Having been in the business of buying, selling and restoring Jaguars for the past 30 years, I receive calls everyday presenting me with various Jaguars for sale. Most, of course, don't make sense economically to pursue, but occasionally some are worth a further look. Then there is always that hope that you may find that 'rare discovery'.

When I was first told about an XK 120 DHC that had sat in a garage since 1956, my interest was piqued. Generally, when you find even low mileage cars that have sat for many years, have still deteriorated quite a bit, but I was told this one had not. I called my friend Terry Larson and talked to him about the car and we decided that if it was really as nice as described, it might be worth pursuing, but the price was quite high, so we must be sure of its condition.

I had a trip planned to deliver an XK 140 project car I had sold to Jim Kakuska in Illinois, and also to pick up an XK 140 in Virginia, that I had bought for Paul Abadjian in England. I live in Salt Lake City, the original 120 was in Denver, and therefore, would not be to far out of the way for me to look at on my journey. So arrangements were made to see the car.

When I arrived, the owner, Bill Imber, a man in his late seventies (70's) met me at the door. He asked me to come in and proceeded to tell me the story of this beautiful car. The house he lives in now is also the house where he grew up and consequently was living when he bought the car in April 1954.

He explained that he had really wanted to buy a 300 SL Gullwing, but being twice as much as the Jaguar, decided he could not afford the Gullwing and would purchase the 120 Jaguar instead. He purchased the XK 120 DHC from 'Denver Imported Motors'. Total purchase price was $4,513.20, which included tax, fifty dollars for white wall tires and one hundred ighty ($180) dollars for "modification", which was a 'Radiomobile' radio.

He used it in several rallies and told me he loved taking it to observe a hill climb in the mountains near Denver.

He had kept every piece of paper he ever received having to do with the car. There were the original sales documents, guarantee in his name, owners' manual and all the extra pamphlets that came with it, the old Colorado title, all receipts for items he bought for the car, etc. At this point, the paper work was very intriguing.

Of course, the main question was, Why had he stopped driving the car in 1956? He explained: When he drove the car one of the plugs was always fouling. After trying everything he could, such as trying different types of plugs (which he still had with the car), he pulled the engine, took the head off and discovered that one valve was missing its inner spring. There is a letter from Jaguar of North America dated Nov. 5, 1956, in response to a letter he wrote them informing them of this problem, which he had already fixed. Well, at this time the car was parked in his garage, not to be moved for more than forty-six years !

He informed me that the mileage on the car at this time was a little more than 17,000 miles. It was his intention to get the car back on the road, but he never did quite get around to it. For a few years, though, he tinkered with it. In 1957, he had the transmission rebuilt with close ratio gears, but kept the original gears which look like new.

The word 'tinkerer' describes him very well. He had taken several things apart on the car to see how they worked and to clean them. Not only did he 'tinker' with the car but upon entering the basement of his house to look at the seats and carpet (which he had taken out and stored in the house when he parked it in 1956), I noticed washing machines, radio's, TV's and many other items that he had taken apart and had also left. Apparently, Bill was curious about how things worked, but not much on putting them back together. The seats and carpet, by the way, looked almost new. This was getting more and more interesting.

Upstairs again, as I made my way through stacks of books and other items, Bill showed me the speedometer which was sitting on the stove (which hadn't worked for years), in the kitchen. It showed only one mile on the odometer. Upon asking Bill about this, he said the speedometer needle bounced when he drove it, so he had it repaired and they consequently turned it back to one. He had the receipt for the repair dated 1958.

A word about Bill: He is a most pleasant man, but in declining health. He spends his days at a table in his living room hooked to an oxygen bottle. Meals are delivered and he sleeps on a couch in his living room. The furniture and much of the floor are stacked with books, papers and odds and ends. His brother comes by and checks on him regularly seeing to his needs and taking him where he needs to go. This brother is the one who handled the business part of the sale of the car. The area where he lives has, most likely, declined some since he was younger.

