William Lyons and William Walmsley formed the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922. Pioneering the use of aluminum, their sidecars were stylish and popular, and in 1927, production expanded to include automobiles, starting with the infamous Austin Seven. The company changed its name to SS Cars Ltd in 1933 when the manufacture of Swallow cars stopped. Production shifted back to sidecars and parts for the military during World War II. The town of Coventry, where the factory was located, proved a target for bombing raids, and factory employees were organized to sit fire watch. During these long nights, Lyons, along with William Heynes, Walter Hassan and Claude Baily began to hatch plans for a revolutionary new engine that would put the company on the automotive map.

Since the term ‘SS’ had gained particular notoriety during the war, Lyons decided to rename the company Jaguar Cars in 1948, which turned out to be a breakthrough year. Heynes conceived an independent front suspension. A new straight six twin overhead camshaft 3422 cc engine that put out 160 hp was designed, and given the name XK. With an alloy cylinder head and twin side draft carburetors, the XK was a marvel compared to other production engines of its day. In fact, Jaguar utilized its basic design until the late 1980s.

In order to make a splash, Lyons wanted to put his new chassis and engine into an affordable high performance sports car in limited edition of 200, and he rushed to design the XK 120’s elegant body in a few months, so as to debut it at the 1948 London Motor Show. Inspired by his Italian and French counterparts, Lyons created a streamlined hand-hammered aluminum body on an ash frame, which won instant popular devotion. To follow up, the company wanted to prove that the car really lived up to its name, capable of speeds in excess of 120 mph. So they invited the press to a preview on the Belgian Autoroute, where test driver Ronald Sutton achieved 133 mph, proving that the XK 120 was the world’s fastest production car.

Jay already owns a souped-up 120 roadster, but since this car is one of his early favorite cars of all time, he decided to invest in this stock late model coupe to use as more of a daily driver. This particular car is an M version, the M standing for modified, which includes increased power, stiffer suspension, dual exhaust, wire wheels and a sexier interior with the modern convenience of roll-up windows.