Description
2022 Mille Miglia entrant - and now available for Sale! A Car with significant provenance and an impressive history file.
This beautiful right-hand drive Jaguar XK120 Roaster has had three previous owners; the third being the renowned XK Jaguar enthusiast and expert Joss Davenport. He purchased OAU 84 in 1968 and owned the car for 45 years until he passed away in 2013. Joss was best known for his great enthusiasm for the 'classic' XKs. He was a founder member of the XK Register of the Jaguar Driver's Club, becoming its first chairman in 1968. It was largely due to Joss's energy and enthusiasm that the XK Register quickly progressed to a membership of around 1,500. Joss would think nothing of waving down any XK he saw in order to chat and enrol the slightly surprised driver in the Register. Amongst the events he organised or helped to organise were the XK Days which attracted over 150 XKs, and in particular the Greenham Common sprints held in the late 1960s/early 1970s, as the air base was close to his home in Berkshire and was years before the base housed Cruise missiles. He was also involved with the organisation of the 1970 British Grand Prix drivers' parade lap where a fleet of XK120's took the drivers around the Bands Hatch circuit; Joss chauffeured Denny Hulme and the car has a plaque commemorating this. Joss continued to maintain a leading role in the Register through the 1970s, only retiring from the front line in the 1980s but retaining all his enthusiasm for Jaguars and XKs in particular. He joined the Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club not long after its inception and was a loyal member until his death.
The Jaguar XK120 was manufactured between 1948 and 1954 and was their first post-war sportscar; it succeeded the SS100 which ceased production in 1940. The XK120 was launched in roadster form at the 1948 London Motor Show as a test bed and show car for the new Jaguar XK engine. It caused a sensation which persuaded William Lyons to put it into production. The '120' in its name referred to its 120mph top speed which made it the world's fastest standard production car at the time of its launch. It was available in two convertible versions; first as the roadster then also as a drophead coupé from 1953 and as a closed or fixed-head coupé from 1951.
OAU 84 has been fully maintained and looked after throughout its entire life; in fact the only items fitted to the car which were not supplied when new are the rear wheel spats which Joss lost on two separate occasions. The engine was replaced very early in his ownership. Finished in its original colour of silver with red leather interior, this XK120 Roadster is supplied with a V5C registration document, the original buff log book, the first V5 registration document, old MoT test certificates which show the car has covered about 30,000 miles since 1971 and a file containing some invoices, period photographs and copies of magazines which feature Joss and this XK120. This is a well known car within Jaguar circles and is ready to be used and enjoyed by a new owner as much as it has been by its previous owners.
For more details please call our Sales Team on Ph: 01621 879579.
Mille Miglia Eligible