guy Broad complete the more recent and significant expenditure, with the latter having been commissioned by the respected XK expert Jeremy Wade in very recent history.
A Heritage Certificate completes the history file, along with a FIVA document. The car has competed in the Tour Auto previously and presents an opportunity for a new custodian to either embark on a similar adventure or enjoy the car on a more local level.
