Market Highlight
Significant XK120 to be offered by RM in Monterey
A landmark Jaguar XK120 roadster heads under the RM hammer in Monterey – find out why it’s so significant
There are many highlights at the RM Sotheby’s sale in Monterey, California on August 16-17, including an Aston Martin DB5 built to promote Thunderball. But one car possibly trumps even that – a 1949 Jaguar XK120 roadster, the fifth XK120 built and the very first to be imported to America. Restored with no expense spared to its unique original shade of Blue Sheen ten years ago, it has scored a perfect 100 at several concours events. We asked XK expert Chris Keith-lucas of CKL Developments for his take on the car. ‘Clearly, being one of the very earliest XK120S to exist makes it very special. It is also particularly attractive
and stylish in this colour and you can just see why it was such a sensation in war-weary 1949. The restoration looks very good and its multiple concours results speak volumes. The caveat is that I don’t know this car close-up and have not seen restoration photos. So I can only go on the RM Sotheby’s photos, in which it looks excellent by the way.
‘Being a self-confessed Jaguar anorak, some interesting features catch my eye as only being present on the earliest of XK120S. An example is the internal door-knob being positioned at the front of the door. They are almost unreachable with the hood up and side screens fitted – unless you have arms like a gorilla. So after Jaguar
made about ten cars, it modified them to an accessible leather lanyard at the rear of the door. Another is the hood catch on the screen pillars. On very early cars they were an integral part of the pillar casting and could only be adjusted with a file. Very soon they were modified to a screwed-on adjustable catch.
‘Also, there is no indicator switch on the steering wheel boss. Turn signals had to be given manually, but then indicators as we know them came in very soon after.
‘This car should attract the attentions of the serious collectors and might make quite a substantial sum. Market conditions are not great at present, but it could even reach £350,000.’
‘It boasts some interesting features only present on the earliest of Jaguar XK120S’