Description
Offered for sale is a strikingly beautiful, completely correct, mechanically solid, ALL numbers matching 1952 Jaguar XK120 OTS (Roadster) finished in factory correct Black over a biscuit interior, and confirmed by a Jaguar Daimler Heritage Certificate. Finished in what is undoubtedly one of the best liveries, the spats, steel wheels and black wall tires give this car a menacing period look, offset beautifully by the ceaselessly tasteful Biscuit interior and the XK120’s gracefully swooping lines. Recently cosmetically restored, with a high quality paint job, fresh chrome and rubber and gorgeous and correct new Biscuit leather interior and Fawn convertible top, this entirely pure, “no stories” XK120 is one of the most beautifully presented roadsters we’ve ever had the pleasure of owning.
Originally distributed through Hoffman Motor Car Co. in New York, the car was originally delivered to its first owner in Connecticut, where it is believed to have remained there until 1982, when it was purchased by a doctor from South Burlington, Vermont. A serious Jaguar enthusiast (and Jaguar company shareholder), the good doctor would continue to enjoy and maintain the car for the ensuing twenty-five years until his health began to falter and the car was put into storage. In 2010 a regional collector found out about of the car through a mutual friend and, impressed with its honesty, lack of rust and complete originality (with numbers matching chassis, body, engine block, head and gearbox), he purchased it and began sorting through its mechanicals. We entered the picture when he became interested in a car we were offering at the time, and the roadster became part of a trade deal and made its way to the West Coast.
Upon receiving the car, we set about performing a comprehensive cosmetic restoration to return it to its former glory. The car received a high quality, bare-metal re-spray in factory correct Black, the brightwork was all removed and re-chromed, all of the rubber was replaced and the interior was reupholstered in timelessly beautiful and correct Biscuit leather. The Fawn convertible soft-top was replaced in the correct material and the hubcaps were re-chromed before being accented black and affixed to the original color matched steel wheels, which are wrapped in new, original spec Dunlop Roadspeed tires (a $1,500 cost). The results of these efforts is stunning, thanks in part to high quality craftsmanship, but also to the fact that it was an entirely pure, correct and honest car to begin with. The body is straight and free of any evidence of accidents with excellent panel fits and gaps, and having never been subjected to the elements, the undercarriage is untainted, rust-free and completely original.
Extensive work has been performed to make sure the car is as mechanically sound as it is beautiful. Both the original engine and gearbox have been rebuilt and less than 500 miles have been accumulated since completion. The engine work was expertly performed and included a resurfaced crank, all new bearings, new pistons, a boiled block, all new timing chains, new valves and seals, a resurfaced head, resurfaced camshafts and a new oil pump and other ancillary parts. The car also has a new clutch and throwout bearing and the brakes have been rebuilt from top to bottom with new master and wheel cylinders, new shoes and resurfaced drums. The car is mechanically fantastic, its factory original 3.4L engine firing up effortlessly, idling consistently and pulling strongly and smoothly through each of the original Moss gearbox’s gears. Performance accompanies with excellent, even compression, fantastic ride quality and no proclivity for overheating. The car brakes straight and true, the suspension is sound and it is a joy from behind the wheel, whether tooling through town, roaring through the canyons or bombing down the highway.
The car is accompanied by its original tool kit (extremely hard to find and prohibitively expensive today), as well as its spare wheel and changing tools, a file of records and the original Heritage Certificate.
This is an excellent opportunity to acquire an appreciating XK120 OTS that has everything going for it: completely original, solid and correct undercarriage, rebuilt mechanicals, gorgeous, recently restored cosmetics and (most importantly) ALL matching numbers, confirmed by both the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Certificate and the car’s original stamps and data plate. This is an entirely pure, correct and honest car, one that needs only a new owner’s garage and the same gentle use and care bestowed upon it by its prior owners to be enjoyed.
