The Inline 6 Cylinder You Need to Hear to Believe -1954 Jaguar XK120 Roadster POV Drive 

Thanks to @Wilemotorsport for letting me experience the Jag from the driver's seat. It's important to keep driving the classics to appreciate motorsport history and share the passion with the next generation.

Nothing would make me more nervous than the owner of the car telling me “good luck” before I start the engine lol

I like how if you activate auto generated subtitles youll notice that when the car revs it says [Music]

I must say, sports car fans in 1954 were NOT deprived. That's a REAL sports car!

This is what was once called “motoring”. A visceral connection between man, machine and environment. The driver has to be an active participant; no ABS, no brake booster, no adaptive cruise control, no lane departure sensor, no power steering, no flappy paddles, no clutch slave cylinder.... just glorious.

The trick to not grinding a Moss ‘box is to to say “god save the Queen” between shifts

It sounds PERFECT

The snarl of a straight six cannot be duplicated by any other engine design. Glorious!

I'm at 4 seconds, and I think I just heard the best sound I've ever heard in my entire life. God, that's amazing!

The straight six is THE sound of motorsport!

Just lovely!

Kids today; The Supra has the best sounding six-cylinder in the world...Fast and furious says so... Grandpa Jag;...Hold my whiskey...

You nailed almost every shift. My dad had the hardtop. Drove my mom from England to the south of France for their honeymoon in 1956, pulling a small trailer with my mom's luggage in it. That may be the only time an XK120 has ever been used as a tow vehicle

If you're used to anything with even remotely modern hydraulic brakes, hopping into a manual brake machine is the scariest thing you can do. My first foray was in something significantly larger but cheaper, my dad's 65 Ford Pickup driven in the 90s. You push on the brakes, and nothing happens. Push harder and still, nothing happens. You feel that trickle of sweat come down your face, full pucker factor of 11 as your A*hole tries to ingest the seat. You're literally standing with both feet smashing the brakes, slapping the clutch once in a while as you row down the gears then put it back on the brake to help your other struggling leg, praying that at some point you'll start to slow down faster than the space disappears between you and the quickly approaching car in front of you. And the whole while, your brain is repeating the words of your father, "Everything works in this truck, so bring it back that way." Meanwhile the other half of your brain is imagining what a sizeable dent will look like in the bumper, the other car that will pancake from a massive steel leviathan rolling into it at 35, and how much you're about the star the windshield using your skull.

I'm 69 and now one of my one vivid teenage memories is when my late Aunt Jean arrived in our driveway one spring in 1963 at the wheel of her silver 1952 drophead XK120. Possibly the coolest thing and boldest entrance I have ever experienced. For 3 consecutive years she drove that Jag cross country from her home in New Mexico to her cottage in Port Stanley Ontario on Lake Erie. My brothers and I went nuts. It was the coolest looking and sounding thing we had ever seen or heard. It had Borrani wire wheels and the lead knockoff wheel mallet in the trunk. It also had a small dash plaque attesting that a racing version of it had set a lap record at Lemans. I was too young to drive but she let me hit the start button and rev it and showed me how to slip the clutch to get it moving. Smelled of leather and oil. She took me on my birthday in it to the Stratford Festival theater for my first Shakespearean play. It was really all about the 2 hour trip in the Jag with the top down. Another year she made the trip from New Mexico with my cousin and a large dog packed into it. She and that car were a perfect match. Miss them both.

I had a 120 roadster back in 1967. That engine sound brought back so many wonderful memories i had to change my underware. The best sound ever was obtained driving it through the tunnel in Santa Monica where the freeway dumps onto the coast highway...pure heaven.

Yea , I remember the noise well ! I was 8 years old , sitting on my Dads lap steering ( with his help) as we went through Wiwona (sp) Tunnel on the way to Yosemite ....and he kicked the clutch in and ''popped'' the throttle a few times ........yes , REMEMBER IT WELL !! (74 now)

This is one a the best engine sound I've ever heard!

i just love cars that aren't renovated within an inch of their life this car has the correct patina a car can only be original once

Friend of mine in high school (1969) found one of these in the coupe model for $400. We spent 6 months restoring it, getting the engine running, re-upholstering the interior and painting it in hand rubbed laqcuer paint. Amazing car, would hit 125MPH easily and handled like a go cart. He wrecked it two days after we finished it. Wish I had it now.

