From its 1948 motor show debut through to the arrival of its XK140 successor six years later, the XK120 ushered in a crucial new era for Jaguar. Its launch effectively marked the start of the true Jaguar sports car, a genre that is only now bowing out, 75 years later. But the XK120 also meant the arrival of the crucial six-cylinder XK engine – a unit that would go on to power saloons and sports cars alike for more than 40 years.
Over the next few pages, we take a look at the marketing of the XK120 throughout its career, from the earliest pre-launch brochures through to the final-year advertising plans for the crucial US market.
MOTOR SHOW DEBUT
With the XK100 cancelled, the XK120 made a spectacular debut at the 1948 Earl’s Court Motor Show, shown here. The sleek newcomer initially went by the name of XK120 Super Sports, the ‘XK’ referring to the engine and the ‘120’ its supposed top speed. For the 90,000 visitors to the first motor show of the postwar years, the XK120 was a sensation, providing racing car performance to buyers in
