2026-09-01 15:53:37 | pauls writes:

Car to be at auction 9/26

handh.co.uk/vehicles/1950-jaguar-xk120-roadster-12/

23rd Sep, 2026 Kelham Hall, Newark, Nottinghamshire

1950 Jaguar XK120 Roadster

Estimate £80,000 - £100,000

Registration No: GUJ 844

Chassis No: 660324

MOT: Exempt

Exceptionally early right-hand-drive steel-bodied XK120 Roadster

Retains numerous transitional features from the aluminium-bodied XK120s

Documented participation in the 1951 and 1952 RAC Rallies

Offered after an extraordinary 56 years of continuous ownership

Ten-year specialist restoration completed in 2006, with only 2,300 miles since

Exceptional history archive, including a book signed by Sir William Lyons

Offered here is GUJ 844, chassis 660324, a particularly important early right-hand-drive steel-bodied XK120 Roadster manufactured in November 1950. Its accompanying records identify engine number W2502-7 and body number F2419. The car was dispatched through Wales & Edwards of Shrewsbury and supplied new to H. R. Grosvenor. Its original colour scheme is recorded as Birch Grey with red trim, while the original Shropshire registration number GUJ 844 remains with the car today. Being among the earliest steel-bodied XK120s, GUJ 844 retains numerous fascinating features associated with the preceding aluminium-bodied cars. These include an aircraft-propeller-style aluminium radiator cooling fan, chromium-plated bonnet and boot props, chromium-plated seat bases and a chromium-plated hood frame. Further early details include a chrome push-button starter rather than the later black Bakelite type, the absence of scuttle ventilators in the front wings, early ignition-lead routing and distributor cap, a five-gauge dashboard, oil-level switch, studless camshaft covers and a leather-covered dashboard. Together, these transitional details make this a particularly interesting example for the dedicated XK enthusiast. GUJ 844 also possesses a documented period competition history. Research undertaken by XK Club historian John Bentley, supported by contemporary photographs, records the Jaguar participating in consecutive RAC Rallies in 1951 and 1952. It is visible at Silverstone during the 1951 RAC Rally carrying competition number 25, while another photograph shows it wearing number 133 on the Rest-and-be-Thankful stage of the 1952 event. Further archive research identified the car in contemporary rally film footage, providing an especially evocative connection with the XK120’s formidable competition heritage. The identity of its period driver has not yet been established.

The Jaguar’s exceptionally long present ownership began on 15th October 1970, when the vendor purchased it from Aubrey Finburgh of Classic Autos for £169 during his first year at university. The original correspondence and sales invoice from that transaction remain within the history file. Now offered after an extraordinary 56 years in the same ownership, GUJ 844 represents the increasingly rare opportunity to acquire an important XK120 directly from the enthusiast who has preserved it for more than half a century. After many years in storage, the owner embarked upon a painstaking ten-year restoration, completed in 2006. The work was extensive and is documented by a comprehensive photographic record, supported by three lever-arch files of invoices. The bodywork was entrusted to respected Jaguar XK specialist Iain McLeod of Contour Autocraft in Peterborough, while the paintwork was completed by Phoenix Autocraft Ltd. The leather interior was retrimmed by noted Jaguar trimmer Mike Turley. The quality and scale of the restoration are reflected not only in the car’s presentation, but also in the remarkable quantity of surviving documentary and photographic evidence.

Since completion, the XK120 has covered only approximately 2,300 carefully driven miles and, according to the vendor, has never been used in wet weather. It has been stored in unusually favourable conditions within a centrally heated and double-glazed garage. Evidently cherished as the owner’s pride and joy, the car has benefited from sparing dry-weather use and meticulous preservation throughout the two decades since its restoration was completed. The extensive accompanying archive considerably enhances this XK120’s appeal. In addition to the restoration photographs and invoices, it includes a Jaguar Heritage Trust Production Record Trace Certificate, period registration and production information, original MOT certificates and the vehicle logbook. Correspondence from marque authorities supports its provenance, while copies of the XK Gazette record the research into its competition history. Also included are an original early XK120 sales catalogue, operating and service manual, workshop manual and parts manual. Of particular interest is a copy of The Jaguar XK signed by Jaguar co-founder Sir William Lyons. The history file contains a 1979 letter from Sir William’s secretary agreeing to the request, together with a subsequent letter from Sir William personally returning the signed book. Such correspondence adds another highly personal element to an already exceptional archive. Combining early production features, documented RAC Rally participation, its original registration, 56 years of continuous ownership and an extensively recorded restoration by recognised specialists, GUJ 844 is far more than simply an attractive XK120 Roadster. It is a car of genuine historical significance, accompanied by the sort of provenance that can rarely be assembled retrospectively, and represents a compelling opportunity for the serious Jaguar collector.