Now it was time to see the car itself. From what I had seen and heard so far, my curiosity was high! Bill took me out back to his brick garage with concrete floor, unlocked the door and that's when I saw the car. The XK 120 was sitting at an angle in the center of the garage. The color combination of pastel blue with red interior and tan top was stunning! It was on jack stands at the rear with the rear wheels off, but the front wheels were on. The bonnet was off, hanging upside down from the rafters, and the rear deck lid was up. To the front of the car was the engine sitting on a wooden stand made to hold it. To the rear were the parts that had been removed from the car, including the gear box, radiator, exhaust system and other small parts he had removed from the car. Through the dust, I could see the paint. It still shone like new. Bill said over the years he had waxed the car and showed me the old bottle of Blue Coral Wax he had used. The top was the only thing I could find that had deteriorated. It was puzzling, as the hood envelope was right there to the side of the car and other than dust, looked like new. Bill told me the top had been in great condition but a few years ago he had put something on it to preserve it, and whatever it was, had ruined it. He could not remember what he had used.

The condition of the car was amazing. I have owned several low mileage XK's and presently have a 150 that is original, but while I have seen numerous all original cars in great condition, they all have a patina of age. Somehow, with the high altitude in Denver and relative low humidity, the condition in this garage must have been perfect, to preserve this car in almost new condition. The tires, wide white wall Dunlop's, are excellent. The rubber around openings and windows was like it had been forty-six (46) years ago, still soft and pliable. The chrome was all excellent. Everything on the car was as if the car had been just a few years old and had only been stored for a year or so. I had never seen a car in all my years dealing with Jaguars that was preserved as this car. In fact, looking at the tires, and overall condition of the car, I double and triple checked with Bill and his brother whether the car really had 17,000 miles or if it was more like 7,000 miles. They both stayed firm and stated it had 17,000 miles.

I asked Bill why he had taken the engine compartment apart, including the steering column. He told me he had wanted to clean and detail it well before he put the engine back in. The detailing never got done, but not much was needed. He had also painted the brake drums, top of the radiator, head, and pulleys on the engine red. He said he must have liked red at the time. He also had taken off the leather spring gaiters and carefully wrapped them in paper to preserve them; they looked like new! In addition, he had removed one wing vent and the taillight lenses out of curiosity. He had the can of paint that came with the car and had touched in a couple of little chips. Other than as explained, the car was just as it left the factory, with all the parts looking like new.

In the parcel shelf, was installed the original Smith's Radiomobile speakers with some sort of original cloth bags, on the underside, around them. The battery area is like new and the car has the original Lucas batteries that look like new. The headlining is excellent and needs nothing. I had no idea the doors on these 120 DHC's closed so well. The fit of everything was impressive. Most of the tools were still there with the original tool roll. All the parts he took off in the engine compartment, including the engine, gearbox, and ancillaries, looked almost like new. Even the hoses and hose clamps looked great. I could go on and on.

One thing was clear, this was what we call a "no brainer", it had to be bought. I called Terry Larson and told him about the car. He agreed. Arrangements were made to buy the car and he wired money the next day.

My trailer was full and would be full coming back, as well, so I couldn't take the car right then. I thought it should be safe for another couple of weeks, as it had been there for forty-six (46) years. I was planning to spend a little time in the Washington D.C. area, but was anxious, so I shortened my stay, and got back earlier to expedite picking up the 120. After a day at home to drop off the 140 I had picked up, and get a little rest, I left for Denver to pick up "the car". I was very excited.

I now have the 120 in my shop. We are in the process of cleaning and reassembling it. The red paint will be removed, we will go through the brake system, new hoses will be put on, (even though the old hoses nice) and a new top has been ordered. After pulling the head and pan and inspecting the bearings, I found the engine in excellent condition. The tires with new tubes are still useable and look great, two of the tires still had air in them!

It is hoped that in a couple of weeks this car will be ready to be driven for the first time in forty-six (46) years!

 

XK 120 DHC SE Chassis # S673168, Engine # F2245-85, Body # P2376, Gearbox # JL20860

Click on the documents to enlarge.

 

Original Invoice for the car

Letter from Jaguar

 

 

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Posted 4/15/2002

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