JAGUAR XK BUYING GUIDE
The XK Jaguar happened sort of by accident. William Lyons had a new engine to sell, and Pressed Steel, the body manufacturer, was unable to provide Mark VII bodies for it without a sizeable downpayment for tooling. Lyons wanted a sleek sports car for the 1948 Earls Court Motor Show and the XK120 was that car, with an aluminum body. The resultant demand surprised everyone, and the hand-beaten alloy bodywork took too long to produce. After 242 units the production switched to steel.
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