Jaguar XK120 – The remarkable history of JWK 651

By Chas Parker & Philip Porter, £30, porterpress.co.uk, ISBN 978 1 907085 56 7 This is the life cycle story of ‘the car that did everything’. So far as Jaguar XK120S are concerned, the Alpine Rally-winning NUB 120 may be better-known, but JWK 651 was one of six works competition-prepared cars from the early run of aluminiumbodied XK120S. It saw action in the Mille Miglia, Le Mans and the Dundrod TT as well as the RAC Rally and speed record attempts at Montlhéry, all in its érst three years.

Well over two thirds of the book is given over to JWK 651’s short yet extensive period competition and promotional history, but its years as a secondhand car and a restored historic classic are more skimpy.

However, as a way of bringing a hitherto overlooked yet signiécant car to prominence, backed up by beautiful studio photography by John Colley, it’s an important addition to the Jaguar library.