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JAGUAR XK120 OTS

Tailor-made speed

YEAR: 1951

Every collection has cars that cannot be sold: sometimes expensive or rare, or because they belonged to a loved one—sometimes because even years after buying them, it feels like we are appreciating them more with each passing day.
For our garage at Passione Classica, all chosen cars are desired, imagined, and obtained with the purpose of owning and using them, sometimes for months, sometimes for years. Amongst the “untouchables” is this gorgeous XK120 OTS.

The considerable restyling, completed in 2021, has definitely given this car a racing aesthetic.

Historical background

From races to Jet Set

This model was born in the postwar period, more precisely in 1948, in two body styles: the DHC Cabriolet (drophead coupé) and the OTS Roadster (only two seater), the latter more streamlined and sporty, due to the total absence of lateral windows (stored in the boot) and the hood, hidden and folded behind the two comfortable seats.
The number 120 referred to the top speed stated in miles per hour (193 km/h): a true record—the first of many—that made this XK the fastest production vehicle in the world. The record set in 1949 is now part of automotive history: it was established on the JABBEKE-AALTER motorway, closed for the occasion, where one of the first specimens of this Jaguar reached 126 mph with mounted bonnet and windscreen. A whopping 210 km/h to demonstrate that the parent company had declared a speed their car could indeed reach, equipped with the standard 3.4 L, 6-cylinder engine.
This model undoubtedly marked a pivotal change in the automotive world. Its story is one dotted with illustrious competitions (Targa Florio, Mille Miglia, Le Mans to mention a few), and illustrious characters like Clark Gable, the first to own one, or the celebrated driver Stirling Moss, who won a race with it.
The reliability of its engine is legendary: during its development it went through countless tests, the most famous being endurance, where the Jaguar XK120 OTS was launched for seven days in a row at an average speed of 161 km/h.

Technical specifications

  • BODY STYLE: 2-seat roadster
  • LENGTH: 4,420 mm
  • WIDTH: 1,562 mm
  • HEIGHT: 1,334 mm
  • WHEELBASE: 2,591 mm
  • POWER OUTPUT: 160 hp
  • DECLARED TOP SPEED: 192 km/h
  • ACCELERATION 0–100 km/h: 10.5 s
  • ENGINE PLACEMENT: Front
  • DISPLACEMENT: 3,442 cc
  • CYLINDERS: Inline 6
  • FUEL TYPE: Petrol
  • DRIVETRAIN: RWD
  • WEIGHT: 1,295 kg
  • REGISTRATION YEAR: 1951

The soundtrack

In 1951, in Italy, Nilla Pizzi won the Sanremo Music Festival with “Grazie Dei Fior”.
But since this vehicle was first registered in the USA, I chose a song from the mid-fifties, more precisely 1954, to salute the end of the XK120 production, then replaced with the XK140. “Earth Angel“ by “The Penguins”.

Woody Allen’s film “Cassandra’s Dream” features a gorgeous XK120.

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