milestone by almost any standard , the silklike and speedy Jaguar XK sport cars , the XK-120 and its XK-140 and XK-150 descendants , have long been recognized as among the most romanticist variation gondola ever built .
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When the door at Earls Court opened for the one-year London Motor Show in October 1948 , car - crave Britons virtually besieged the Jaguar stand . The reason : the all - new XK-120 . Easily the star of the show , it was the slinkiest , sexiest , most modern sports railcar ever seen on the Sceptred Isle .
With stacked flush - buffer bodywork and a fluid , brawny raw twincam six , it brand a complete aim expiration from prewar British practice , yet many enthusiasts viewed it as the lineal successor to the lithe and lovely SS100 of 1937 - 1940 . It was equally a sheer symbolic representation of Britain ’s postwar industrial recovery , and would show to have wide appeal on both side of the Atlantic . In this country , it would be as significant as the MG TC in fuel the sports machine fever that ultimately led to a quite a little of domestic two - seaters , the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford ’s Thunderbird in particular .
For these and other reason , the XK-120 and its XK-140 and XK-150 descendent have long been recognise as among the most romantic and influential sport car ever built . gratuitous to say , they ’ve been highly attempt after payable automobiles almost from the day the last of the stock gave way to another drift - setting Jaguar , the sensuous einsteinium - character .
As a trade name , Jaguar was but a kitten in 1948 , though it was n’t precisely a neophyte even then . Its ancestry go back to 1921 , when William Lyons and William Walmsley establish Swallow Coachbuilding Company , Ltd. in Blackpool to farm bike sidecar . The firm entered the self-propelled arena in 1927 with a channel of unresolved and unsympathetic sports bodies designed for popular high - volume frame from makers like Austin , Morris , and Standard . After moving to Coventry the following year , the company commence build stark cars in 1932 . The first was designated SS I ( for " Swallow Sidecars " ) , a close - couple up recollective - hood coupe powered by a 2.1 - liter side - valve Standard six and build on a especially fabricated under - slung chassis that yield it a distinctive ground - hugging stance .
This railcar and a modest - displacement fellow traveler knight SS II sell amazingly well for a novel British make in the Depression , and by 1934 the company feel apologize in switch its name to SS Cars , Ltd. Larger and more knock-down model followed in nimble chronological sequence . include was the first car to contain the name Jaguar , a handsome sporting sedan appearing in 1936 with a 2.7 - l overhead - valve Standard - build six massaged by Harry Weslake and W. M. Heynes to deliver 104 horsepower .
But the acme was doubtless the SS 100 , a lean and slender roadster introduce in 1937 . Originally offered with a 2.5 - litre ohv six , it was bring together the next twelvemonth by a 3.5 - liter example with the same classic styling , plus 125 H.P. and genuine 100 - mph performance . Although known for its sly manipulation , the 100 proved almost unbeatable in local exchange and hillclimbs , a testimonial to its rich mental synthesis .
SS Cars continued to build sidecar during World War II and also served as a repair depot and parts fabricator under contract bridge to the British air military force . While replicate German bombardment raid during the Blitz reduced much of Coventry to junk , SS Cars was comparatively favourable : its facilities hurt only a single direct foe hit for the continuance , though it did considerable price . Thus , the firm was able to summarise civilian production after Little Phoebe - E Day without undue delay , even if it was only on a limited scale .
Of course , no company could go for to do business in postwar Europe with a name like " SS , " so Lyons decide to free his firm of any association with Hitler ’s scorn storm troopers by take on a new deed , Jaguar Cars , Ltd. , in February 1945 . railcar production through mid-1948 was confined to more or less updated reading of the prominent 2.5- and 3.5 - cubic decimetre sedan from the previous prewar old age , though the SS 100 was theoretically uncommitted as the " Jaguar 100 , " according to the catalogue . That a car as stunningly different as the XK-120 could have appear so soon after the warfare – and from a small company that was down if not out – is nothing forgetful of amazing .
Go to the next page to learn more about the Jaguar XK-120 .
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The Jaguar XK-120
The genesis of the Jaguar XK-120 can be catch in a 1938 experimental , a surprise showing that electrify visitors at that twelvemonth ’s London Show . Designated " Jaguar 100 , " it was a strikingly streamlined closed coupe combining a rounded , two - place cockpit , slope poop , and smarmy buffer shapes with the SS runabout ’s long hood and fine - mesh erect grillwork .
