1953 Jaguar XK120 SE Drophead Coupé
- Engine
- 3.4L inline-six, twin overhead camshafts, aluminium-alloy head, 180 bhp (Special Equipment tune)
- Colour
- Dark blue
A 1953 Jaguar XK120 SE Drophead Coupé, chassis S677504, built on 23 June 1953 for export to the United States via Jaguar's West Coast distributor in Los Angeles. One of only 709 left-hand-drive Special Equipment drophead coupés produced, the car features the uprated 180 bhp twin-cam engine. Originally finished in Birch Grey with a red interior, it was discovered in a barn in 2003 and subsequently subjected to a thoroughgoing nut-and-bolt concours restoration, emerging in dark blue with a burgundy interior. Matching numbers throughout.
Ownership
- 2018-10-05Auction saleSold €165,000 (≈ $182K)
- 1953 →Factory deliveryHornburg (Los Angeles Jaguar distributor)partial documentation
West Coast US Jaguar distributor designated as the original delivery recipient when the car was built in June 1953 for the American market.
- 2003 → 2006Acquisition unknownDutch owner from Hengelopartial documentation
Acquired the car as a barn find and restoration project; was reluctant to sell despite interest from the current vendor.
- 2006 → 2015Private saleMr van Rossumpartial documentation
Commissioned a thorough nut-and-bolt concours restoration, repainting in dark blue and retrimming in burgundy; completed around 2012 but rarely drove the finished car.
- 2015 →Private saleCurrent vendorpartial documentation
Purchased from Mr van Rossum; reports the car has covered only around 3,000 km since restoration and remains in concours condition.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2006Restoration
Full nut-and-bolt concours-level restoration carried out over an extended period at multiple specialist restorers. Colour changed from original Birch Grey to dark blue; interior completely re-trimmed in burgundy. Work was undertaken to an exceptionally high standard at the owner's insistence.
Restoration was completed by 2012, at which point the car was re-registered for road use. The owner's perfectionist standards meant the work was spread across several different restorers and took considerable time to finish.
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