1952 Jaguar XK120

Sir William Lyons, founder of the Jaguar car company, knew, as domestic car production returned to the UK, after World War II, that it would be a fast race for the hearts and minds of car enthusiasts around the world. Lyons also knew that while Jaguar—and in its earlier iterations Swallow and SS—was known for luxurious touring cars, what it needed in the heady postwar days was a “halo car,” a proper sports car with a thoroughly modern design.

As early as the final years of the war, Lyons had directed his engineering staff—led by Claude Baily, William Heynes and Walter Hassan—to design an entirely proprietary engine for Jaguar’s return to post-war production. The engine they designed was a cast-iron inline 6-cylinder bottom end with 3.4-liters of displacement, mated to an alloy DOHC head. This new bespoke unit would ultimately breathe through two 1-3/4-inch SU carburetors and produce 160-hp and 195-lbs/ft of torque at a mere 2500 rpm.