Jaguar XK120 OTS 1950 – For Sale

This Jaguar XK120 OTS (Open Two-Seater), or Roadster, is a very early steel-bodied example. The first 242 XK120s were produced with aluminium bodies; thereafter, steel was used. These early steel-bodied cars are distinguished by the absence of wing vents and separate chrome sidelights, giving them a sleeker and more distinctive appearance. There are a number of other unique features, including ‘studless’ cam covers. This particular car is an original UK, right-hand drive example.

The car was first sold to Dennis Crabtree, who owned a Jaguar dealership known as Francis E. Cox Ltd, located in Keighley, West Yorkshire. During the 1960s, the car was reportedly dismantled by the original owner with the intention of rebuilding it, but he sold it before completing the project. It was subsequently purchased by David Cottingham, who also did not restore it. In 1972, Wilf Taylor bought the dismantled car and stored it for some time before selling it in 1992 to Lynx Motors (of D-Type replica fame). In the hands of Lynx, the XK120 was meticulously restored to an exquisite standard for the owner of Lynx Motors, John Mayston-Taylor.

Since its restoration, the car has led something of a star-studded life. In 1993, it won an award at the Louis Vuitton Concours d’Elegance in Paris. In 1995, it was exhibited at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, and featured on a greetings card sold in the gift shop. In 1996, it appeared on a Royal Mail 43p stamp as part of a series celebrating classic British cars. That same year, the car was featured on the popular children’s television programme Blue Peter and was photographed with Honor Blackman – of James Bond and The Avengers fame – behind the wheel. In 1997, the car achieved Highest Points Overall at the National Motor Museum Autumn Concours and was showcased as the Star Car at the Coventry Museum of British Road Transport. Classic & Sports Car magazine featured the car in 1998, noting that it was “as captivating now, on the eve of its 50th year, as on its sensational launch.” It was also included in Anders Ditlev Clausager’s Jaguar XK120 book.

Since this glittering career in the 1990s, the car has led a quieter life, being enjoyed sparingly by the current owner on Jersey. It has been sympathetically upgraded with an electric cooling fan, a five speed gearbox and a Dynator (an alternator designed to resemble the original dynamo), but otherwise remains fairly standard. This is a car for those who appreciate XKs as they left the factory but would also like to be able to cruise along on the motorway and handle in town traffic. The car has been very well maintained and, while there are a few signs of age with some cracks and imperfections in the paint, it remains a car to be seen in… preferably as a passenger, with someone like Honor Blackman at the wheel. 

£77,500