2016-11-13 00:13:15 | pauls writes:

Car to be at auction 11/16
www.historics.co.uk/buying/auctions/2016-11-26/cars/ref-128-1951-jaguar-xk120-ro ...

Auction description:
Lot 153 - 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster
Registration TUR 25
Chassis Number 660587
Odometer reading 62,700 miles
Estimate £75,000 - £95,000

This righthand drive roadster was built on 11th January, 1951 and supplied new to Henlys in London on 29th January with its first registration the following month on 9th February and subsequently resided in the same family from 1985 through to 2016. This XK was prepared for rallying and tours in 1985 for the Pirelli Marathon and, in 1988, had substantial work carried out by Roman Garage near Grantham with WE 'Wilkie' Wilkinson supervising as detailed on an invoice from 10th February 1988 with bills totalling £3,493.

Wilkie prepared ERAs for the 1938 Donington Grand Prix and, with ten others, founded the BRMC. In 1951, Wilkie became partners in a garage and word soon spread that the 'Ace Tuner' had taken up residence and work began to flow in. Through this partnership, Ecurie Ecosse was formed and, during the 1953 campaign, brought a 2nd place at Spa-Francorchamps with the C-Type Jaguars. Wilkie also tuned and prepared the D-Types that won the 1956 and 1957 Le Mans races and subsequently moved on to BRM working with the likes of Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart; this XK was in more than capable hands!

Work carried out in 1988 consisted of the original engine being deemed beyond repair and a larger 3.8 litre unit fitted with all new valve guides, re-boring and re-facing of the cylinder block, machining of the inlet manifold, turning of the flywheel with an improved compression ratio of 9:1. Added braking performance was in the guise of XK150 discs all round. The car has been used regularly on various rallies; one being in November 2001 where it took part in the Rally of the Tests, the pioneering first edition of the re-run with the XK used as the main shot in Classic & Sports Car magazine's article on the event.

Further work by Romans Garage included a full servicing, remedial work and checking all cylinder bores in June 2000 costing some £2,785. Later, in 2002, further work costing some £1,357 was spent plus a further £2,533 in 2006 at 56,994 miles. A full service by Romans Garage was carried out at 59,160 miles and is recorded in the detailed service history. A plethora of MoT test certificates, with the earliest dating back to 1972, are found in the file along with the original green log book, a current V5 document, a current MoT test certificate valid until July 2017, the Heritage Trust Certificate and various additional bills and invoices.

Finished in its original colour of cream paintwork, the car shows wonderful signs of patina that can only be achieved by loving and long-term use. From the painted wire wheels, louvered bonnet (with leather strap) to the black leather interior and dashboard with character to spare and all exuding an honesty and charm in equal measure and complementing the paint work. It is truly rare to find an XK120 such as this.

2016-11-13 09:58:00 | Paul Whitfield writes:

The Hertfordshire vehicle registration records show that this car was registered MRO 2, this registration was issued sometime between Feb 1951 and May 1951, so it could have been the car's original registration. The registration TUR 25 was allocated on 1st Feb 1955, presumably when the car was sold by its first owner. The reg MRO 2 was retained, possibly by Odeon Motors, the dealer in Barnet, Hertfordshire, because MRO 2 was also allocated to a 120 OTS which was subsequently registered URO 37 on 16th June 1955. Was URO 37 the same car as TUR 25 or a different car? Can anyone add any information?

2018-06-19 21:53:01 | pauls writes:

Car to be at auction 7/18
www.bonhams.com/auctions/24876/lot/361/

Auction description:
Lot 361
1951 Jaguar XK120 3.8-Litre Roadster
Registration no. TUR 25 Chassis no. 660587
£ 75,000 - 85,000
US$ 99,000 - 110,000
The Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale
Registration no. TUR 25
Chassis no. 660587
• One of only 1,175 right-hand drive roadsters
• Single family ownership from 1985 to 2016
• Rallied extensively
• XK150 disc brakes all round

The XK120 was produced until 1954 and would prove to be the most popular of the XK series, with 12,078 examples built, of which only 1,175 were right-hand drive roadsters like that offered here. Finished in cream livery, '660587' was completed on 11th January 1951 and supplied new to Henlys in London on the 29th of that month, subsequently belonging to the same family from 1985 to 2016.

In 1985, this XK was prepared for rallying and tours, including the Pirelli Marathon, while three years later, in 1988, it benefited from extensive works carried out by Roman Garage near Grantham. These works were supervised by the late W E 'Wilkie' Wilkinson, celebrated former team mechanic with Écurie Écosse and BRM (see invoice on file). The original engine being deemed beyond repair, an overhauled and tuned (9.0:1 compression ratio) 3.8-litre unit was installed, while at the same time the braking system was up-rated with XK150 discs all round. Since then, the car has been rallied regularly, including the 2001 Rally of the Tests, featuring as the main illustration in Classic & Sports Car magazine's article on the event.

Roman Garage continued to service the XK on a regular basis, as evidenced by bills on file. The file also contains an old-style green logbook, V5C registration document, Heritage Trust Certificate, and numerous MoT certificates, the earliest dating back to 1972. Since its acquisition by the current vendor in November 2016, the XK has been maintained by his own in-house mechanic. A wonderful opportunity to acquire an upgraded example of Jaguar's iconic and much loved XK sports car in its earliest and purest form, eminently usable and ready to enjoy.