2011-05-08 17:11:58 | Peter Ingram writes:

Now in a private museum in Sweden UK registration LLM 985 Now Black

2018-10-26 11:29:36 | Peter Ingram writes:

It seems the registrations have been updated as above

2022-12-14 20:46:25 | pauls writes:

Car now offered at:

www.classicdriver.com/en/car/jaguar/xk-120/1951/938896

Seller's description:

1951 Jaguar XK 120

Mileage 63 295 km / 39 330 mi

Chassis number 660570

Drive RHD

Condition Used

Interior colour Red

Exterior colour Black

Gearbox Manual

1951 Jaguar XK120 Open Two Seater 3.4 L, finished in black over red interior. Showing 63,295 KM but actual mileage is unknown to the age of the car. Chassis number 660570, the matching numbers block (W 2781-7) is not currently in the car but is included in the sale.

This beautiful right hand drive XK120 was constructed 9th January 1951 and dispatched from the factory 22nd January, finished in Black with a matching Black soft top and a Biscuit and Tan interior. The car moved on to London based Jaguar distributor, Henlys. It is not known who became the first owner of the car, and whom owned it thereafter. What we do have is a series of correspondence and two photos of the owners of the car in 1967, a Mrs P & G Avey residing in Brighton, England. Mr P Avey had seen the car advertised by a private owner in the local newspaper and bought it after going over to see it. Two colour photos can be found in the dropbox folder above, showing the couple sitting in their new acquisition at the ruins of Bramber castle outside Steyning, Sussex. At the time the car was painted white, with the interior changed to red leather and wearing the registration LXO 138. These English registration plates are included in the sale.

In 1968 Mrs P & G Avey moved to Sweden with their recently born son, bringing the Jaguar with them in the hope of registering and keeping the car there. Unfortunately there was a high tax on bringing the car into the country and the couple reluctantly decided to sell it, not able to justify the high cost in part due to it being an impractical car for a young couple with a recently born son.

The new owner of the car in Sweden was a Mr C Ahlberg, who appeared to have kept the car, unregistered, until 1972 before selling it to a gentlemen named Mr B Erikson. Here again we lose the paper trail until the car appears to have been officially registered for road use for the first time in Sweden, 15th March 1983 by a Mr S Liljekvist, residing at the time in Sollebrunn. The car remained in the possession of Mr Liljekvist for some 35 years before being acquired by our client, a collector and enthusiast of British sports cars in 2018. During the years prior to our client acquiring the car it was repainted back to its original factory colour of Black, but retained the red interior it had picked up some time between leaving the factory and the Avey’s taking ownership of the car in 1967.

The car has been inspected in our workshop, and appears to be in good running order, with the 3.4 liter twin-cam inline-six operating well. The brakes have been rebuilt and function well. The paint presents well from a few meters but on close inspection has a lot of light scratches as you would expect on a vehicle with paint that is a number of years old. We have tried our best to capture these in the photos. The interior is in very good condition for the age of the car, a little wear and patina in places but no serious marks or splits.

Included in the sale are the aforementioned English number places, the original matching numbers block and head, Swedish registration papers. Service documentation does not exist but there is some correspondence between previous owners along with a number of official tax documents and inspections in Sweden from 1968 and 1983.

This wonderful old Jag is both a beautiful sight to behold and a joy to experience behind the wheel, with some interesting history known. Not concours perfect but presenting well enough to turn heads wherever it travels, a drivers car ready to be experienced and enjoyed, as our client has during the past 4 years partaking in various local trips and events in the south of Sweden.

2023-05-03 08:35:53 | pauls writes:

Car returns to market 5/23

www.carandclassic.com/auctions/1951-jaguar-xk120-open-two-seater-rhd-nJVGZn

Seller's description:

1951 Jaguar Colour Svart Black

Odometer 63,295 Kilometres

Engine size 3442

Auction DetailsSeller Type Trade

Town Bromma

Location International

Country Sweden

A superbly presented example of the iconic XK120 open two-seater

A factory right hand drive car designated by its “66” chassis number prefix

Sold complete with its matching number block (W-2781-7), not currently fitted

Its currently fitted 3.4L twin-cam XK Jaguar engine is reported as running well

Our car is chassis number 660570 making it number 569 of only 1175 built in RHD OTS spec

The car was completed on the 9th January 1951

It left the Browns Lane factory on 21st January 1951

This car left the factory in black paintwork with a biscuit and tan interior

Distributor Henley’s of London first took delivery of the XK120

Not much is known about the early life of our car in the UK

The car reappears in 1967 in the ownership of a couple from Brighton

Photographic evidence shows the car was painted white with a red interior at this point

