58414 Miles 3.4 SE 6 cyl 180HP 4 spd ManualConvertible Roadster

1954 Jaguar XK120 SE M Roadster all original matching #s with Additional Info:

West Coast Classics are proud to present an extraordinarily rare and all original (with only three caretakers/owners since new) example of this all stock and rust free coveted and highly desirable 1954 Jaguar XK 120 SE M Roadster with only 58K original miles with Left Hand Drive U.S. delivery with the optional 'M package' Special Equipment Package 180HP 3442 cc 6 cylinder engine and which was the beneficiary of a no expense spared mechanical restoration as required when purchased by only its third owner in 2009 after having been sitting for a couple of years having been purchased from the estate of only its second owner who had purchased the car in 1956 from its original owner!
Fully documented history with original paint and interior and all matching numbers original SE engine, heads and transmission! We recently acquired the car from the third owners with the car sporting an outstanding all original patina and excellent body with no damage history and no rust! The car has its all original paint and interior and will be sold with its original wheels and tires, yes tires! The car currently has four stock period correct steel wheels boasting the five optional center locks (which were available from 1951) with the spats (aka Fender Shirts in America!) being removed as was typical due to insufficient clearance for the knock off hubs (with its original 'knock off' Thor Hammer' English mallet) with new tires. The original wheels and tires are being kept separately for preservation purposes (see photos below) and are in wonderful condition and will be sold with the car, the car also has its original spare wheel in its rightful place in the trunk compartment, original roadside jack, mallet and factory tools in their original case, the original 'Fawn' color soft top and frame, and of course the car boasts its original matching numbers engine as verified by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust Certificate.
This rare US Left Hand drive model was exported to the U.S.A. where it was first sold on 6/18/1954 to its original South Carolina owner from the renown 'Max Hoffman Jaguar' dealership of New York, whose Park Avenue showroom was designed by non other than the renown architect Frank Lloyd Wright! The car resided with its original owner for the next two years before it was then purchased by its second owner, William 'Bill' Shull, of Sylvania, Ohio, otherwise known simply as 'Doc', who owned and cared for the car for the next 53 years until his passing in 2009.
Doc Shull kept the car garaged in Ohio in all original condition for the next 53 years and the car was reportedly his pride and joy and a car which he drove the regularly to car shows, but would never have considered selling, even after not being able to drive the car for the two years prior to his passing due to his ill health. Upon his passing the car was sold by his family on Ebay in 2009 to what would then be only its third owner, where it was described as an absolutely all original unrestored example that had never been painted or restored in any way. The car would not start at the time of the auction as the battery was dead but as described by the family the car had been driving every year up until just two years prior. The new owner was also from Ohio and an enthusiastic classic car collector who viewed and appreciated the car's exceptional originality and rarity, obviously along with its even rarer original SE matching #'s pedigree and he consequently had owned the car as part of his collection until we acquired the car in August 2022.
The new owner, had upon purchasing the car in 2009, immediately delivered the car to his long time specialists to ensure the car would be turn key ready for his collection, at which point no expense was spared to have the car running completely right. From hoses to seals to gaskets, wheel cylinders to dual master cylinders, new brake shoes, drums, belts, points, plugs, rebuilt carbs, battery, draining gas tank, etc etc, until over some 59 hours were billed to ensure turn key driving on a still all original and unrestored car with the engine now running as smooth as silk with the 4 speed manual transmission shifting smoothly through the gears. To this day the car has been meticulously upkept and maintained, for the past 13 years, as part of the owners fastidious collection. The car drives exactly as it should with only very few miles should since its mechanical restoration.
The XK 120 was produced by Jaguar between 1948-54 and caused an absolute sensation when launched and was immediately destined to become one of the most collectible cars of all time. Its name referred to its straight 6, 3442 cc 120 mph (193 km/h) top speed (faster with the windscreen removed!) engine which was insanely fast for its day and made the XK120 the world's fastest standard production car at the time of its launch and a very successful racer which spurred Jaguar onto breaking many world speed records. The roadster's lightweight canvas top and detachable side-screens stow out of sight behind the seats and its doors have no external handles; instead there was an interior pully cord which is accessible through a flap in the sidescreens when the weather equipment is in place. The windscreen can be removed if desired! The drophead coupe (DHC) had a padded and lined canvas top, which folded onto the rear deck behind the seats when retracted and roll-up windows and the dashboards and door-caps in both the DHC and the closed coup (FHC) were wood-veneered, whereas the more spartan and lighter roadster's were leather-trimmed.
The first 242 XK 120s made had wood-framed open-top aluminum bodies with two seats; Perceiving the design line from the front wheels, over the hood, and to the rear was like watching a rolling wave: smooth, calm, powerful and this design was to set the tone for all post war sports cars and continues to influence to this day, just look at the taper from the hood to the rear on Jaguar's 2018 F-Type. Production switched to all-steel construction better for making the cars in volume by 1950. It eventually came in three versions: as an open two-seat roadster (OTS) and later, as a fixed-head coupe (FHC) in 1951 and a drop-head coupe (DHC) in 1953. The XK 120's are more desirable than the later-model XK 140's and 150's, especially the ones designed before 1950 because those had aluminum skins, with racing history examples commanding many millions of dollars, but these days any of these early XK120 models will truly capture the imagination and investment dollars of the worlds premier sports car enthusiasts and collectors.
When the model debuted in 1948 at the Earls Court Motor Show in London, England it was the darling of the show and remains today as much of a show stopper as it did then, over 74 years later! The car set numerous and now legendary speed records and was the fastest production car in the world in it's day and Jaguar used its engine for decades to come. In terms of design, the two-seater roadster with its classically simple flowing lines, slender tail and exotic flush-sided body was a massive leap forward for sports car design at the time and in many ways its