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Having French curves, 120 mph performance and an easy price tag of 998 GBP, the XK120 put Jaguar on the map. What began as a design exercise for the first postwar London Motor Show in 1948, quickly turned into a rushed production car once the public got a glimpse and fell in love.

Turning the first XK120 concept car, free of tooling or testing into a roadworthy pleasantry was a huge task and Jaguar's owner, Sir William Lyons, had the tenacity to announce immediate production plans after the show. We can understand his motives: Before the war Jaguar was manufacturing small saloons under the name 'S.S.' which sold well in Britain, but failed to achieve any significant influence elsewhere. After the XK120, Jaguars image changed into an international manufacturer of high-performance cars.

To bring the XK120 to market, Jaguar relied on technology developed during the war for the upcoming Mark VII saloon. This included its chassis members and XK engine which was the world's first affordable and mass-produced twin-cam unit.

Developed during the war by Chief Engineer Bill Heynes Claude Baily and Wally Hassan, Jaguar's 3.4-liter 'XK' engine was more than sufficient for the aluminum-bodied XK120 compared to the larger MKVII Saloon it was originally intended for. So much so, Lyons thought it was enough to take the roadster up to magical 120 mph mark. Eventually, over 12000 would be built and tuned derivatives of the XK engine powered Jaguar to five Le Mans wins between 1951 and 1957.

Inspired by Italian sports cars and the streamlined styling of the French design houses, Sir William Lyons personally sketched out the basic silhouette for the 120. In what must have been a difficult task, the panel beaters slowly embodied the simple steel chassis with a sweeping hand-hammered aluminum body. The end result was timeless, simple and instantly recognizable.

After its introduction to the world, the XK120 gained further acclaim during a high-speed test, when Ronald Sutton, Jaguars test driver, achieved a speed of 133 mph (214kph) during a press preview on the Jabbeke-Ostend highway in Belgium. Not only did this boost the car beyond its advertised 120mph, it established the XK120 as the world's fastest production car.

By 1950, Jaguar took necessary steps to move towards large-scale production of the XK120. Originally intended only as a limited-production model of 200, initial demand for the 120, fueled by its low price, forced Jaguar to replace the expensive and time-consuming aluminum body with a steel counterpart. This reduced the production delays, enabling Jaguar to produce over 12 000 examples. Only 200 aluminum-bodied roadsters were completed and, despite being outwardly identical to the steel cars, they have fetched twice as much money due to their more spirited performance.

In 1951, the range was extended with a Fixed Head Coupe which was followed up by a Drophead Coupe in 1953. The later had luxuriously crafted soft tops with burled wood veneer trim and rollup windows inside. Around 1,800 XK 120 Drophead Coupes were produced.

Before 1949, Jaguar only played a small role in motor sports, but after the debut of the XK120, everyone was interested to see how the cars would perform on the track. Jaguar was no doubt interested as well and some of the very first cars were prepared for Silverstone where they took both first and second place. The following year, three privately entered XK120s raced LeMans with impressive competitiveness.

Success at Lemans encouraged Jaguar to build a specially designed XK120 which would lead the company into its most successful year. The XK120C (or C-Type) endurance racer used a tube frame chassis and streamlined body with the familiar XK120 drive train. This combination was quite successful and claimed Jaguar's first outright victory at Le Mans.

After Jaguar had won LeMans, and the XK120 debuted at the New York Auto show, Americans seriously started to consider British roadsters, propelling an entire industry of British sports cars made for export. Throughout the years, Jaguar nurtured this relationship with the updated XK140 and XK150.

Important Sales & Chassis

670001 - This XK120 was the first pre-production prototype made after the London Motor Show and also the first works racer that competed in the 1949 Silverstone and placed second behind 670002. It is probably the most desirable XK120, being the only survivor of the first three XK120s. It sold at RM's 2005 Sports Car Auction for $440 000 USD.

660449 - In 1951, This XK120 was prepared to support the new C-Type at the 24 Hours of LeMans. While the C-Type won, privateers Bob Lawrie and Ivan Waller drove 660449 to 11th place overall, the XK120's highest placing at the race. In more recent times, 660449 has been subject to a complete restoration, which included upgrading most of the components to drive the car in vintage events. The restoration debuted at the 2002 LeMans classic. It will be offered for sale at Christies Auction at Retromobile.

LWK707 - Known for its unique registration plate, this XK120 Coupe ran the '7 days and 7 nights' endurance run at Montlhery with drivers Moss, Fairman, Hadley and Johnson. LWK707 ran for a full 7 days during which the car averaged just over 100mph. It remains in remarkably original condition to this day.

Story by Richard Owen for Supercars.net