Tag: xk120

A Review Of The Classic Sports Car, The 1949 Jaguar XK120

02 July 2010

Jaguar has long been one of the best car manufactures on the globe. They started up from humble beginnings in 1922 and eventually worked their way into the mainstream. Sir William Lyons and William Walmsley founded the company in England, and today it’s located in Coventry. Worldwide, Jaguar employs over 10,000 people and is a top player in their field.

The car manufacturer was turning heads soon after opening in the 1920s. Their SS 100 was a one-of-a-kind car that, unlike many others of the era, didn’t require an onboard mechanic due to constant failures. Jaguars were well put-together pieces of machinery, and after the war, they began working on their XK120 model in 1948.

Originally, the XK120 wasn’t even supposed to be a car. William Lyons had planned on the Jaguar’s body acting as more of a vessel to showcase the new Jaguar XK engine. This inline 6-cylinder engine with a dual overhead camshaft was a beast for its day. The high-torque, low-stress design of the engine made it popular in the automotive world in general.

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