Back in 1952, these two special coachbuilt Jaguar XK120s were wheeled across the very avenue in Belgium where we’re standing today. In fact, they were pushed into these exhibition halls, ready for their grande première at the Brussels Auto Salon. This is the story of two extraordinary one-off Jaguars.
Jaguar and Belgium have always had a special relationship. There are the Jabbeke speed records, of course, but there was always the Belgian Iron Lady as well. We are talking about Joska Bourgeois, the driving force behind the Belgian Jaguar operation. After World War Two she walked up to the home of Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons and demanded the right to sell his cars in her home country. She wasn’t someone who would take no for an answer. Reportedly, Lyons would conduct business with only two women. The other was his private secretary…
Bourgeois showed unbridled ambition. At the time, British companies were allowed only to trade with Commonwealth partners, a problem Bourgeois solved through a partnership with a Canadian pilot she had befriended,
