Jaguar XK120SE Roadster 1954 - World Of Classic Cars -

Jaguar XK120SE Roadster 1954

The Jaguar XK120 was manufactured between 1948 and 1954; Jaguar's first sports car since the SS100, which ceased production in 1940. The XK120 was launched in roadster form at the 1948 London Motor Show as a show car for the new Jaguar XK engine. It caused a sensation thus persuading Jaguar founder and design boss William Lyons to put the car into production. The '120' in its name referred to its 120mph top speed which made the XK120 the world's fastest standard production car at the time of its launch. It was available in two open versions; first as the roadster then also as a drophead coupé from 1953 and also as a closed, or 'fixedhead' coupé from 1951. With

Jaguar XK120SE Roadster 1954

an alloy cylinder head and twin side-draft SU carburettors, the double overhead-cam 3.4-Litre straight-six XK engine was comparatively advanced for mass-produced units of its time. This same basic design of the XK engine, later modified into 3.8-Litre and 4.2-Litre versions, survived late into the 1980s.