Many sports machine buffer would have been happy with a postwar edition of this job , but there were many others who would have just favour a more brawny SS 100 . As far as they were concerned , there was n’t a affair wrong with the " British traditional " sports car – austere interior , stiff ride , classic styling , minimal weather protection , and all – peculiarly for contender , where prewar MGs , Morgans , Singers , and HRGs again began dominate British hillclimbs and track events in the recent Forties .
importantly , SS 100s were also run again , and winning . When the ultramodern XK-120 arrived , many enthusiasts doubt whether the novel streamlined knockout would be able to expect on its forbear ’s enviable racing criminal record . Meanwhile , a routine of the earlier cars had been purchased by Johnny Cash - laden GIs , and the SS 100 quickly became part of the growing sport automobile phenomenon in America . No less a celebrity than the late Dave Garroway ( the first host of tv set ’s dawn " Today " show ) took to the SCCA circuits with a gently customize roadster sport alligator hides on seat and dash .
While sport car buffs debate the merits of classical traditionality versus reformist modernness , vendee were warm to endorse the fresh XK-120 . Initial sales were as firm as Lyons had foresee , and a July 1948 yield inauguration , well in feeler of the new model ’s launching , ensured ample inventory and quick customer delivery . Those customers found themselves in in effect company , for journalists on both sides of the Big Pond were quick to sing the praises of this sensory Jaguar . If not the ultimate in engineering sophistication , the XK-120 was unquestionably a State Department - of - the - artistic creation summercater motorcar – and one that mere person could actually afford .
Built on an sinful strong box - division build , the XK-120 have in full independent front suspension of modern geometry – upper and low wishbones and longitudinal crookedness cake – in demarcation to the old prewar leaf - sprung solid axle . At the buns was a live axle carried on remarkably long semi - elliptical leaf springs made of silico - manganese sword . Girling telescopic shocks were used in front ; piston units attend at the buttocks . Brakes were British - made Lockheed drums with twin guide shoe and copious 12 x 2.25 - column inch property . Adding to driver comfort and handling ease was a vastly improve recirculating - ballock steering system . The large 17 - column inch - diam steering wheel was mounted on a steeply raked Burman - Douglas guidance column with four inch of telescopic adjustment via a nooky - case collar . The number one wood and one lucky passenger sit down in shapely bucket seats upholstered in top - metric grain cowskin and offering up to six inches of fore / aft locomotion .
On the next page , learn about the engine that powered Jaguar ’s XK-120 mutant cars .
The Jaguar XK-120 Engines
The heart of the Jaguar XK-120 – and the main attraction for the technically minded – was its locomotive : a lovely new inline six with dual overhead camshafts . The overall aim conception for this advanced powerplant had been conceived during the warfare by Lyons – subsequently knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in fond recognition of this achievement – along with chief engineer William Heynes . Both men recognized that fuel costs and car taxes would escalate once ataraxis devolve , so obtaining maximum magnate per unit of translation became the independent focussing of their ontogeny effort .
To this end , engine designer Harry Weslake was called in near warfare ’s remainder to assist in the final engineering . The concern with efficiency and the case law of several lowly - book , gamey - functioning European cars explains the decision to adopt the twincam configuration , even though dohc engines were hardly the average in prewar British railway car . It also explain Weslake ’s choice of large master bearings and hemispherical combustion Sir William Chambers for the young six , which arrive with a displacement reaction of 3,442cc ( 210 cubic inches ) .
While sports automobile yellowish brown debated the merits of classical traditionality versus progressive modernity , purchaser were quick to back the new XK-120 . journalist on both side of the Big Pond did too . If not the ultimate in engine room sophistication , this sensational Jaguar was unquestionably a commonwealth - of - the - art sports elevator car – and it was affordable .
fate the XK - serial publication in production form , the twincam six was one of 10 powerplants being considered for the newfangled sports cable car by later 1947 , all developed under the " XJ " project code . Actually , the most promising of the lot was a 1,996cc ( 121.8 - three-dimensional - inch ) four of 80.5 x 98.0 mm ( 3.17 x 3.86 - in . ) bore and stroke , and Weslake choose it as the footing for the eventual XK-120 engine . Though output was ample , some 145 horsepower at 6,000 revolutions per minute , the four would never be used in a production Jaguar . However , it did make history in an observational MG .
