The Jaguar XK120 shook things up in the car world when it came on the scene in 1948. By marrying a ground-breaking silhouette to the 120?s powerful performance engine, Jaguar made this model an instant classic. Famed for its ability to effortlessly reach 120 miles-per-hour, with 0-60 in only 10 seconds, the XK120 moniker makes perfect sense, and in this vehicle, its managed to retain it’s heart-pounding performance ability. But of the 120?s, the upgraded SE was la cr?me de la cr?me – boasting wire wheels, stiffer suspension, a dual exhaust system, and increased power – rated at 180bhp, as compared with the standard XK120 at 160bhp. These performance upgrades on what was already a groundbreaking performance car in the 1950s make the xk120SE a rare bird. Matching numbers SE’s rarely come to market, and are hardly ever as well preserved as the example on offer today.

This example is a low-mileage, rust-free, wire wheeled, matching numbers 1952 Jaguar XK120 SE that is in exceptionally good driving condition and is thoroughly original – right down to the carpets. This car comes with all of the original books and manuals, including: the Operations, Maintenance, and Service Handbook, as well as the Jaguar Guarantee certificate and the Service Vouchers. Also present with the car is the original factory tool roll, pictured below.

When we purchased this car, it was dead-of-winter and the car fired right up. The previous owner was a Jaguar collector who specialized in 120?s and who kept meticulous records of all the work done to the car throughout his ownership. When this car was sold as part of an estate at a public auction in 2002, it had only 55,320 original miles on it; in the last decade, it’s only accumulated 4,000 miles more.

In terms of originality, the car’s body panels have never come off, its engine has never come out, even the original leather grease covers for the rear leaf springs have never been replaced. Only the seats have been re-covered, the door cards replaced, and the car has undergone a single respray. The car is completely rust-free and has no major mechanical or cosmetic wants. Driving this car as it is now is like a time-warp.

This car is a survivor – in its life, it has traveled 58,000 miles and come out almost entirely unscathed – having never suffered a botched restoration, dereliction and negligence, or recklessness.  It is truly rare to find such a well-preserved, original, matching numbers, rust-free XK120 SE and they are as coveted now as they were when they came onto the scene 50 years ago. In today’s Jaguar market, a documented, matching numbers, original XK120 SE is the holy grail of production Jaguars from the 1950s.

Please see the bottom of this listing for the transcription of the service records we received from the previous owner in addition to photographs of the original factory documentation that came with the car.

For more photos, please visit: WWW.OXFORDMOTORCARS.COM


Please call:
Oxford Motorcars
435 West Avenue
Pawtucket, RI 02860
(401) 724-5650


We pride ourselves on the accuracy and detail of our descriptions, and we have many satisfied customers from around the world who have bought cars from us without ever seeing them. However, for those of you not comfortable purchasing a vehicle 'sight-unseen', we are happy to set up an appointment for you to see and drive this car yourself, as well as speak with our manager about it. If you are unable to meet in person, we are more than happy to walk around the car and answer any specific questions or provide additional descriptions over the phone. You can reach us at (401)724-5650.

Additionally, we sell many of our cars overseas, to international buyers. We have extensive experience shipping cars abroad and will be happy to work with you to get your car to the port of your choice. We want all of our customers to be happy with the vehicles that they purchase - please let us know if there is anything we can do to make the process easier for you.

 


46,000 Miles:
New joints installed in (dist?)
Master cylinder rebuilt
New fan belt installed

48,000 Miles:
New points installed in fuel pump
Generator take apart and (brushes?) cleaned
Valves checked for clearance
New transmission mounts installed
New bearing installed at drive end of generator
Carburetors taken off and cleaned out
New front manifold installed

49,000 Miles:
New clutch and throwout bearings installed.
New front motor mounts installed.
New gaskets installed in transmission.
New lines installed in clutch linkage and clutch fork.
New brake lining on rear wheels
New ignition wires installed.
New ignition coil installed.
New shocks installed on front.
New upper and lower ball joints installed on right side.

50,000 Miles:
Both front wheel bearing removed, cleaned and replaced with new grease.
Front brake wheel cylinders rebuilt.
New flexible oil line installed.

52,150 Miles:
New water pump installed.

54,278 Miles:
All new brake hoses.
All brake drums turned.
4 new tires and tubes.

54,870 Miles:
All new radiator hoses, New antifreeze, Cooling system flushed completely
New (Imco?) brake shoes installed on front
Generator taken apart and cleaned
New fan belt
New left rear axle hub installed
New horn relay