1953 Jaguar XK120 Drophead Coupe (DHC) - UK RHD For Sale

THIS CAR

- 1 of 294 home market RHD Drophead Coupes, first registered in November 1953.
- Whilst much of the car’s life is sadly undocumented, a previous Bonhams sale stated the following:

“Nothing is known of this XK120’s history prior to its purchase in December 1975 by the immediately preceding owner. Works carried out during the latter’s 39-year ownership include rewiring the electrics forward of the bulkhead in the late 1970s and a ‘body off’ restoration undertaken circa 2000/ 2001. The latter involved removing and repairing all body panels; minor patching to the chassis; a compete interior re-trim in red Bridge of Weir leather; and a new hood. In 2013 the car was treated to a new clutch, all new brake hydraulics, an engine flush and new core plugs. Rear wheel spats, air horns, copper brake pipes, two 12-volt batteries and negative earth electrics are the only notified deviations from factory specification.“

- We do know that at some point in the car’s life the original engine was replaced with a 3. 4L unit from a Jaguar Mk1 Saloon:
  - Block: #KF-8560-8
  - Cylinder Head: #KE-7001-8

- In 2016, MDM Services of Leicester carried out recommissioning works totalling over £10, 000, which included, among other things:
  - Engine Mounts Changed
  - Full Front & Rear Suspension Refresh
  - New Wiring Looms
  - All Ball Joints Replaced
  - Throttle Linkage Repaired
  - Brake Pipes Replace Where Necessary
  - Full Service Carried Out

- What’s more, in October 2023 the car was sent to Greg Smith Engineering for a full brake system overhaul.
- Since arriving us, we decided to commission a full cosmetic and mechanical inspection of the car, a summary of which can be seen below:

INSPECTION REPORT

- The overall conclusion of the report was that the car is a good, solid example of a non-matching numbers XK120.
- The bodywork, while very presentable, is clearly from an older restoration, with a couple of small localised areas of bubbling/ blistering (specifically, the LHR wheel arch/ quarter panel, and the RH lower door).
- It’s worth reiterating that these areas are localised, and could easily be repaired.
- Importantly, the car’s chassis, structure, floorpans and sills are all in healthy, solid condition.
- We performed a compression test across all 6 cylinders, which produced the following figures:
  - Cylinder 1 139. 0 psi
  - Cylinder 2 140. 8 psi
  - Cylinder 3 134. 8 psi
  - Cylinder 4 141. 0 psi
  - Cylinder 5 148. 0 psi
  - Cylinder 6 139. 0 psi

RECENT WORKS

-Following the above inspection report, a few items were identified that needed to be addressed.
- As such, Classic Performance Engineering were entrusted to carry out the following recommission works in February 2024:
  - Remove, re-shim and refit engine
  - Replace radiator with a modern, efficient aluminium unit
  - Fully strip, re-built and fit twin SU carburettors
  - Adjust handbrake
  - Fit new fuel sender
  - Fit 4x new Avon tyres

WHAT WE THINK

- Is this a fully restored, matching numbers, show-level car? No. But then again, that’s clearly reflected in the price.
- But make no mistake, this is not a ‘project’ car. This XK120 is a is a solid and very presentable RHD XK120 DHC that’s absolutely perfect for someone who wants to get out and drive!
- The Black paint and retrimmed Red leather interior work beautifully together, as does the black hood.
- As always, we encourage anyone interested in the car to come and see us in Bicester!