ON THE ROAD- BARN-FIND JAGUAR XK120 COMES TO MARKET FOR FIRST TIME IN 50 YEARS
A rare 1954 Jaguar XK120 in barn-find condition is set to get classic car collectors bidding when it goes to auction this month with The Market, the original online classic car auction house.
Residing on a farm in Wales for the past 50 years as an ongoing restoration project, the classic Jaguar is one of just 151 right hand drive, fixed-head coupé models made for the UK market, of which around 57 are believed to exist today.
Presented in partially-built yet largely complete condition, albeit with many layers of dust, the car is for sale from its second owner with its original chassis and engine for an auction estimate of £25,000 to £35,000.
‘I bought this XK120 for £25 from a lock-up in Dover back in 1964, when I was a young man,’ explains vendor Nick. ‘At the time I was a motor engineer and I brought it back home, did some tinkering to get it running and drove it 20 miles.’
At that point he moved house (something that’d become a regular occurrence over the years) and parked it up, as life proceeded to get in the way. ‘I got on with my day-to-day work and some time later, around 25 years ago, I started working on it again.’
The car was stripped and the body sandblasted, but after losing his workshop – due to a site redevelopment – it again went into storage. ‘It really has followed me around from one house to another. Around five years ago my sons said: “you’ll never get that done, dad”, however I’d finished other works and projects, and thought now is the time…’
Nick made good progress, purchasing a new galvanized chassis (only because he didn’t want to strip down the old one, which IS included in the sale!) renovating the suspension, steering and rear axle. And then he promptly moved house again.
‘I’m now 73 years old with bad knees and once again have no workshop, so I have to admit that it’s perhaps not going to get finished and unfortunately my wife will not get to use it as a shopping car, as we intended.’
So exactly what will the next owner be purchasing? Well it’s the opportunity to buy a very rare and very original matching numbers, UK right-hand-drive XK120 fixed-head-coupe, with just two owners from new, and to put their own stamp on its restoration. Just 151 right-hand-drive fixed-head-coupes were produced for Blighty, and only 57 of those are believed to survive today, which makes the example we have for sale here an exceedingly rare survivor.
When Nick bought it way back in ’64, it’d already been in the lock-up for two years, so incredibly, it has only actually been on the road for eight years in total.
“When a truly rare car comes to auction which has also been tucked away and off the market for decades it creates an unmissable opportunity for collectors,” explains Tristan Judge, director, The Market.
“This car’s story makes it even more interesting and appealing to buyers. With the current owner having spent some 50 years tinkering, now the opportunity exists to take-over and finish the existing project or begin a new restoration to return this classic to its former glory.”
A certificate from Jaguar Heritage which accompanies the car confirms that it was manufactured on 16th March 1954 and distributed by Byatts of Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, originally finished in Birch Grey with a grey leather interior.
The ‘120’ in the name referred to the aluminium car’s 120 mph top speed, which made it the world’s fastest production car at the time of its launch. Today, the very best examples of the model sell for over £100,000.
Potential buyers looking to purchase a car with The Market pay only what they bid with no additional fees or commission.
The auction will run online only and begin on 20th November, closing at 8pm on 27th November.
To find out more about the 1954 Jaguar XK120 for sale or to place a bid, click HERE
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