PLEASE NOTE: The reserve on this lot has been reduced The phenomenal success of the XK120 was unexpected by Sir William Lyons and Jaguar, whose focus had been the MKVII Saloon.

However, within days of the Bronze show car being displayed at the 1948 Earls Court Motor Show, it was evident a complete rethink was required.

For many the best looking XK120 variant, the Fixed Head Coupe debuted in July 1951.

A true design classic primarily aimed at the American market, some 2,485 of the 2,680 examples produced were to left-hand drive specification.

One such car, chassis 680432, was delivered to North America but converted to right-hand drive upon its return to the UK and uprated for use on historic rallies and tours.

Powered by a larger, more potent 4.2-litre XK engine (replacing the factory 3.4-litre unit) mated to a later all-synchromesh four-speed manual gearbox, the steering, brakes and suspension have all been enhanced too.

Sourced from a younger XK150 model, the rack and pinion se...