The Jaguar XK120 was introduced at Earl’s Court in 1948. It was a sensation, catapulting the British car industry to an unprecedented level of success. With a body influenced by pre-war French coupes such as the Talbot Lago, the car was also the fastest production car that had ever been made. Between 1949 and 1954, about 12,000 examples were made, with just a quarter of those coupes. Here on Facebook Marketplace is a 1952 Jaguar XK120 coupe with an asking price of $26,500. This car is a project and must be towed from Westfield, Massachusetts. It has no title. The body has been mostly stripped and set on the frame. The seller says he has all-new sheet metal; it’s not clear if that’s in addition to the car we see, and if so, whether it comes with the sale. The original color shown on the Jaguar Heritage Certificate is Twilight Blue with a blue interior. We have T.J. to thank for this elegant tip!
The installed engine number matches the VIN plate; no word on its condition. The engine is the famous 160 bhp dual overhead camshaft 3443 cc in-line six-cylinder coupled with two SU carburetors and a four-speed transmission. The top speed was an honest 120 mph, thus “120” in the name. The seller says this motor has early “studless” cam covers, which are not actually studless but don’t have the last three holes drilled; these are notorious leakers which is why they were re-engineered. I have seen a couple of versions of these – sets with the indents present but not drilled, as on the right in this link, and others with a completely smooth boss. The seller also indicates he has another motor for the car but does not say if it comes with the sale.
The VIN offers the chassis, body, engine, and gearbox numbers. The body number is on the scuttle under the bonnet; the chassis number can be in two places, either the radiator cross member or the top of the left-hand frame member by the engine mount. These are usually very difficult to read. The engine and gearbox numbers are stamped in a couple of places each. While a completely matching numbers car might bring a slight premium, Jag buyers typically care most about the engine, and secondarily about the gearbox. At this point, plenty of 120s have seen 3.8-liter motor transplants and upgraded transmissions.
The car has new bushings and brakes. The gas tank is new and installed. The seller has a new wiring harness and several other bits for the car. Missing are the bumpers and air filter assembly. The prices of XK120s generally have been drifting down, though the coupes with their unusual lines can sometimes command a premium. Still, about $90,000 will buy a nice restored XK120 coupe. What about the price on this one – is it on target or optimistic?
I’ll be interested to see what others comment. Several months ago, called the number twice and left messages with one call-back and no promised followup. Maddening. Potentially a decent deal, but too many questions: Does the motor turn over? Window regulators (tough to source)? Many projects come packed in boxes with good labels. Not this one.
I know the seller personally for well over twenty years, he is an honest and trustworthy guy. His level of work is exceptional, (has restored many, many British cars and vintage raced an AH 100 and a Sprite. This is a great, solid car that would make for a great winter project with someone who knows what they are doing, (previous restoration skills). Like many of us, he has too many projects and needs to thin his collection.
Thanks
Ed P
Not to rain on anyone’s parade, and I like Jags, but I thought this particular model was pretty ugly.
$26.5K is somewhat optimistic, when you factor in all the work needed to finish it. Probably closer to $11K would make this a more viable project. $26.5 will buy a nicer car with no work needed.
11k would be a “deal”, and I don’t think your going to find a “nicer car with no work needed for $26.5k” unless your happy with a scruffy driver. Not that I don’t agree that $26k for this is high. As an “asking price” its a great place to start. To me a realistic selling price is in the $15-18k range. A FHC is going to be a higher cost for restoration (mainly due to the interior) and a much lower return for the sale than an OTS. A Jag restorer I know got $18,000 for a 140 FHC interior only about 4 years ago (everything – leather, carpet, headliner, wood refinishing and chrome bits) so by the time you spend $18-20k on the interior, similar on the paint/body, and dang near that on the mechanicals, your pushing maybe break-even.
The problem with this one is there is no place to stop along the way. You could spend half that resto $ to get it up to good driver specs but in this case, there’s nothing there to work with as a stopping point so full-on resto is the next stop.
By the time you’re done with this restoration. The starting price will be long forgotten and everything else triple the original guestimates. That being said, these are extremely beautiful cars, finished or not. Any example is worth it in the end, all you need to do is get it there! I’m sure the fellow that owns it now and is passing it on to somebody new, had dreams and expectations as well. Thanks for being this cars caretaker, Hopefully the next owner/custodian will complete your dreams and his new ones for this Beauty !#!
Drop in a Chevy crate engine, drive train, give it a rattle can paint job, numbers on the doors and hit the vintage old timers race courses. Just for fun.