Jaguar XK 120/140/150
Born: 1948 Died: 1961
During the second World War, Jaguar was unable to build cars, but experimented with new engines, and when production restarted in 1946 with some update pre-war models, the company had also a brand new in-line six engine, dubbed the XK. Jaguar management decided to produce an interim handbuilt aluminium car to showcase the engine, and add some sexiness to the somewhat dated range of older cars on offer.
So the Earls Court Motor Show of 1948 was the debut of the XK Open Two Seater Super Sports show car. Orders flooded in and the car quickly established a reputation for performance, ride and roadholding, and style. The handbuilding and aluminium elements were ditched in favour of mass production, and so only 240 of the original cars were sold up to 1950. Then, redesigned with only mildly changed shape and now in steel, the car began to be produced in numbers that would satisfy demand.
The engine itself was a 3.4-litre unit, and the car had quickly been renamed the XK 120 Roadster because the 160bhp available was supposed to allow a top speed of 120mph. In 1951, the Roadster was joined by a Fixed Head Coupé variant, and two years later a Drop Head Coupé was added, with a properly stowable hood instead of the 'sticks' system of the cover for the open car. Wind-up windows, wood dash and doorcappings which had been added in the FHC also featured in the DHC.
The vast bulk of the cars were exported, as Britain was in dire need of currency from overseas and gave significant incentives for exports sales (or, more accurately, added a penal tax to home sales). In all, more than 12,000 XK 120s were built up to 1954.
The original cars had a bench seat, but after 1951 buckets were available, and heaters became standard. Luxury touches also included a fitted luggage option for the boot. In 1954, the revised model was introduced as the XK140, and among the significant changes were a rack and pinion steering system, telescopic dampers, and in the coupés a few inches extra inside room that allows the fitting of two very small rear seats. The engine had the same capacity of 3.4 litres, but now produced 190bhp in the base car and the SE.
In 1957, Jaguar updated the look of the XK with a single-glass curved windshield and a larger rear window on the FHC reflecting the incoming trend for 'wraparound' window style. Designated as the XK 150, this model also provided a plethora of new variants over the base 190bhp car. A year later a 3.8-litre variant of the engine, with a wider bore, was introduced, outputting 220bhp and with SE equipment and trim.
The XK 150 also had four-wheel disc brakes with power assistance. Interior changes to the coupés included the use of leather trim on the dashboard instead of walnut. Again, the familiar three body styles were produced. Some 2,682 XK150s were built before production declined in 1960, and was ceased in 1961, with the arrival of the new sensation from Jaguar, the E-Type. An interesting footnote is that a 2-litre four-cylinder car was proposed in the early days, with 95bhp and a designation as the XK100. But it was never produced because it would have cost as much to build as the XK120.
- BRIAN BYRNE