Jaguar

So advanced and successful was the XK 120 that Jaguar didn’t need to replace it for a full six years, with the XK 140. This allowed the factory to get heavily involved in motorsports, producing the LeMans-winning C-type in 1951 and the wind-cheating D-type three years later. (more…)

Some say the XK 150 proves that Jaguar's first postwar sports cars hung on too long. They may be right, but the 150 was also the most thoroughly developed of the early XKs, if arguably the least sporting. This final variation on the original XK 120 theme was Jaguar's response to recently introduced rivals such as the BMW 507 and Mercedes-Benz 300SL, which bettered the XK 140 in catering to American demands for more comfort and refinement. (more…)

1939 TO 1945 WAS ALTOGETHER a different period in the history of the British Motor Industry; many vehicle manufacturers were engaged in work totally divorced from their mainline bread and butter. Others had successfully negotiated contracts with the Ministry of Defence that would 'keep their foot in the door', producing tank engines, armoured cars, trucks, ambulances, staff cars, trailers, even sidecars. The trick was to get an MoD order large enough to justify a certain amount of development work. (more…)

The Jaguar XK150 was a sports car produced by Jaguar Cars between 1957 and 1961. It replaced the previous Jaguar XK140. (more…)

The Jaguar XK140 was a sports car manufactured by Jaguar Cars between 1954 and 1957. Upgrades over its predecessor, the XK120, included better brakes, rack and pinion steering, and modern tube type shock absorbers instead of the older lever arm design. The name referred to its 140 mph (225 km/h) top speed. The XK140 continued to feature the famous Jaguar XK engine with the SE mods from the XK120 as standard, now delivering 190 bhp (142 kW) at 5750 rpm. The special C-Type cylinder head was also carried through from the XK120 catalogue as an option, providing 210 bhp (157 kW). (more…)

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The Jaguar XK120 was a sports car manufactured by Jaguar Cars between 1949 and 1954. It was the first post-war sports car from the marque, succeeding the SS100 which ended production in 1940 with the start of the war in Britain. The XK120 was launched at the 1948 London Motor Show as a test bed and show vehicle to highlight the new Jaguar XK engine. The car caused a sensation, which persuaded William Lyons to put it into production as a standard model. (more…)