Jaguar Xk120 Fixed Head Coupe

The coupe version of the Jaguar XK120 is regarded by many as one of the most beautiful sports cars of all time.

In its time it was the fastest production car in the world. The model designation ‘120’ denotes ‘120 miles per hour’ (193 km/h), but in 1949 the roadster version of the Jaguar XK120 was clocked at almost 220 km/h on a closed stretch of motorway near Jabbeke in Belgium. The Fixed Head Coupé on display in the museum is unrestored and carries its original Dutch registration plates. The metallic blue paint is original. The XK120 was originally intended as a test and show model for the new Jaguar 3.4-litre six-cylinder, so only a few examples were due to be built. However, when it was launched at the 1948 London Motor Show so much interest was shown that Jaguar put the car into quantity production. Two open versions were built initially, a roadster and ‘drophead coupé’, of which the open top is not retracted into the body. The Fixed Head Coupé was introduced in 1951. Some 2,700 examples of this model were built, of which only 195 had right hand drive as most of the Jaguars were meant for export.