A friend in college had a 1956 for a couple of years, until he broke a transmission gear trying to push start it in -25F temperatures. The replacement gear came six months later, straight from England. Loved the straight-six sound and singing of the lower gears. It was a spitfire on wheels with the sound and long view forward of an imaginary "spit!" Great video, great car. LKW

This channel is so underrated, I've been binging for like 4 days lol. Great stuff!

Wasn't expecting such pep out of this car but sounds like it's got some!

As a truck driver very experienced in non synchromesh gearboxes, I think the host did a good job changing gears and not grinding every one. These old cars drive very much like old trucks but with such a beautiful engine sound and performance.

This was the first sports car I ever rode in - when I was a child, my next door neighbor owned one exactly like this except it was red - I was maybe 4 or 5 years old, standing up in the passenger's seat, wind blowing through the cockpit, that glorious engine thrumming away, the smell of leather and oil and whiff of gasoline. I'll never forget it as long as I live - been a life long sports car fan ever since (particularly Jags) These cars are magical!

Hahaha the gearbox is *just* like my Tacoma 🤣 “Yeah, it’s synchronized - yep.” *crunch*

Imagine having that as a daily driver lol

This brings tears to my eyes. I used to have an XK 120, what a machine, loved the drift through the corners, that long wheelbase made is sweet to control and the torque was great.

Had a 1954 XK120 in 1966. Paid $150 for it. Actually ran pretty good after some mechanics did a free tune up on it. My friend, a mechanic took care of it and even painted it robin egg blue while I was at art college. We took it out for a ride on Cape Cod. It looked just like this video. Had a glass pack on it and sounded amazing. Had no problem with shifting. Had a super short race type shift pattern. When I moved across the US to Calif. I gave the keys to the mechanic who cared for its mom. He was in the Navy (maybe Vietnam at the time), and walked away.

Sounds so Good. Jeremy Clarkson: Its a JAAAAG

That's something I could drive all day just for the sound alone!

Cars like this have character. Not many cars like this anymore.

Holy jesus listening to that sweet purr with headphones on is an unbeatable experience.

amazing sound

No cup holder, no infotainment system? What is this? The fiftie-- oh yeah... nvm Amazing sound tho! My goodness. No power assisted brakes right?

I'm a retired trucker, biker, and automotive enthusiast. Think about this. When upshifting a car with a non-synchromesh transmission, you do not need to "blip" the throttle for the revs to catch up. You need to keep off the gas to let the revs drop for the nest higher gear. You only need to rev the motor when you are downshifting.

My late uncle, Don Callarman of Downey, CA, had this car. When I was 15, back in the early 70s, my brother Seth and I flew out to stay with Don and his family, and he gave my brother and me the "job" of basically polishing every part on the car and helping him install a radiator hose. I remember the DOHC in-line 6 with polished aluminum...everything. And Abarth exhausts, which have a phenomenal sound. On the day before we left, we got ONE short ride in the car, down the boulevard, VROOOOOOOOM!, before it blew out the hose and Don U-turned and headed for home. A car like that can change your life, if you're a teenaged future "car guy." It put the demon in my blood. I'm still chasing that sound!

I would be sweating bullets and riddled with anxiety driving that. I'm glad someone else can do it and I can listen to the sound

What a cool experience

I firmly believe NOTHING sounds better than an inline 6 with true dual exhaust!

Than you! My introduction to sports cars was a 1954 Jaguar XK120 MC. In 1956. Got I loved that car. It was my Dad's and he raced it, successfully.

Crazy sound - six-cylinders are really up there when they sound this good.

I was a kid when these Jags were in the hands of kids of people who could afford to buy Corvettes, T-Birds and Jaguars at slightly more than a normal sedan. My friend and Neighbor had a XK-150 and would regularly race late '50 Corvettes or triple nickel T-Birds. The Jag would always lose off the line but once it was in 2nd gear, it was Bye Bye American Pie.