At the request of Lt . Col . " Goldie " Gardner , the four was turn over to the Abingdon citizenry , who slot it into the EX-135 streamliner being prepared for an assault on the Bonneville Salt Flats . In a sterling run of Jaguar ’s dohc concept and Weslake ’s technology savvy , this amazingly tough little engine propel the then 63 - year - old Gardner to numerous speed crisscross in August 1952 , including an telling 148.7 - miles per hour average for the 100 kilometer . This effort immediately touch off rumor that Jaguar was about to field a 2.0 - liter competitor to Triumph ’s then - raw TR-2 and similarly sized sports railcar from Britain and the Continent , but Lyons and company had no such intent . Even so , conjecture that a " slight cat " was in the offing remain through 1953 - 1954 .
As observe , the experimental four was Weslake ’s option as the basis for the output XK - series six . The transition was square enough . First , two more cylinders were added and eager was fetch up to 83.0 mm ( 3.27 in . ) , yielding supplanting to 3.2 cubic decimeter ( 195.2 cubic inch ) . However , modest - rev torque was adjudicate insufficient , so stroking was stretch along to 106 millimeter ( 4.17 in . ) , resulting in the final 3,442cc . With threefold SU H.6 carburettor , the twincam six initially delivered an good 160 horsepower at 5,200 rpm as install , which was sufficient to see XK-120 prototypes to a maximum 120 mph , hence the fashion model appointment .
On the next varlet , hear how the XK-120 ’s locomotive engine performed on the road .
The Jaguar XK-120 Features and Reviews
A milestone machine by almost any definition , the Jaguar XK-120 was greet with eminent enthusiasm everywhere it appeared . Originally , only the loose roadster was to be offered , but because buyers in several prime export markets , peculiarly the U.S. , had read a preference for more civilized accommodations , a drophead coupe ( i.e. transformable ) with proper glass side windows was announced shortly after introduction . A fixed - head ( closed ) coupe appeared at the Geneva Show in March 1951 to complete the line .
The first 242 roadster , all early-1949 models built in belated 1948 , had tripping - alloy bodywork , after which press steel was used only . Because of their obvious infrequency , the " alloy " XKs require the highest cost on today ’s accumulator marketplace , and are found with both right- and left - hand driving force ( serial identification number 660001 - 660058 and 67001 - 670184 , severally ) . This author was privileged to probe a pair of alloy - body cars being restore , and found the coachbuilder ’s art discernible in such details as the hardwood door anatomy , the latch surface bolster , and the curving bows affirm the tonneau just ahead of the trunklid .
All XK-120s fag narrow , moderately thin bumpers that complemented the sonsie body line but did n’t abide up well to America ’s rude and perilous parking use .
Americans tranquillise into premature senility by the cushy , chrome - laden Detroit iron of the other postwar period quickly bring out that this sleek cat was everything many domestic dealers flatly declared a athletics railcar could not be .
Before venture on a solo run , it was helpful to translate the owner ’s manual , grandly title the " control , Maintenance and Service Handbook , " to familiarize yourself with the ascendance . Seated behind the large guidance cycle , you catch a full set of no - gimcrack , white - on - black Smith ’s legal document , which even then were obligatory for a British sports motorcar . The Jaguar ’s complement included a " rotation retort " with inset manifold pressure gauge ( other models ) or clock at the bottom of the dial ; an ammeter , fossil oil pressure gauge , and weewee temperature gauge combined in a freestanding dial ; a " gasoline calibre " that double as a crankcase oil level index number by conjure a button before start the engine ( capacities were 17.5 gallons and 12.5 quart U.S. , respectively ) , and a large speedometer with trip and total mileage recorders .
All were housed along with the ignition electric switch and separate military press starter button in a leather - get over panel , mount centrally and angled down from the upper dash rail . The coupe ’s instrument table had a slightly different transcription and was finished in burled walnut . A manual choke was customary in those days , but it was seldom needed in the XK-120 because , as the manufacturing plant claimed , the " auxiliary starting carburetter is entirely automatic and hold in the mixture strength without assist from the driver . " Other cockpit delights were a short train lever tumbler with remote linkage , a gearbox dipstick ( turn up well forward on the tunnel top ) , racing - style " fly - off " handbrake , and a little grab Browning automatic rifle ahead of the passenger seat .
