Jaguar XK120 DHC

The drophead coupé is arguably the most usable of the XK120s: open-air motoring, but with proper wind-up windows and a weather-tight hood. This right-hand-drive car was first registered on 1 July 1954 and, according to its Jaguar Heritage Certificate, was supplied new by Ernest W. Hadfield of Sheffield. It still wears its original Sheffield plate, SWE 750.

It has had four recorded owners. The current keeper first bought it in 1979, sold it in 2000 as a part-finished restoration, and bought it back in 2002 to complete the job. The restoration finished in 2008. The body and chassis were restored, with the chassis galvanised, and the matching-numbers XK engine was rebuilt for unleaded fuel with a modern crankshaft oil seal and full balancing.

Some changes are discreet: a later all-synchromesh four-speed gearbox with overdrive, an auxiliary cooling fan and a hidden electric choke control. It is finished in black with a red leather interior and a Suffolk & Turley mohair hood, and has chrome wire wheels and recently fitted Michelin tyres. The history file holds invoices from respected Jaguar specialists, the V5C, the original buff logbook and a photographic record of the work. No mileage is stated.