Holy high dollar Jag! This 1950 XK120 would be incredibly valuable if it were just a regular steel bodied Roadster, but it isn’t just your run of the mill XK120. It features the lightweight and ultra desirable alloy body, making it insanely valuable. Concourse level examples can fetch nearly $500k! Yes, the seller’s $295,000 asking is a bit steep for it’s condition, but when will you ever come across another early XK120 that hasn’t already been fully restored? You can find this amazing machine here on eBay in Grove City, Ohio.
This really is an incredible car! Jaguar built less than 200 alloy bodied roadsters before switching over to steel. The story is that they didn’t expect to sell all that many, but then the XK120 went on to be a huge success and working with alloy was expensive and time consuming. The typical buyer wasn’t all that concerned with what type of metal the body was made of, but today these cars are the most sought after of XKs.
The seller didn’t provide as many photos as one would expect with a car this valuable, but I’m sure they assume anyone able to spend a quarter of a million is going to come inspect the car in person anyway. I have no idea what it will cost to bring it up to pristine condition, but as long as the frame is solid and there isn’t any serious corrosion, I don’t imagine it will cost more than $100k to restore it. As they say, there’s no such thing as a cheap Jaguar, so if anyone has experience with restoring these cars and can weigh in on the cost, please do so!
One of the great cars. This was a 4-5000 car if it ran well in the early 80’s. I always predicted they would be very expensive one day. Better styling than my beloved 356, and at one time cheaper to buy.
I would think that even in the ‘early 80’s’ if someone sold an alloy bodied XK120 for $4-5K they just did not know what they had.
Always thought these XKs were pretty drab and stuffy looking. Needs to be taken to Chip Foose. Let him put a Chevy crate motor in it, and sketch up an aluminum coupe roof reminescent of a Zephyr and have Marcel DeLay and sons beat it and weld it. Maybe add a cut down Zephyr grill up front and squirt a pearl orange paint job on it. Call it Top Cat (get it?) and have special chrome nameplates made for the hood.
Don’t think you’re gonna get too many upvotes for your sentiments, King Al. I would give you one just for having the cojones (or the sarcastic sense of humor) to post this. But I can’t do it. I love XKs too much.
If you did that King Al I suspect many here, myself included would ensure you’d be known as Dead Cat if you carried out your plan……
Greetings All,
These were rare, usually produced for a good customer of some of the bigger Dealerships that sold a bunch of cars.
MR. H! 150S man………….what do you think of this!
My Dad’s good friend had one that he towed with his 56 New Yorker in the ’60s. He still had the Jag in the late ’70s when I had my S1 E Type. I would winter my GTX with it in his Mother’s garage. He told me it was a commemoration model built to celebrate Jaguar’s win at LeMans. I asked him why he didn’t drive it and he told me the wooden frame work supporting the bodywork needed rebuilt. In fact you could see stress cracks in the alloy and where he had drilled holes to stop the cracks from spreading.
Greetings All,
John D. All your friend told you was incorrect.
The alloy cars were built after Jaguars infamous “export or die” campaign.
The model now known as the XK120 was built as “eye candy” for the upcoming auto show, it’s only purpose was to draw attention to their new lineup.
This car was not part of the new models in any way shape or form.
The response from the public and the dealers was remarkable enough that Jaguar bowed to dealer’s request to make some to garner foot traffic in the showroom. Jaguar capitulated with these.
The car proved so popular that now Jaguar was besieged with requests to build this, which they did, but in steel as aluminum was labor intensive.
The LeMans wins post date the production of the alloy 120’s by several years!
The aluminum cars while rare do not represent a great weight savings over steel as the panels still needed to be supported.
Had a chance to look one of these over while doing some cosmetic work. These were coachbuilt/handbuilt. You could see the progression in later 120’s on a variety of things that were changed to make production more cost effective.
Eh, It does not matter. It was probably salesman hype to sell the car and make an extra buck. He sold it in the mid-eighties to a used sportscar dealer around Farmington, Mi, from there it was my understanding that it went back to England and got a full restoration. But he is long gone but my favorite story about it was when he took it to the local Sears Auto for the loss leader oil change price and it took 10 quarts to make the dipstick look happy. He was politely asked to not return with it.
Hi Ross,
I think that this is likely a great restoration candidate, but $500K may be optimistic. Concours likely $400K, and you might get there for $100K on this one depending on the bodywork required. It looks quite clean. Seller mentions 100% matching #s but no mention of Heritage cert. Before I plopped down 300 big one I would want that in hand.