Appropriately for a sports car , the XK-120 was blessed with high - geared steering giving just 23/4 turns lock - to - lock and a succinct 31 - foot turning diam , though steering effort was predictably intemperate . brake from speed brought out surprisingly little nosedive , a benefit of the slight fanny - end system of weights diagonal that also enabled speedy getaways without undue wheelspin . And make no error : the XK-120 was nimble even by today ’s standard . With the optional 3.54:1 final drive ( the center proportion of three available ) , a well - broken - in instance could reach corrected maxima of 30 , 61 , and 88 miles per hour in the lower three gears , and sweep on to that wizard 120 mph in fourth .
A two-seater try new by the source sprinted from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 9.7 seconds , fly through the standing - beginning quarter - mile in 18.0 second at 86 mph , and could break away at incisively 100 mph on the flatcar at a relatively relaxed 4,390 revolutions per minute . At $ 3,600 POE in 1952 , the XK-120 was indeed quite pricey , but nowhere else could you get this nonpareil combination of " thanksgiving and footstep " for less . For those with the wherewithal to baby their motoring fantasies , this quat was one whale of a bargain .
Go to the next page to learn about a variation on the XK-120 , the Jaguar XK-120MC .
The Jaguar XK-120MC
Jaguar obliged driver who wanted even more speed with the XK-120MC . price at $ 800 above the received offering , this " special equipment " model brag a high-pitched - lift camshaft and dual exhausts that lift order output to 190 horsepower at 5,500 rpm . Though about 50 pounds heavier than the normal XK-120 , the MC could breeze through the 0 - 60 miles per hour bolt in 8.6 seconds , and its quarter - international mile acceleration come down to 16.8 indorsement . The MC was supplied without the classifiable rear wheel spats usually establish on 120s , but this allowed you to show off the stock telegram wheels with Rudge - Whitworth whack - off hub . loaded front torsion cake completed the package .
If the bright twincam six delivered the trade good on the route , how would it fare in the passion of external challenger ? Given its tenacious - time sake in racing , it was only natural that Jaguar would need to find out , and in other 1950 it decided to field a special railroad car establish around XK-120 components for the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans . The result was the legendary degree centigrade - type , one of the most memorable competition sports car in chronicle . build around a lightweight tubelike steel chassis on a abbreviated 96 - inch steering wheel - bag , it was powered by what was a mildly alter version of the production engine . Changes comprise special cylinder head word with straight inlet ports , high - configuration camshaft profile , adult horizontal carburettor , special spare - flow exhaust system , and lightened flywheel . value king jumped to 210 horsepower at 5,800 rpm , and maximal torque soared to 220 lbs / ft at 4,000 rev .
run on a beefed - up stock pause , the C - type was clothed in smooth aluminum - alloy bodywork that held its race - quick weight to around 2,175 pound . by nature the railcar was competitive , and it had the necessary staying power . Jaguar gain Le Mans 1951 outright , and went on to make first at Silverstone , Spa , and other circuits in 1952 . The following twelvemonth , C - type came home first and fourth in the Rheims 12 - hour contest ; set first , second , and fourth at Le Mans ; and finished 1 - 2 at the Nürburgring ( where XK-120s took fourth and 5th overall ) . In 1954 , the snow - types and a gaggle of production Jaguars again won at Spa , at Zandvoort in the Dutch Grand Prix , and at Le Mans , where the new D - type was overall Caranx crysos - up .
Go to the next page to read about the follow - up models to the XK-120 , the Jaguar XK-140 and XK-150 .
The Jaguar XK-140 and XK-150
Introduced in belated 1954 , the new Jaguar XK-140 comprise several of the railway locomotive mods developed for the racing program , which made the stock version quite similar in output and public presentation to the now - supplant XK-120MC . contest experience has a means of showing up later on a manufacturer ’s roadgoing model , and so it was with the C - character engine and the next generation of Jaguar sports cars .
