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Bonhams sells worlds cheapest Jaguar XK120… sort of

Sold for AU$11,222, the car was stolen from the original owner, and the body never recovered.

When the Jaguar XK120 first arrived in 1948, it changed the automotive landscape entirely.

As pivotal as the McLaren F1 or Porsche 959 was in their day, performance like that had never been seen before.

Blended with unequalled luxury, and price, the XK120 cemented its status as the fastest car in the world with a high-speed test in 1949, reaching 126mp/h with bonnet and side screens in place.

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On a second run, sans bonnet, windscreen and with an added undertray, an XK120 reached 132mp/h; unheard of at the time.

Today, they’re a blue-chip classic, hugely desired with prices to match.

Though earlier this week, at Bonham’s Greenwich Concours d’Elegance Auction, they sold what is likely the cheapest XK120 ever… sort of.

Lot 201 comprised a Jaguar XK120 chassis, engine, transmission, suspension, fuel tank and wire wheels: essentially complete running gear without the gorgeous body. It sold for AU$11,222.

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But where did the body go? Well, the story goes: that the original owner left for University in the fall of 1963, and after returning home, his beloved Jaguar had gone missing!

Years later, he found it in the exact spot photographed, tucked nonchalantly under a table in a Connecticut shed.

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The body’s location remains unknown, and was likely stolen for use on another vehicle. The bodies did not bear their own identification the way that engine numbers could be traced even from decades ago. Though the remaining components have been surprisingly well preserved, as they’ve been largely kept out of the elements by the shed they were found in.

Bonhams called it an ‘artefact’, ideally for use as a rebodied special or simply as a parts car.

What would you do with a body-less but otherwise complete Jaguar XK120?

 

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