Most classic cars end up in barns due to mechanical issues or because the owner simply can't drive anymore. But some of them are parked to be restored. And more often than not, the restoration doesn't happen and the vehicle ends up spending decades behind closed doors. This 1953 Jaguar XK120 is one of those cars.
Parked sometime in 1970, this British sports car was supposed to get a full-blown restoration. It was disassembled, it got a paint job, and some parts were prepped for a refreshed. However, life got in the way and the owner never managed to finish the job. Come 2022 and he decided it's time to let it go after a whopping 52 years in storage.
Cars that spent so much time off the road are usually in bad shape, consumed by rust, and in need of thorough and expensive repairs. This Jag, however, is in far better shape. Because even though it's been dismantled, the shell was fixed and repainted some time ago. Sure, it needs a good cleaning to ditch all that dust and grime, but it's a solid car underneath.
And don't let the stripped-off body fool you, this Jag comes with all the original components, including the numbers-matching inline-six engine.
Rescued by the folks over at YouTube's "CARCHAEOLOGY" earlier in 2022, the XK120 is already almost back on its "feet." While the first video below shows the car being dragged out of its resting place, the second footage reveals the significant progress the crew made in just a few weeks.
Not only did they put most of the parts back in and on the car, but they also reinstalled the mill under the hood. And amazingly enough, it fired right up with just a bit of work. And it runs surprisingly smooth for an old unit that spent more than 50 years without a sip of gasoline.
Yes, it's not yet ready to hit the road, but the guys are clearly planning on doing everything it takes for this sports car to roam safely on public streets.
One of the most beautiful Jaguars ever made, the XK120 was introduced in 1948 and remained in production until 1954. All cars were fitted with a 3.4-liter inline-six gasoline engine rated at 160 horsepower. However, some cars were equipped with tweaked units good for up to 220 horses, usually prepped for racing duty. In 1949, the XK120 became the world's fastest production car with a top speed of 124.6 mph (200.5 kph).
Jaguar built 12,045 XK120s, including roadsters, fixed-head coupes, and drop-head coupes. The car you see here is of the fixed-head variety and it's much rarer than the roadster. Only 2,672 cars left the assembly line until the nameplate was replaced by the XK140.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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