The same three body fashion returned , and show was unchanged apart from heftier bumper ( a conceding to the American grocery ) and a longitudinal chrome hoodlum airstrip run from the nose to the center of the split windscreen . Other alterations include a switch to more precise torment - and - quill feather steering , better brake , higher rate for both the front torsion bars and the rear leafage natural spring , and adoption of the previous MC ’s particular equipment as standard . Laycock de Normanville overdrive , control by a faciamounted toggle switch , appeared as a new pick , and Borg - Warner automatic transmission was offered at extra cost late in the manakin run , which ended in other 1957 .
There was also an MC translation , announced in 1955 , packing the same HP as the racing C - type . This railway car could spring from 0 - 60 mph in about 8 seconds and was some 5 mph faster plane out than its 120 predecessor . However , under pressure from American law enforcement authorization , Jaguar was force to gag the lovely exhaust note on its tuned engine from a bellow to a relative purr .
A changing securities industry rush the XK-140 ’s replacement , which debuted in mid-1957 as the XK-150 . This final variation on Sir William ’s arresting original design theme was Jaguar ’s lineal answer to cars like the BMW 507 and the Mercedes - Benz 300SL , which offered similar public presentation and roadability while better catering to the turn American demand for more refinement and ease .
Accordingly , the 150 was plusher and more civilized than any old XK . The basic bodyshell was substantially restyled with high front cowcatcher , a wider grille , and a curved one - piece windshield . Critics bemoaned the heavy . more " matronly " appearance , peculiarly since it was play off by a increase in curb bit weightiness , but fortunately the extra ponderosity did n’t bollix up the good overall handling counterbalance . away from a somewhat larger 33 - pes turning diam , the familiar XK chassis was retained intact . However , Jaguar tally a production first by replacing the old fade - prone drum brakes with servo - assisted Dunlop disk brake at each steering wheel , which well compensated for the system of weights increase . It was another example of how racing can better the breed , as discs had been used successfully on the competition D - character .
Continue to the next pageboy to hear about the features come up on the sporty and speedy Jaguar XK-150 .
Jaguar XK-150 Features
ab initio , the Jaguar XK-150 was offered only as a coupe and translatable , almost as if Jaguar were test reaction to this obviously fatter cat . When it go far some nine months later , the roadster was bereft of its cut - away doors , and purists complained . The roadster bear witness the least democratic of the three XK-150 example , accounting for less than a one-fifth of the full number built .
Besides platter brake , the XK-150 was notable in being the first postwar Jaguar fun car useable with a selection of engine sizes . It was announced with the 210 - horsepower version of the 3.4 - liter twincam six as used in the XK-140MC . begin in the twilight of 1959 , a bored - out 3,781cc ( 231 - cubic - inch ) whole with 20 superfluous cavalry was offered as an option , usually teamed with Borg - Warner automatic for the U.S. market .
Neither S model was uncommitted with automatic , and only discreet badges identified them externally . But just put your metrical foot to the floor and you knew outright that you were in charge of a particular strain of cat . The 3.8S could see the far side of 135 miles per hour with ease , and 0 - 60 mph was a thing of 7.0 arcsecond or so with two on board . Fuel saving , all things considered , was excellent : 18 - 20 mpg on American highways at the then - legal 70 - mph bound . In fact , any of the XK litter would refund this form of mileage give a driver skilled with a manual gear box .
Even landmark automotive designs must eventually bend to the march of advancement ( though the Porsche 911 may be an exception ) , and by 1961 the XK sports car was clearly in need of substitution . Jaguar was quick with the E - type , a machine as stunningly advanced and exciting in its day as the original XK-120 was in the late Forties .
But the E - type would not have been potential had the XK models not come after . And succeed they did beyond all expectation . Jaguar work up more than 12,000 of the XK-120s , about 8,900 of the XK-140s , and a scrap more than 7,900 of the XK-150s . Commercial considerations by , this tune is significant because it ushered in one of the most adaptable and long - lived locomotive engine in postwar history . It ’s still going strong more than 35 years later , and even Jaguar ’s own lovely V-12 and the Second Coming of Christ of American emission standards have n’t been able-bodied to shoot down it . That the sports car it first powered were have of a timeless grace and that elegant good luck charm so particularly British only adds to their allure . Long number among the great , these Jaguars are still catch partizan , and seem destine to stomach far beyond a lesser cat ’s nine lives .
