Jaguar XK 120

jaguar
Jaguar XK 120 OTS
XK 120
Production period:	1948-1954
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Coupé , roadster
Engines:	Otto engine : 3.4 liters (119 kW)
Length:	4406 mm
Width:	1574 mm
Height:	1397 mm
Wheelbase :	2590 mm
Empty weight :	1150 kg
Previous model	SS100
successor	Jaguar XK 140

Jaguar XK 120 OTS (1950)

Jaguar XK 120 DHC (1953)

Jaguar XK 120 FHC, built in 1954

Jaguar XK 120 Roadster, built in 1954

Jaguar XK 120, built in 1949, in racing trim

Cockpit of an XK 120, built in 1954

Engine compartment of an XK 120

The Jaguar XK 120 is a two-seater roadster that Jaguar launched in 1948 as the successor to the SS100 .

prehistory

The XK 120 was created as a fix for the "London Motor Show" in October 1948, the first after the World War. Jaguar actually wanted to present its new inline six-cylinder engine with the internal designation XK6 as a drive for a new high-speed sedan (the later Jaguar Mark VII ). The body development at Pressed Steel was not yet complete. So the idea arose to exhibit the engine in a sleek sports car as an eye-catcher.

description

In the Jaguar XK 120 OTS ( Open Two-Seater ) the engine with 3442 cm³ displacement has an output of 160 bhp (119 kW). It drives the rear wheels via a four-speed gearbox with center shift. It helps the roadster reach a top speed of 200 km / h. It is the first Jaguar engine with two overhead camshafts ( dohc ), which until then was only daring in very small series production. Nevertheless, a masterpiece of reliability and performance was immediately achieved, which was installed in the manufacturer's vehicles and also in military vehicles until 1992. The diagonally hanging valves result in an almost hemispherical combustion chamber, which was considered the perfect shape at the time.

The headlights were no longer individually mounted on the fenders as with the predecessor, but integrated into the fenders on the side of the bonnet. The rear wheel cutouts are covered with so-called spats . Initially, a small series production with a body in mixed construction was planned. This means that the body of an ash wood framework existed to which the British special operations Abbey Panels in the form driven nailed aluminum sheets. After the customers showed unexpectedly great interest, it became clear that the originally planned production of 240 vehicles would not be enough. Therefore, in April 1950, the same variant appeared with a welded body made of sheet steel, of which a total of 7373 units had been produced until the series was discontinued in 1954. Jaguar procured the steel bodies from Pressed Steel .

From 1951 there was the Jaguar XK 120 FHC ( Fixed Head Coupé ), a coupé with the same engine and a top speed of 194 km / h. By the time it was discontinued in 1954, 2,678 units had been built.

From the same year, Jaguar offered both versions under the name Jaguar XK 120 SE (SE for Special Equipment ) with a more powerful 180 bhp engine (134 kW), more extensive equipment and spoked wheels (which eliminated the need for spats). With this engine a top speed of 210 km / h could be achieved. Externally, the stronger car could be recognized by its double exhaust. The SE package also included stiffer springs on the wheel suspensions. The SE was also built until 1954.

In 1953 the Jaguar XK 120 DHC ( Drop Head Coupé ), a convertible with a lined fabric roof and the same engine, also as an SE, was added. However, it was only offered for one year and 1767 times were built.

In 1954 the XK 120 model was replaced by the Jaguar XK 140 .

Derivatives

Jaguar also built the engine of the XK 120 into the racing versions, which were called Jaguar XK 120 C or Jaguar C-Type and D-Type . However, they had completely independently designed chassis and bodywork, while the engines were increased in performance through far-reaching modifications.

Technical data XK 120, year of construction 1954

Parameter	Data
Engine:	6-cylinder in-line engine (four-stroke), installed lengthways behind the front axle
Displacement :	3442 cc
Bore × stroke :	82 × 106 mm
Performance at 1 / min:	119 kW (160 bhp) at 5000
Max. Torque at 1 / min:	265 Nm at 2500
Compression ratio :	8.0: 1
Valve control:	two overhead camshafts , chain drive, overhead valves, 70 ° valve angle
Cooling:	Water cooling
Power transmission:	4-speed gearbox, synchronized from 2nd gear, stick shift; Drive via cardan shaft on the rear axle
Front suspension:	triangular wishbones of unequal length with torsion bar springs and hydraulic shock absorbers
Rear suspension:	Rigid axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs and hydraulic shock absorbers
Brakes:	hydraulically operated drum brakes
Body:	Box frame with four cross struts, all-steel body with aluminum doors and hoods
Length × width × height:	4406 × 1574 × 1397 mm (Roadster DHC)
Wheelbase :	2590 mm
Track width front / rear:	1300/1270 mm
Wheel size:	6.00-16
Empty weight (without driver):	approx. 1150 kg
Top speed:	193 km / h
Acceleration 0-60 mph (96.6 km / h):	12.0 s

Maximum speed and acceleration are factory specifications

literature

• Halwart Schrader: Jaguar type compass - passenger cars since 1931 . 1st edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-613-02106-4 .
• Heiner Stertkamp: Jaguar - The complete chronicle from 1922 to today . 2nd Edition. Heel, Königswinter 2006, ISBN 3-89880-337-6 .

Web links

Commons : Jaguar XK 120  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Jaguar Heritage Trust: Six Cylinder XK Engine (English)
2. ^ Brian Laban: Classic Jaguar XK: The 6-Cylinder Cars 1948-1972. The Crowood Press, 2016, ISBN 978-1-78500-194-9 .
3. ^ Rainer W. Schlegelmilch, Hartmut Lehbrink: English sports car . Könemann, Cologne 2001, ISBN 3-8290-7449-2 , p. 125.
4. ↑ The Edward Loades Story on the website www.loades.com (page 6) (accessed on September 17, 2019).