1948 Jaguar XK120

The Jaguar XK120 is a sports activities vehicle which turned into synthetic with the aid of using Jaguar among 1948 and 1954. Jaguar's first post-battle sports activities vehicle, it succeeded the SS 100, which ceased manufacturing in 1940.

The Jaguar XK120 turned into released in roadster shape on the 1948 London Motor Show as a testbed and display vehicle for the brand new Jaguar XK engine. It brought on a sensation, which persuaded William Lyons to position it into manufacturing.

The "a hundred and twenty" in its call cited its a hundred and twenty mph (193 km/h) pinnacle speed (quicker with the windscreen eliminated), which made the Jaguar XK120 the world's quickest popular manufacturing vehicle on the time of its launch.

It turned into to be had in convertible versions - first because the roadster (particular OTS, for open -seater, in America), then additionally as a drophead coupé, or DHC, from 1953 - and as a closed, or "fixed-head" coupé (FHC) from 1951. The DHC turned into a greater deluxe version, offering a lovely timber dashboard and timber functions at the door interiors.

Construction

The first 242 vehicles, all roadsters hand-constructed among past due 1948 and early 1950, had aluminium our bodies on ash frames. To meet call for it turned into vital for the mass-manufacturing versions, starting with the 1950 version year, to have pressed-metal our bodies. They retained aluminium doorways, bonnet, and boot lid.

With alloy cylinder head and dual facet draft SU carburetors, the twin overhead-cam 3.four L straight-6 XK engine turned into relatively superior for a industrially produced unit of the time. With popular 8:1 compression ratio it evolved one hundred sixty bhp (119 kW). A 7:1 low compression model turned into additionally to be had to deal with low fine fuel. This identical simple layout of the XK engine, later changed into 3.8L and four.2L versions, survived into the past due 1980s.

All XK120s had unbiased torsion bar the front suspension, semi-elliptic leaf springs on the rear, recirculating-ball guidance, telescopically adjustable guidance column, and all-spherical drum brakes that had been at risk of fade. Some vehicles had been equipped with Alfin brake drums to assist conquer this brake fade.

The roadster's light-weight canvas pinnacle and removable sidescreens stowed out of sight at the back of the seats, and its barchetta-fashion doorways had no outside handles; as a substitute there has been an indoors pull-twine which turned into available thru a flap withinside the sidescreens while the climate system turned into in place. The windscreen might be eliminated for aeroscreens to be equipped.

The drophead coupé had a padded canvas pinnacle, which folded onto the rear deck at the back of the seats while now no longer in use, and roll-up windows. The windscreen turned into fixed. Dashboards and door caps in each the FHC and DHC had been timber-veneered, while the roadster's had been leather-trimmed. All fashions had detachable spats ("fender skirts" in America) protecting the rear wheel arches, which greater the streamlined look. On vehicles equipped with non-compulsory centre-lock twine wheels (to be had from 1951), the spats had been left out as they gave inadequate clearance for the -eared Rudge-Whitworth knockoff hubs.

In addition to twine wheels, enhancements at the Special Equipment, or SE, model (known as the M model withinside the United States) covered accelerated power, stiffer suspension and twin exhaust system.