A wonderful video that put me right back into the drivers seat of my 1954 XK 120 MC (modified competition). I bought the car in 1963 when I was 18 for $700, rebuilt it myself with a Jaguar shop manual and was dating a gorgeous co-ed. Life could not have been better! I owned that car for three years and traded it off for a 1964 XK-E. Your video took me back to the : heavy steering, wonderful exhaust note , dodgy brakes, temperamental gear box, moth eaten carpeting and smell of hot oil. . Thanks so much, this was the next best thing to actually driving one again. PS; your comments about being thrilled and terrified at thee same time were spot on. At 76 I would most likely feel the same in a car that I felt totally in control of at 18 years old.

I had no idea. Thank you. One of the best engine notes I have ever heard. It appeared to be quite a quick accelerating car. Good for you both.

You weren’t kidding. Sounds amazing, I’d say this may have made its way into my top 3 straight 6 engine notes list

My captions says “music” as it revs.... couldn’t agree more

I think this is what the guy was talking about when he was quoted as saying, "A thing of beauty and a joy forever"

Neighbor on back side of our block drove hubby to train every morning. She comes around the corner and winds up first getting high by our third house from corner. I never needed an alarm. Your sound is accurate.

Goosebumps. Every time I hear that engine, I think I’ve watched this video over 50 times. 2:28 3:15 3:47 4:40 6:00 6:40 9:40

Many thanks for taking me back to 1965, and the XK150 Jag I had then. Best sound ever, thanks to the long-stroke 3.4 litre motor with heaps of torque. Not a wet road car by any means, but a superb tourer with a top speed of 135 mph.

I come back and watch this video all the time because this thing sounds so amazing.

My God what a sound! Sounds better than a lot of modern cars.

One of the most beautiful cars ever and the noise is Honey.

I often forget that this is one of the dreamiest cars of all time. Awesome drive!

Thank you Dad for the XK120 in the 9th grade I love and miss you!

Yes , the wonderful sound of the Jaguar in line 6 is unique . I have a Mk. 2 3.8 litre and it never ceases to amaze!

This is incredible. I had no clue this car existed until now, but that exhaust note is like nothing else.

On Christmas Eve (early 2000’s, I can’t remember what year now) I was getting a cupboard for my mum at Bunnings (think Lowes if you’re USA). I parked next to an XK120 in my little Ford Laser hatchback, and was drooling over it when the owner came out with two big boxes that wouldn’t fit in his Jag. I asked where he lived so I could follow him home because I knew his stuff would fit in my car, and it turned out I was going that way. I gave him my keys and went in to get what I needed. When I came out, he threw me the keys to the XK 😮. He drove my car and I drove the Jag for about 15km (10 miles or so) along a nice winding country road. I was blown away by the torque and the fact that some random bloke let me drive his beautiful, expensive classic car. And he drove at 120km/h and I had to keep up. A great memory that I’ll cherish forever! 😊

Ouch, it hurts to see this. My grandfather had one of these stored in a shed on one of his properties for 50+ years. He told me when I was a kid he'd give it to me when I was older. When he passed away a few years ago, my family sold it off to some random dude for an insanely low price before realizing that I wanted it.

I love the old XK engines. Many years ago I came up to a MKII (ice blue) on the Autobahn. I got beside it and lowered the passenger window. Obviously the Jag pilot understood and shifted down. Oooouuuhhh... Goose bumps! Horn signals and we went our ways. That was a wonderful experience.

There's something to be said for the Jags, Astons, and even Triumphs of the day with the straight 6s. The sound from that XK is glorious, this is definitely a video that has made my day. Everything on this car is simple, analog. It brings you back to a time when cars were simpler. When these cars were new, England's first motorways weren't opened until almost 5 years later. Imagine this motoring down narrower roads than what you were on in this? As a car guy I'm envious of all of these cars that you are able to drive & show us, but I'm thankful that I'm able to "see" them through your eyes & ears. Again thank you for this video & keep up the great work!

Im 2 years late, but I never knew I needed this glorious sound. Its as others have said. Its perhaps the sound of the purest connection to the car.

Fantastic sound. Takes me back to leaning to drive in my Dad's XK 140 coupe. It was a magnificent experience. Thanks Dad! This video has convinced me to drag my 70 XkE out of the garage and restore it.

This car is extraordinarily beautiful....and sounds spectacular. I just wish we could experience the smells that accompanied it, old leather, oil, and carbs ❤️

Thats the definition of the driving experience. Also, seems to have much more pep than "160hp" might suggest

I love the way you can hear the sound reverberating off all the buildings and other cars as it opens up like its always announcing its street cred wherever it goes.