But all said and done, fairly priced for this extremely rare and desireable kitty.
Who knows these cars and restored those as I am doing from year 2000, easily understands that these alloy 120s were a clever built, with a great weight saving, and surely better projected than the steel ones. Even if I love all the 120s, and I drive almost every day one of those for work, I must say that an alloy 120 is something more .
Ferruccio, italy – factory : jaguar&aston
Hello Barn finds, this will be the second most sought after XK Model. the number one and without question is the XKSS absolutely poetry in motion. they built 16 of them. they were going to build 25 but 9 cars plus parts went up in flames at the big factory fire that they had in 1957. jaguar have since built the remaining 9 cars which were all pre sold before building for one million pounds each. Steve McQueen had one and Jay Leno got to drive it. check it out, its just jaw dropping
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ai0uSj_OVE
cheers. billy.
thanks for the link; absolutely fabulous! Felt like I was reliving the Steve McQueen era of racing.
I love these and I have restored a couple of them. I have never seen an alloy one but I can tell you that while they are not the most comfortable cars and have a stiffer suspension than most of us would like today they are a fun drive and with a proper wiring harness very reliable cars.
I would like an alloy version because they would be much more resistant to rust that will eat up the headlight buckets. Those were leaded in from the factory and for some reason they seem to rust thru. Sometimes the entire front sheet metal on both sides need total replacement because of this.
Back to a comfort thing please note there is no side vent for the interior on the front fenders and while not seeming to be a big thing, in the summer those vents are very useful. That straight six engine gets hot and the exhaust runs right below your feet. The transmission also puts out a lot of heat. They put those vents in there for a very good reason. Of course if you like to melt your tennis shoes go for it.
$295,000 and no rear wheel spats?
Greetings All,
Yeah, no wheel spats, and no wire wheels as the spinners don’t fit.
Did Jaguar ever win LeMans with an XK120? I don’t think so, C-type and D-type.
Oh my god, I wouldn’t change that car at all. I mean look at those seats! Maybe it’s because my Lancia shares the same leatherwork, but still.
Looked it up. No, a standard XK120 never won LeMans. They were C-type (1951, 1953) and D-type (1955, 1956, 1957). A C’s and D’s are Purpose built 2 seat race cars, Steel tube frames and light alloy bodies. XK-SS might be the rarest, but C’s and D’s are the most desirable.Tho an XK-SS is pretty much a D with street wear.1953 C-type Jaguar LeMans cars were the first race cars to use disc brakes.
Having said all that, this is a pretty nice survivor. Too bad it was a repaint. I think the ROI might be better just to renew the mechanicals and the bright work and buff it out. That way you could just drive it with impugnity and restore it later (if that was real important). Restoration is the death of an auto’s functional life. Keep in mind, $300k is only a fraction of a 300SL. Perhaps more fun.
Leave it as is and rebuild mechanics would be the best investment if the frame will allow.
Alloy cars are heavier than the steel version I believe, and more fragile. The value is in scarcity, as with a 206 Dino.
Good comparison in a couple of ways: Both cars very early examples. both quite valuable. (Are 206 Dinos alloy?) The 206SP my neighbor left sitting in his driveway one winter surely was… Woulda, coulda, shoulda.
the alloy 120 was obviously a serie of limited cars, the later production steel serie was done for the increased request of this model : it means that the alloy were a special product, a true quality product, and surely and obviously lighter than steel ones. Alloy was and is now always used on cars for its lightness.
If you dismantle an alloy 120 and a steel 120, you can understand what car was the right one , but the costs and the numbers went in the direction of steel production, surely less sophisticated.
Ferruccio, italy – jaguar&aston
As stated more photos would help. I have an early ’50 XK120 restored by my late father. No side vents = early car which is what I have. Is this really a full alloy car or like mine alloy bonnet, boot & doors? I do question the bad alignment of the boot to body.
Steve – it’s lovely, but almost too shiny. Something tells me it’s either never driven, or driven sparingly. Since I’m older than these cars, I remember them from childhood, and also got to see many of the earlier XKs at “Jaguar Day” at Road America. All were driven there, none trailered. That would have been during the ’70s, ’80s and early ’90s.Wonder if they still do that ? Most of those Jags wore a “plainer” color palette. Grey, light yellow, light blue, dark green (such as the one for sale), and some white ones. I recall sedans in the, shall we call it “maroon” of your car, but none of the XKs. Anyway, congrats on the car !