It also wore the registration number LXO138 (these plates are included) 

In 1968 the then owners moved to Sweden and took the Jaguar with them

They were shocked by the tax imposed on imported cars at the time

As result the couple sold the car to its first Swedish owner

The XK was known to have at least two Sweden based owners before 1983

At that point it was registered for road use in Sweden for the first time

That registering owner kept the car for a full 35 years 

The current, British sports car enthusiast, owner then acquired the car in 2018

At some point prior to its current ownership the car was returned to black

The paperwork archive includes the Swedish registration documentation

A number of tax documents and Swedish inspection documents are present

These cover the period between 1968 and 1983

Some correspondence between previous owners is also included

Some early photographs of the car are on-hand

These include a picture of the last British owners with the car in around 1967

The Interior

This XK120 features a highly original and beautifully presented interior 

Trimmed in “Old Red” leather throughout with matching woollen carpets 

Retrimmed form its tan factory specification at an unknown date

Whist the fixed head and drop head models featured wood veneer accents to the interior, the open two-seater, seen here, was fully leather trimmed. This was deemed more impervious to being caught in the odd rain shower which is an ever-present danger in this car’s native Great Britain. 

At an unknown point in the car’s history, it was fully retrimmed in its current red hue. Originally this change was clearly before its 1967 ownership, but the condition suggests it may have been redone more recently too. There is a minor, but charming, amount of use related patina to the generous front seats. These are stitched into vertical box pleats and a small central seat section creates a nominal three-person bench which could be pressed into use in emergencies.

The dashboard is trimmed in the same grained leather with the bulk of the instruments and other controls occupying the centre third of the dash. This area is populated with white on black Smiths gauges monitoring the car’s performance and operation. This includes a big, kilometres per hour speedometer and matching tachometer. There are also, smaller, supplemental gauges for fuel level, amps, water temperature and oil pressure. The big, original four spoke Bakelite steering wheel is fitted.

The deep woollen carpets appear to be later, sympathetic replacements based on their immaculate condition. The short, four speed gear lever with leather gaiter sits next to the chromed handbrake lever. The door cards are also finished in grained leather and present in excellent condition throughout. Even the pedal rubbers have been replaced with period-correct replacements. The only area of noticeable imperfection noted is a small area of discolouration to the passenger’s side dashboard leather, below the grab handle. This has been pictured for your review.

The deep boot is in a good overall condition. The underside of the boot lid is also finished in red leather. The boot floor is protected by a fitted ribbed rubber mat. A spare wheel and accompanying tools in a later Jaguar attaché case are present.

The Exterior

Our example is finished in gleaming black paintwork to return it to factory spec

Whilst not concours, the paintwork and body work are very good indeed

The car sits on period correct 16-inch steel wheels with charming rear “spats”

The open two-seater configuration of XK120, seen here, showcases the William Heynes design in its purest form. Being unencumbered by bulky hoods and even external door handles, helps to emphasise the amazingly timeless lines of the car. Even the deeply chromed bumpers are vestigial items to preserve that purity with a two-piece item at the front and just twin overriders at the rear.

The familiar nose of the car is surprisingly minimal for the period. Just the chromed, oval grill and single, wing mounted headlamps predominate. Our example is fitted with big, period twin driving lights which enhance the look still further. On the open two-seater even the windscreen could be removed to allow for the fitment of simple aero screens.

Our car sits on period correct 16-inch, pressed steel wheels. These are centred with Jaguar inscribed, full sized chrome hub caps. The charming, removeable rear wheel arch panels, or “spats” helped the XK slip through the air at higher speeds. The pristine wheels are fitted with a matching set of new Michelin 185, radial type tyres. 

There are some imperfections noted to the exterior, which is to be expected for a car of this age. These consist of some cracks in the paint finish and a number of light scratches.

The Mechanics

The XK engine was always considered the “main event” of the XK120

A sophisticated William Heynes design with dual overhead camshafts

The powerful engine enabled the car to exceed the 120 (mph) of its name

This example currently has the correct specification XK engine fitted which is reported to start, run and idle very well. This is not the matching number example, however, that the car left the Browns Lane factory with. That matching number head and block, however, are included in the sale and have been captured in our photographic package.

The under-bonnet presentation is excellent throughout with all the correct data plates in place together with some additional badges and emblems. The polished alloy sections of the engine look appropriately lustrous and shiny. The underside of the car also looks fantastic with no noted issues or problems which is impressive indeed for a 72-year-old sports car.

2023-10-27 10:43:17 | trond writes:

Car is now in Norway, it has engine W1172-7 installed, W 2781-7 comes on a pallet.