This 1952 Jaguar XK120 open two-seater (OTS) left-hand drive (LHD) has been very meticulously described on the Craigslist listing it is for sale on. With an asking price of $50,000 but open to offers, it has 57,033 miles on it, the VIN is listed, and the title is clean. The car is listed by a neighbor of a recent widow. Her husband had a few cars and this is one of them. Thank you Roger for the tip.
In 1949, Jaguar set a speed record of 132.6 mph. There is a badge on the car indicating that it is a factory replica of that car, so it has the 8:1 compression straight 6 engine. That is connected to a manual transmission that doesn’t seem to be original. The listing states that during the restoration process, a transmission with overdrive was put in. It does not have a radiator at the moment and the seller can’t find it.
The interior is not in the car and is in pretty rough shape. Animals have consumed parts of the seats and left it bad shape. The color of the interior was apparently a shade called “Biscuit Red.” The seller notes you could use the seats for patterns to make new ones. Other than those notes, and that the center emblem on the steering wheel is missing, the interior is in decent shape. All dials and gauges are accounted for.
The photos show rust, but not an unrepairable amount, and the frame looks solid. In the listing, the seller notes that the right front bumper is heavily dented and the right front fender has an impression as well. Other things you might have to do are to re-chrome parts, like the windshield posts. You can find many details in the listing, and the seller says reproduction parts are out there for the car. The story alone has been worth it.
Absolutely. All of these deserve to be rescued but let me warn that it’s a major project and needs someone with deep pockets. The car is loaded with enjoyment after finish, and has a strong upside in the marketplace.
I think that this is not a 1952 model, as the seller believes, but is actually much earlier as the front fender parking lights are of the separate, cast type rather than the later, far more common ones that were an integral part of the fender. Only the very early cars had this type of parking light. An especially valuable car.
Mine is a May ’52 and has the chromed bolt on sidelights. Mine also should have had the cast aluminum fan, as this car has, however, after the first owner crashed it into a tree, it was probably damaged and replaced with the later style.
This is not a “Special Equipment” model, as they had wire wheels, not steel wheels with hub caps. This car should have the side exit distributor cap for the plug wires, and the plug wires should be routed from the rear into the valley between the cams.
I want to know what the car is above the Jag, hanging from the ceiling! Looks like an MG of some vintage, but more interesting to me is HOW DID HE HANG THE CAR? He must’ve done a good job as it obviously hasn’t descended onto the Jag, but a better photo encompassing the whole view, from floor under the Jag to the barn top would be great to see. Did he use winches? rope/pulleys? I’ve just gotta know! A friend out here in Atherton Ca. had a similar car hanging above one of his Jags – now I’ve got to ask him how he did the same thing again!
I have to say this owner certainly had some nice abilities to accomplish the suspension job – sad he didn’t get to finishing the roadster –
The car is an MG-TD. I’d say he got it to where it is via the same method many of us use for such things, – levitation. It must be done in the middle of the night after everyone else has gone to bed due to the high levels of concentration required.
Now there’s a lost art Dirk – thanks for reminding me. I had just about decided the owner had read Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Martian series of books he wrote & mixed in with his Tarzan tomes. His protagonist, John Carter, Warlord of Mars, had accidently teleported himself to Mars one night while staring into space, & found the Martians were way ahead of us in all sorts of sciences. They used a special type of bouyancy ray for their sky speedsters. Spielberg appropriated the ray for his antigravity cruisers in Star Wars, altho he’s loath to admit it to the public as he didn’t want to be sued by Burroughs’ estate, or have his creativity questioned – plagiarism was easier. And for those more interested in building people out of body parts thrown in stew vats, other Burroughs Martian books explain all that mumbo-gumbo – those extraterrestrials bypassed medical school and wheels completely.
Yeah.
The car above is most certainly also British, as evidenced by the huge oil leak stain on the hood of the Jag below!
Nobody uses “OTS” and “LHD” to describe these in the real world, unless you’re a noob to the hobby.
i have been buying these jags for over 35 years and always call them an OTS .
Jargon aside, this is a fabulous example of an amazing car. At the time was the bench mark. Leading the way to the vet, cobra and Tbird.
The 120’s speed record that always amazed me was set (with many others) in 1952: RECORD: 100.31 mph (161.43 km/h) for 7 days and 7 nights, again at Montlhéry: XK120 fixed-head coupé driven by Johnson, Moss, Hadley and Jack Fairman. Think of trying that with a ’52 Chevy at the time. :-) Terry J
It always amazes me that people dismantle cars but never seem to get tp putting them back together.
Another parts car
It still has the original tranny visible in the car. The ad states that the owner wanted to put an overdrive transmission during the restoration that not happened.