jaguar xk120 - john starkey cars

JAGUAR XK120
Jaguar XK120
Jaguar XK120
I have always had a soft spot for Jaguar XK120s. That’s basically because when I was still
a teenager you could buy one in England for anything (depending on condition) ranging
from £125 to £250, (about $200 to $400). I kid you not!
I'm talking about the early 1960s, when car insurance was also cheap (it cost me £15 to
insure my first 120, fully comp.) and the Jaguar E Type had just come out. 120s were just
“old cars” and this at a time when “Classic Cars” had yet to exist as a collector hobby.
How times have changed; the XK120 is rightly seen today for the groundbreaking
sportscar that it was. Just imagine, a car that would do 120 mph, when most cars
struggled to reach 70 mph, it was a rocket ship of the time, a true Supercar.
© John Starkey 2011
www.johnstarkeycars.com
(727) 384 1179 USA
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Jaguar XK120
Today, of course, the performance would be looked upon with derision by people who
have come to expect 0 to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds and top speeds in the order of
200 mph but back then…
I still think 120s are quintessentially beautiful, those long flowing fender lines truly
reminding you of the leaping cat that Jaguar was named after. As an aside, I also happen
to think the fixed head coupe (FHC) is one of the true car beauties of all time, resembling
as it does the Figoni and Falaschi bodied “Teardrop” Delahayes and Delages of the
1930s. Remind yourself that when one of these comes up for sale, they are snapped up
for millions of dollars and yet you can still buy an XK120 FHC for circa $100k. Get your
wallets out, folks!
© John Starkey 2011
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www.johnstarkeycars.com
(727) 384 1179 USA
Jaguar XK120
Anyway, the above is a preamble to the photos featured with this article, which I took
recently when visiting that Valhalla of XKs/E Types and Lola T70s, Predator Performance
in Largo, Florida. They are in the process of restoring an early XK120 roadster (1950)
complete with spats that came to them with extremely low mileage (13000!) and only three
owners. It is also one of the very rare XK120s to be painted in metallic bronze, which so
suits the lines.
When the restoration is finished, this glorious XK120 will be auctioned by Gooding's at
Monterey in August.
© John Starkey 2011
www.johnstarkeycars.com
(727) 384 1179 USA
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Jaguar XK120
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(727) 384 1179 USA
Jaguar XK120
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www.johnstarkeycars.com
(727) 384 1179 USA
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Jaguar XK120
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(727) 384 1179 USA
Jaguar XK120
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www.johnstarkeycars.com
(727) 384 1179 USA
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Jaguar XK120
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(727) 384 1179 USA
Jaguar XK120
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www.johnstarkeycars.com
(727) 384 1179 USA
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Jaguar XK120
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(727) 384 1179 USA
Jaguar XK120
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www.johnstarkeycars.com
(727) 384 1179 USA
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Jaguar XK120
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(727) 384 1179 USA
Jaguar XK120
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www.johnstarkeycars.com
(727) 384 1179 USA
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Jaguar XK120
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Jaguar XK120
As you can see from the accompanying photos, Predator Performance’s Bronze 1950
Jaguar XK120 is finished.
One very interesting small point about this particular XK120 is that, as this is a very early
car, it has a shorter top than the later cars, which had to be specially fabricated for her.
English Mike and “the boys” have done their usual fabulous job and she is off to Monterey
to be auctioned in the Goodings’ sale. There can be few low mileage, early XK120s as
nice as this one (if any at all) so it will be interesting to see what she sells for.
© John Starkey 2011
www.johnstarkeycars.com
(727) 384 1179 USA
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Jaguar XK120
© John Starkey 2011
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(727) 384 1179 USA
Jaguar XK120
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www.johnstarkeycars.com
(727) 384 1179 USA
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Jaguar XK120
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(727) 384 1179 USA
Jaguar XK120
Site Contents © John Starkey 2011
© John Starkey 2011
www.johnstarkeycars.com
(727) 384 1179 USA
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