XK120 dash plaque variation

This dash plaque came affixed to the glove-box door of my '53 FHC, which I acquired about 20 years ago from the estate of the original purchaser of the car. As you can see, it’s not the usual “replica” plaque that we know about. I am getting close to finishing the car, and have just refinished the original wood. I never realized until I recently started looking that the FHCs didn’t have a plaque or that it was added by stateside dealers when present (according to previous posts here). I’m inclined to keep the plaque even if unoriginal, as it was a feature of this car for most of its life.

Has anyone ever seen this particular plaque (the one with JAGUAR in large print at the top)? I’m guessing that it was added by the PO or perhaps the dealer. Under the plaque are the two factory holes for the door pull, which was deleted.

Included with the original purchase, warranty and service paperwork was a second brass plaque that appears never to have been installed (see photo of the one that begins with STARTING AUGUST 5TH…). Also noteworthy is that included with the car was an original typed letter of congratulations to the first owner, John Mills of Buffalo, NY signed by William Lyons. I’m not all that fixated on originality, but I think period details are fun.


Those original owners were often exuberant enthusiasts, as to create special items like those, when the factory neglected to.
The 100 mph for 7 days and nights event was certainly true of a FHC.
The 172 mph event was a specially modified OTS with a bubble cover over the driver.
They seem like the kind of things that should go on a display board at cruise in shows.
I hadn’t heard of Lyons sending out letters to buyers. Was the first owner a celebrity?

No, not a celebrity. Local engineer. I never met him, but apparently he raced the car some, had a jury rigged custom manifold to mount 4 carburetors and must have later put a V8 in the car, as I had to remove the engine mounts for it when I restored the frame. I think the car sat partially disassembled in his little frame garage for 25 years before I bought it from his estate. As you can imagine, as a northeast car, it needed a lot of rust repair.
Here is the letter:
XK120 Lyons letter.pdf (185.5 KB)