I really like the gearing in the car. Keeps it in the power band really well and it sounds amazing!

One word for this car: *PRISTINE*

Reminds me of double-clutching to deal with the woefully worn synchros on my old 914

That exhaust is something from the gods. Beautiful!

This is the ABSOLUTE BEST sounding straight six I EVER heard!!! Amazing!

6:43 Goosebumps ❤️

"The brakes feel like a suggestion".. Almost spit my coffee out🤣😂😆

Magnificent! I had an XK120 with the prototype 140 engine, in 1961. I drove from London to Southern Portugal and back. That sound - sleeping French villages, 2 am, in second gear at precisely 2400 revs -pure magic!

My first car was a 1957 XK-140MC (210 hp. version). At the age of 17 I had to build it myself, as it was in 100's of pieces when I bought it for $250. Never worked on any car before, but the prev. owner gave me the factory shop manual with the car. I studied that manual for about a month before I started working on it. Valve job (by hand), wiring, etc. Drove that car daily for about 10 years, and took many incredible road trips in it. Best, most exciting car I've ever owned, and that is saying a lot considering past E-types, XK-8, XJ-R's, XJ-6's, Mk. VIII, '63 Stingray, etc. 55 years later, I still miss that car. The sound in this video is what really got me, and stirred so many memories.

Man your output is crazy strong. Very interesting selection of cars also. Love what youre doing, keep it up.

The Sound, that dashboard, revolution counter in the right place, the whole feeling! U n i q u e and incredible! Greetings from Germany from a real Jaguar Fan 🧡🧡🧡

I never imagined that these old Jags sound like THAT! MAGNIFICENT! I like this car, which seems like a very nice DRIVER! All I can say is WOW!

Looks like it drives pretty sweet considering it’s vintage. But I like the feel of old cars that make you feel them.

What a glorious sound when it’s up on the cams!! Deceased friend took me for a ride through the upscale East Cleveland countryside in the 80’s. Never forget that. Dammit Man I miss Chuck

Definitely a contender for the Most Beautiful car ever made. Rolling sculpture, and the sound is better than modern supercars.

About 1969 I traded a pretty nondescript 47 Plymouth convertible for a 53 120 drophead coupe. We put a new top on the car (was originally a mint green with green leather), but painted nasty army green. Had mechanical issues, but with too many other projects, decided it should go-burned oil, smoked, but all correctable with money. Sold for $900. dumbest automotive move I ever made, perhaps! Too soon old, too late smart. My friend also got one from behind a body shop (we lived near a military base in central NJ and a fair number of these must have come over with returning GIs). He lost his license in 6 months! Easy to do with a powerful car like this-just couldn't keep it under 60 mph it seemed. Very exhilarating video. thanks for sharing!

I've come back to this video countless times, just can't get enough of the sound 🥰

That engine noise is beautiful, same to the car what a wondeful classic

All your latest videos have been amazing! From the kei cars to these older beautys

Can we take a second to appreciate the pristine sound quality? No wind noise, beautiful surround sound, a pleasure with headphones.

Love the throttle blips between gear changes

i can smell the exhaust gas just by hearing it

What a terrific engine sound. I should record it to play it in my car !

Awesome. Great to see an original car. Not some over restored one. Has the character it has earned in an honest lifetime. Thanks for a wonderful honest video. No ads. No music. A smattering of car history and tech numbers.

this is the best sounding car I have ever heard

had me giggling a bit watching that tachometer jump, like it's just tryna guess what the revs are

the fact that it sounds like that at 4k rps is insane

A friend gave me a ride in his old Jaguar back in 1975. Sure loved that sound and the way the engine seemed to have an almost linear power curve.

Best sounding 6cyl I've ever heard.

my grandma had an alloy bodied XK120 in the 50s, the car she learned to drive on no less.

When my dad got out of the Army Air Corps, he went into the Jag dealer in Houston Tx with CASH money to buy a new Jag. As he reached for the door handle to look inside, the salesman yelled at him not to touch it. He walked out and never went back.

I had the honor of riding in a '55 XK140 back in that time and this video sure brought back a fond memory. Thanks.

The sound on this is just GORGEOUS! I love that exhaust!