1950 Jaguar XK 120 OTS Alloy-bodied Roadster
- Engine
- 3.4L twin-cam inline-six
- Colour
- Red
A very early Jaguar XK 120 roadster with an aluminium body, one of only 242 such examples built, manufactured in January 1950 and originally dispatched to the Jaguar distributor in Caracas, Venezuela. Its documented history includes a full restoration and subsequent concours refinement that resulted in a class win and Best of Show at the 1989 JCNA Biennial Concours. The original engine block is verified by Jaguar Heritage, and the car retains correct period fittings including aluminium-hub brake drums.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$330,000
- —Auction saleEstimate US$300,000 – US$400,000
- 1950-02-01 →Factory deliveryCAMAV (Jaguar distributor, Caracas)full documentation
Car was shipped to this Venezuelan distributor in February 1950 per Jaguar Heritage records; finished in Red over Biscuit with red interior.
- 1979 →Acquisition unknownJames Caraherpartial documentation
Tacoma, Washington owner who commissioned a restoration of the vehicle during his period of ownership.
- Date unknownPrivate saleRobert Amespartial documentation
Seattle-based owner who acquired the car from Caraher in the late 1980s and further refined the restoration to concours standard.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownCurrent consignorpartial documentation
Acquired in the early 2000s; stored the vehicle in a climate-controlled environment for many years before having XKs Unlimited carry out recent mechanical sorting.
Competition
- 1989-08-01JCNA Concours4th Biennial JCNA Concours, Bend, Oregon1st in class (99.36 points) and Best of Show
Result confirmed by the JCNA; car was presented in concours condition following refinement of the restoration by Robert Ames.
Maintenance & restoration
- —Restoration
A full restoration was carried out while the car was owned by James Caraher, though the specific scope and extent are not detailed.
Restoration took place during Caraher's tenure; precise date within his ownership period is not stated.
- —Restoration
The earlier restoration was further refined and elevated to a concours-quality standard by Robert Ames, resulting in the preservation of correct and rare original components.
Work was completed prior to the August 1989 JCNA Concours entry.
- —ServiceXKs Unlimited
The car was recommissioned and sorted by a Jaguar XK specialist following an extended period in climate-controlled storage.
Carried out recently (relative to the catalogue date) at the specialist's facility in San Luis Obispo, California.
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