Description
This car is Lot 140 to be auctioned by Bonhams|Cars at The Goodwood Auction on Saturday September 13th, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Public Viewing:
Available Friday September 12 from 09:00 until 17:00, Saturday September 13 from 09:00 at The Goodwood Revival.
Lot 140
The ex-Robert Lawrie/ Ivan Waller, 11th overall at Le Mans 1951
1951 Jaguar XK120 Competition Roadster
Registration no. AEN 546
Chassis no. 660449
11th overall at Le Mans in 1951
The highest-placed XK120 finisher at Le Mans
Restored to original Le Mans specification (bills available)
Excellent condition throughout
Eligible for the Le Mans Classic and Mile Miglia
This famous XK120, 'AEN 546', was first owned and successfully raced by Robert Lawrie. A cobbler from Burnley, Lawrie was a mountaineering enthusiast who developed his own designs for climbing boots and became well known in climbing circles for his boot-making skills. He later moved to London to be nearer his clients and during WW2 developed boots of the Royal Marine Commandos. He would go on to provide boots for every British expedition for some 50 years, including the conquest of Everest in 1953 and Sir Vivian Fuchs' crossing of Antarctica in 1956. The 'Lawrie' glacier on the west coast of Graham Land is named after him.
While climbing in the Alps in the 1930s, Lawrie had met fellow climbers who were members of the Le Mans 24 Hours Race's organising club (the ACO) and the idea of competing in the French endurance classic first took hold. On one of Lawrie's post-war climbing trips one of his friends informed him that there would be an event in 1949, the first of the post-war era, and that they would accept his entry if he felt so inclined, although one stipulation was that he would withdraw should he prove to be not up to speed. He approached the RAC seeking a racing licence, only to be turned down on the not unreasonable grounds that he had no experience of driving in competitions. Pressure from Lawrie's French friends soon got the decision reversed.
Seeking a suitable car for Le Mans, Lawrie visited the 1948 London Motor Show intending to purchase an Aston Martin, and the factory agreed to supply an appropriately modified example of their new 2-Litre model. Lawrie's aim was to complete the first post-war running of the race so he drove conservatively, advising his co-driver Dr Richard Parker to "drive with a frame of mind that you are trying to keep a dinner date rather than running in a Grand Prix". After an uneventful race, Lawrie/ Parker came home in 11th place, which would have been 10th had Parker not made a gentlemanly pit stop to enable Lawrie to take the flag. Following the race, Lawrie and Parker were warmly congratulated by the President of France, Vincent Auriol, before driving the Aston back to the UK.
Lawrie was back at Le Mans the following year with a Riley 2. 5-Litre, finishing 17th overall with Geoffrey Beetson, and for 1951 acquired a new Jaguar XK120, 'AEN 546', which was delivered by Parker's of Bolton. Lawrie and his friends prepared the car with assistance from the factory, which may have included providing the SE package of performance enhancements and the C-type cylinder head. Lawrie's preparation included cutting holes in the bonnet to provide better access for checking oil and water, and painting the chrome trim black to prevent dazzle during the night. The XK120 was given competitor number '21', following on from the numbering of the works C-Types. The RAF roundel is a reference to co-driver Ivan Waller's links with aviation.
Lawrie and Waller duly brought 'AEN 546' home in 11th place overall and 6th in class at an average speed of 85. 25mph, having completed 236 laps ahead of Ferraris, Porsches, Aston Martins and Talbot Lagos. All on a wet track. This result makes 'AEN 546' the highest Le Mans-finishing XK120 ever. In 1952 the Morgan Car Company persuaded Lawrie to enter one of their Plus Fours in that year's Le Mans, but the car was poorly prepared and the effort a failure. Lawrie sold 'AEN 546' around 1954/ 55. He died in 1982 aged 79.
'AEN 546' then disappeared from view until its chance rediscovery by John Colley in 1972. John Colley was only looking for a replacement rear end for his own XK120, but was told by the seller, John Pollard, that he had to take the entire car. What John got was a rolling chassis with front suspension, front body and rear body with all mudguards, and an engine, gearbox and boxes of parts. Apparently, the Jaguar had been club raced after Lawrie sold it, and was with Caterham Car Services in Surrey in 1961. The XK came with a registration document for 'AEN 546', identifying it as the Lawrie car.
John Colley was busy running his garage business and after a year or so had done nothing with 'AEN 546' when he sold the car to fellow XK enthusiast, Bob Kerr. Bob club-raced the Jaguar for a few years after he restored it and then sold it to Herbert Proctor of Blairgowrie in 1978. Mr Proctor kept 'AEN 546' for the next 20 years until marque specialist Guy Broad bought the car from his widow. Guy restored the XK120 to original specification and took it back to Le Mans in 2002, 51 years after its historic result. The car was restored to Le Mans specification again in 2014 and is described by our vendor as in excellent condition throughout (bills available). A wonderful opportunity to own and enjoy an important piece of Jaguar sporting history, eligible for the Le Mans Classic and many other high-profile events, including the Mille Miglia.
All lots are sold 'as is/ where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams|Cars website for all pertinent auction information.
