The Jaguar XK120 was the birth of one of the most celebrated sports and race car programs of the 50’s and 60’s. In this video we feature a 1952 XK120 FHC.
I was lucky to own and daily drive a 1953 XK120M FHC when I was a teenager in Los Angeles in the 1950s. It was an incredibly agile car and moved up and down the gears with heel-and-toe shifting seamlessly. I remember memorizing the timing of the signal lights in the San Fernando Valley and routinely driving from one end of the Valley to the other without ever stopping. This required quickly attaining speeds in some cases that may not have always stayed within the posted speed limits. On the high-desert roads outside of Los Angeles the car reached 120 mph and seemed capable of going on forever. A factory set of twin exhausts on the modified FHC produced a throaty, soul-stirring roar that has always remained in my ears.
when I was 19 years old I sat in one of these in a showroom in Coral Gables Florida. It was my first encounter with a foreign car and I was in love with it.
My first automobile when I was 18 years old in 1959 was a white 1952 XK120 FHC with disc wheels. The gearbox was loud and a bit tricky to shift, the handling at low speeds was like a truck, the brakes were not up to the top speed of the car, but I loved that machine! I would go on to own an XK120 DHC, MGs, Alfas, Volvos, BMWs and Mercedes Benz cars.That first Jag convinced me that I was not going to be happy in a country of Chevrolets, Fords and Chryslers, so I moved to Europe in 1965 and never looked back. That Jag changed the course of my life and I will always be grateful for it.
There's a great book called XK120 Explored that spells out the design roots for the XK120. It was built on the chassis and engine designed for the large saloon: the MK7. The first XK120 aluminum-bodied cars started Jaguar's post-war racing career, but not until 1951 when they replaced the truck-like chassis outright did they achieve the major racing success. Production 50's & 60's Jaguar sports cars are really built from the Saloon parts bin and that's what sets them apart. Great video thanks.
Pretty car. Owned a 1953 XK120 FHC MC for 15+ years, (a 96 point car by the way) However.. Use only Once ! brakes (Fatal Fade) And abysmal handling as there was Nothing other than the leaf springs, to locate/stabilize the rear axle So it Moved.. a Lot. A far better car to look at than to drive.. absolutely true.
Why do Americans persist on calling these beautiful cars jagWars... there's no W in the word JAGUAR!!! it's a U not a W!!! don't get me started on how they swap o's for a's!!!
Although the styling was very attractive, they failed to do anything significant about the poor braking capacity of the XK120's. Additionally, the engine design was absurd. The whole purpose of Dual Overhead Camshafts and Hemispherical Cumbustion Chambers was to achieve very high engine speeds(R.P.M.) compared to an Overhead Valve design that was widespread for all manufacturers. The Long Stroke/Small Bore designed produced an engine that was dead at 6000 R.P.M. The same moronic design continued through the 3.8 and 4.2 Liter engines until production stopped in the 1990's. The english automotive industry as a whole began its downhill slide by the 1970's. There is nothing manufactured in England of any significance considering VW owns Rolls Royce ! Even their Aircraft production went down the toilet with the end of the Harrier Jet in 1997.
@@paulgabolinscy2502 Your ridiculous single word comment reflects your lack of knowledge and experience. It appears you must be english or believe that everything manufactured in England is good !
@@iaidagger8278 Exhaust Sound has nothing to do with the quality, longevity or performance of any vehicle. A novice believes that if some vehicle sounds good it must be great, and wants to own one. Pathetic
