Delays in the gestation of its Mk

VII saloon led to Jaguar exploring an alternative method of bringing its new ‘XK’ engine to public attention.

The result was the XK120 sports car.

Launched at the 1948 Earls Court Motor Show, the stunning-looking roadster caused a sensation.

Conceived as a low-volume model, the XK120 proved considerably more popular than expected, with the result that the expensive-to-produce, ash-framed alloy coachwork was replaced by steel after 240 cars had been completed.

Today these early lightweight cars are among the most sought after of all the XK family.

Although it had not been designed with racing in mind, the XK120’s competition potential was immediately obvious, not least to the factory, which entered a three-car team in the one-hour race for standard production cars at Silverstone in August 1949.

The XKs of Leslie Johnson and Peter Walker duly rewarded Jaguar’s faith in its new sports car by finishing first and second respectively, thus setting the...