As soon as the XK120 was launched, it was raced. Announced in the spring of 1949, there were already three cars competing at Silverstone in August that year. The factory in Coventry led the charge, but there was also a small army of privateers, with varying levels of professional experience, working out how to make their new sports car go faster. This gave rise to what many now consider the archetypical ‘club racer’: the fast road XK that could be driven to the circuit, raced and then driven home afterwards.
Chassis 660733 is very much in that idiom. An original Right Hand Drive Roadster, it was exported to the USA when new, supplied via Hoffman’s of New York to dealer Jack Pry in Washington before passing to its first owner, Mrs Betty Swadley. By 1969 the car was owned by Arthur Napolitino of Massachusetts, before being sold to Larry Berman in 1978. A lifelong Jaguar enthusiast, Berman is today the owner and curator of a museum dedicated to Briggs Cunningham.
Between 1980 and 1981, Berman restored 660733 as a historic racing car, building it with considerable attention to detail and ensuring that the modifications were sympathetic to the period. The specification echoed that of Works and privateer XK120s used in competition during the early 1950s, including an uprated C-Type cylinder head, original 2-inch sand-cast C-Type carburettors, an original C-Type steering wheel, louvered bonnet and Borrani wire wheels.
Stripped of its bumpers, fitted with wire wheels, an outside fuel filler and bucket seats, the car has all the visual character of a period SCCA racer. Importantly, the specification retained the original drum brakes and Moss gearbox, with the more commonplace modern upgrades deliberately avoided. Berman kept a handwritten notebook recording the races and trips he made in the car, together with a photographic record of the restoration and its subsequent competition career.
Larry competed with the XK every season between 1982 and 1988 before retiring it from historic racing. He then turned his attention to concours, undertaking a two-year, nut-and-bolt restoration to a standard capable of competing at the highest level.
The results followed. Over the next four years, 660733 was shown at numerous concours events, achieving a particularly impressive 99.9133 points and 3rd in Class at the 1994 JCNA National Championships, alongside a collection of further concours awards.
Berman sold the XK through a Christie’s auction in 1997, after which it came to Europe before eventually returning to the UK in 2017.
Prior to its sale through Pendine to its current owner in March 2023, the car was recommissioned by Guy Broad, with approximately £8,500 spent on work including a new aluminium radiator, new exhaust system, new fuel tank and a comprehensive service.
Since acquiring the car, the new owner has continued to develop and maintain it with the same emphasis on sympathetic, period-appropriate improvements. In June 2023, Guy Broad carried out further work, including the installation of a front disc brake conversion and a five-speed gearbox, at a cost of just under £8,000. These upgrades make the XK considerably more usable while retaining the character and appearance of a period sports-racing car.
The current owner has also gone to considerable lengths to document the car’s history, successfully obtaining a FIVA Identity Card.
Today, 660733 remains a particularly appealing example of the XK120: an extensively documented car with genuine period competition history, an unusually well-considered specification and a wealth of period-correct upgrades. It retains the visual character of a 1950s club racer while benefiting from carefully chosen mechanical improvements that make it considerably more enjoyable to use.
A beautifully prepared XK120 with a fascinating competition and concours history and considerable provenance. This period road rocket is a visceral driving experience, with a bucket load of correct period upgrades, and an absolute riot on the road. What more could you want?
Available now for viewing and demonstration at Pendine’s Bicester Motions showrooms.
Price – £99,500
