The First XK (XK120)

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It took About Two Weeks to Make Styling History
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By: Brad Nevin | Ford Communications Network


From the legendary XK120 that introduced the XK name to the roads, through the current range of coupes and convertibles, Jaguar's XK sports cars have consistently set the benchmark when it comes to blending luxury, performance and grand touring ability. For more information on the 2006 XK, visit jaguarusa.com.
DEARBORN, Mich., May 19, 2005 -- It only took about 14 days to make styling history.
"If you know anything about the history of the XK120, you know that they started in 1948 pretty much because Sir William Lyons had a XK engine that he designed for a large sedan, or a saloon as they call it," explains Lee Jacobsen, the owner of a Jaguar XK120, a car most Jaguar enthusiasts consider the most significant Jaguar ever. "It was a beautiful inline six-cylinder engine with dual overhead cams and 160 horsepower. However, his body people didn't get the saloon done in time for the 1948 Earls Court Motor Show in London."

For the Earls Court Show, Jaguar needed a spectacular centerpiece to help show off the new 3.4 liter DOHC engine. Lyons claimed to have arrived at the basic shape in less than two weeks. What he ended up with was a body that would foreshadow Jaguar models forever.

"Lyons' afterthought roadster stole the show," wrote Tom Morr in British Motoring magazine. "Priced at less than $4,000 and with a claimed top speed of 120 mph (thus its model designation), the Open Two Seater attracted orders far in excess of the projected 200 units."




When Lee Jacobsen takes his XK120 to car shows, he puts a sign on it saying, "You can touch this car."
Jacobsen said the response to the car was "unbelievable. Here was this gorgeous car that would do 120 mph like a race car, and anybody could buy it." Sir William Lyons was flabbergasted, thinking the car was intended as a way to publicize the forthcoming new sedan.

Jaguar planned to produce only a limited number of the XK 120 with mainly hand-made aluminum bodies. With orders pouring in, the company quickly ordered tooling and, after the first 240 cars, XK 120s were made of steel. Today an "alloy 120" is a valuable and desirable collector's item.

To demonstrate its claimed 120 mph top speed, Jaguar brought a group of journalists to Belgium in 1949.

"Prepped with a belly pan, tonneau cover and sans windshield, an XK120 clocked in at 132.596 mph," wrote Morr. "Production trim (with windshield and top) brought that number down to 124. Anyway it was sliced, the XK120 was the fastest production car in the world at the time."

Originally a test-bed for a new engine and a "design exercise," the XK120 was built on a shortened version of the Mark V sedan's chassis. The low, flowing lines in the body have little ornamentation compared to other chrome-accented cars of the late 40s. The oval grille with vertical bars became a signature Jaguar design element, including use on the current S-TYPE. Clark Gable owned one of the first XK120s that arrived in the U.S.

Later XK models increased horsepower to 180. XK 120s modified for competition with up to 210 horsepower were driven to many race and rally wins in Europe and the United States, including the Tulip Rally in 1951 and the Alpine Rally from 1950-1952.

Jacobsen got his Jaguar Racing Green XK120 in 1997 from a friend who had it stored in a garage for about 30 years. A few of the parts were frozen, but he brought the engine back to life cylinder by cylinder. Now, he drives it as much as he can and shows it occasionally. Jacobsen said at the cars shows he goes to, most of the cars have a sign on them saying "Don't touch this car." His XK120 has a sign that says, "You can touch this car." He lets kids sit in it to take their picture.





"It's a car that I love to drive as much as I can," said Jacobsen. "If there is something I need at the store -- boom, jump in the Jag. I love the sense of power, the sound, the exhilaration when you drive the car. I love the simple lines. The XK120 is such a pure-lined car. You jump in that car, you turn the key, you can forget about everything else. You just cruise and have a good time."

In 1954, the XK120 was replaced with the XK140 with more interior room and more horsepower. In 1957, Jaguar introduced the XK150, the first road-going Jaguar to use disc brakes -- a technology the company had tested during its successful C- and D-TYPE Le Mans 24 Hours race program. Powered by that all-important new engine, these Jaguar racing cars won Le Mans five times in the 1950s. In 1961 the legendary E-type debuted, a car widely recognized as one of the greatest in motoring history and one of the most beautiful cars of all time.

"This company has had many ground-breaking moments," said Jaguar Cars Chairman and CEO Joe Greenwell. "The XK120 was a ground-breaker and of course the E-type and XJ6 saloon in the 1960s helped to change the face of motoring. These were events in automotive design history that have stood the test of time."

This impressive lineage provides a fitting backdrop to today's XK8 coupe and convertible. When the original XK8 was launched in 1996, this elegant, high-performance sports car again set new standards for style and grand touring in the luxury sporting market. As Jaguar's first new sports car in two decades and the first for a new generation of Jaguar customers, the XK8 quickly became the fastest-selling sports car in Jaguar's history.

"From the legendary XK120 that introduced the XK name to the roads, through the current range of coupes and convertibles, Jaguar's XK sports cars have consistently set the benchmark when it comes to blending luxury, performance and grand touring ability," said Greenwell.

Today, the stage is set for another legendary Jaguar. At the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Jaguar unveiled the Advanced Lightweight Coupe. According to Jaguar, the Advanced Lightweight Coupe is not just a show car. It is a company personified. Like the iconic Jaguar XK120s and E-types that preceded it, the Jaguar Advanced Lightweight Coupe heralds a new generation of stunning sports coupes and saloons -- cars that will remain true to Jaguar's past but more importantly will see the company leaping confidently forward into the future.

"The Advanced Lightweight Coupe represents the very essence of Jaguar, its heart and soul," said Greenwell. "If you want to know what lies ahead for us, what direction we will take ? this is Jaguar's answer."

From the XK 120 to the Advanced Lightweight Coupe, it's safe to say that the next generation of the famous XK sports cars is just around the bend.