Wondering if anyone knows some history of the 120 I have just acquired. The chassis number is 670826. The car is currently white with a red interior. I am going to apply for a heritage certificate. Any info would be appreciated. There is supposed to be a full history on the car on record at the Jaguar Affiliates Group of Michigan. There is a tag on teh dash that states this. They however have not been able to find any information.
George,
You can first take a look at XKdata.com. But the Heritage document will provide more information.
See here :XK Data - 670826 - Jaguar XK120, XK140, XK150 information, articles, photos and register
Bob K.
Thanks, but the only data in xkdata is what I entered
George, the tag on the dash noting the car’s history is held by the Jaguar Affiliate’s Group of Michigan is really fascinating. I’ve never heard of any local Jaguar club doing this, and I hope it pans out for you.
For useful history, the Heritage Certificate will be disappointing. If the car was originally sold in the U.S. the Certificate will likely only say whether it was distributed by Max Hoffman of New York or Charles Hornburg of Los Angeles.
In 1950, Hoffman imported all Jaguars east of the Mississippi and Hornburg imported all Jaguars west of the Mississippi. If the Heritage Certificate says Max Hoffman, it does not necessarily mean the XK120 was actually sold at Hoffman’s Manhattan dealership or that it was ever in New York City. All it means is that Hoffman placed the order with the factory for the car. The car likely entered the U.S. at a port of entry nearest the dealership where it was actually sold. And Hoffman had over 100 dealerships in his network.
The same is true for Hornburg who had over 60 dealerships in his network. For example, if a customer in El Paso,Texas wanted an XK120, the local dealer in El Paso would have contacted Hornburg who would have placed an order with the factory for a car to be delivered to the port of entry in Houston. From there the car would have been driven or trucked to El Paso.
None of these historical details were recorded by the factory and thus are not contained on the Heritage Certificate. Occasionally, however, an XK120 will turn up where the original owner kept the entire paperwork/ordering trail showing how the new Jaguar made it from Coventry to a U.S. retail dealership.
The other disappointment with the Heritage Certificate is that it will no longer list the first owner’s name. Until about two years ago, the original owner’s name was provided on the Heritage Certificate if it was known to Jaguar. But because we live in a time of hyper-privacy, this information apparently has been deemed too sensitive.
Thanks for the reply. The Michigan group could not find any information about the car. What I know about it is the previous owner bought it in 1999 at an auction in Ohio. He never titled or registered the car. Just put an old plate on it. The car was supposed to have been restored in the mid to late 70s. I will continue to dig. I love the car and am having a ball with it. The odometer only registers 3000 miles, I am guessing that is since the restoration.
Have you checked with the Coventry Foundation? Great resource of information with a lot of factory documents. www.coventryfoundation.org
I shot them an email, I hope they have some history on this baby.