1954 Jaguar XK120 - Jay Leno’s Garage
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- Take a ride in the the car that started it all for Jay! You'll never forget your first love.
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A new video every Sunday! Visit Jay Leno's Garage, the Emmy-winning series where Jay Leno gives car reviews, motorcycle reviews, compares cars, and shares his passion and expertise on anything that rolls, explodes, and makes noise. Classic cars, restomods, super cars like the McLaren P1, sports cars like Porsche 918 Spyder and Camaro Z28, cafe racers, vintage cars, and much, much more.
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1954 Jaguar XK120 - Jay Leno’s Garage
• 1954 Jaguar XK120 - Ja...
Jay Leno's Garage
/ jaylenosgarage - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Almost 70 years later and virtually no car can still touch the magical sound of that immortal straight-6 combined with the exhaust.
Many and Most iconic engines made were inline 6s.
LOVE THOSE EPISODES WHEN JAY IS BY HIMSELF AND TELLS HIS LIFE STORIES
Yea, thats our type of doug
Absolutely.
Bumper to bumper
Couldn’t agree more
Agree, life stories is what it's all about, especially when cars are involved
That car doesn’t need a radio the engine sound is all the music you need!
My favorite car too......Similar story; around 1958 when I was 7 or 8 years old, my grandparents neighbor had a black '54 XK120 roadster. He was the local drug store guy in tiny Norton, Kansas. One day he fired it up and took me and his grandson for a drive on the country roads around this western Kansas town. The other boy, Mike, and I sat in the passenger seat, no seatbelts of course. As I recall he took the car up to 90 mph on a dirt road! The sound, the smell of the leather, giant steering wheel and those Smiths gauges, wow! To say the least, it changed my life and my love of the automobile! Thank you Mr. Moffet for that glorious ride!!
Man hearing Jay’s story makes me realize how much times have changed. Ask a kid in your neighborhood if they’d like to sit in your car, instant visit from the cops lol.
Anthony Stark How true that is Anthony. Times have sure changed.
@@thomasryan8218 then imagine getting out of jail and contacting that kid again and saying "hey , I was the guy who's car you sat in, I still have it do you wanna come by and see it?" lol
Man I remember a man in my neighbor hood who had a red De Tomaso Pantera loved looking at that car while he wrenched.....
@@brunotulliani7483 on your wiener and tickled your gonads
It's sad when you think about it. Trust is gone.
The best car show in America is a free internet show on TH-cam. Thanks so much, Jay. Beautiful, beautiful car. Thanks for sharing your joy.
Agree..Jay is great !
Sexy design. The Brits excelled in that in the 50's & 60's.
@@billolsen4360 I'd say 70s aswell. e.g stag v8, ford capri, mgbgt, range rover classic, jaguar xjs, rover sd1.
@@billolsen4360 you're dead right. I'd sell my soul to own a restored XKE. I'd have to wash it everyday to stop dribble spoiling it. Oh, so, so, beautiful.
Bond, James Bond. At that time they were the sexy mysterious Europeans to us, now it’s the buffoonery of Boris Johnson and the world thinks of England differently.
This is more of a story about how adults can inspire a child than it is about a classic car. Giving a kid an opportunity to explore their interests is something that we should all aspire to.
truer words were never spoken! Thanks for the comment! I agree completely!
Love this car so much. Nothing else has such elegance, style and beauty.
The impact that man left on Jay's life to let him sit in that jag was enough to send a massive ripple through our own with everything jay hands down to us..THANK YOU JAY AND STRANGER
Don't care if it's a Chevy or Ford or Jag. The sound of an inline six that has been opened up and had the manifold split is just Heaven!
Jay you offered to let my young son set in one of your card at Pebble Beach and it has never been forgotten he now is a grown man and Marine Corp vet your act of kindness was special. Thank you for being you
Now the owner's manuals say " Don't drink contents of battery"." These things had valve clearance specs." Preach Jay.
Oh crap, too late!
It’s a metaphor for modern life.
that was me at 18:00, thanks for waving back at us Jay
Is that a Seahawk pic?
I'm sorry for you... that's an aweful car :D You are a true victim of practicality
Who cares? It's not about you.
Bird Plan Awesome!!
@@johnsmith1474 its about YOU.
Thanks for taking the time to share the great XK120. Back in 50' something my Dad had one
of the early aluminium bodies like yours with the exception that it was "fully race prept" and as he told the stories, had a 5 speed that he liked to shift into 5th doing 110mph and leave th T-Birds in the dust so to speak. He had a story where he was out for a "Sunday Drive" heading east out of Portland Or. doing 100 to 110mph, passed a state trooper and kicked it up to 125mph for a while, well until he found a road side dinner. He stopped in for some apple pie and coffee. About the time he was finishing here come the Trooper rather frustrated with the long drive. They chatted for a bit and discussed the possibility that it was Dad the trooper say so good old Dad, being so kind and all walked with th trooper out to the cars, Dads XK120 and the steaming cruiser. Dad asked the trooper to place his hand on the "Bonnet" of the XK, with no problems, meanwhile there sitts the steaming nearly broken Cruiser next to them. See, "My cars not hot so it couldn't possibly have been me now could it, the Cruiser steaming still and all.
Hind-sight, sure wish good old Dad would have used that and kept the car. Oh ya, he used to say that included with the purchase was a coup body for it. In Portland Or., where he lived for a short time he had to get a special permit from the city of Portland for the straight exhaust from the factory.
Hind-sight!
Thanks for sharing
Bill
"If they only made a handful of these, they'd be a million bucks" Indeed, Jay.
Only underlines what a damn good car it was to be able to turn so many out!
Makes me proud that I live around 10 miles from Brown's Lane, Coventry.
Not just English and proud, but County of Warwickshire proud.
I bought a 53' hardtop (FHC) after seeing this episode. The car is magic and I don't regret it for one second. The whole experience is fantastic each time it's driven.
"....even new manuals 'Oh, what's the tire pressure?' 'Please see your dealer'. OH SHUDAHHHP!" God bless you, Jay!
Yeah, that's the PG version of what he'd tell the manual!!
My new Ford has all kinds of info in the manual and the App, things are changing but cars are too complex to work on like they were 65 years ago, you need a computer and all the software involved to work on a car now.
God damn, 1950's exotics in white with red interior and chrome accents are such an eye candy. I freaking love them so much.
The only thing I would change is the owner! Lol. Hi Jay.
Every time Jay Leno does a video on a Jaguar, I spend the next rest of the day looking up Jaguar engines and reading their specs while watching videos on them running on the road.
Jags are the best
I can’t even believe it, Don Milligan is the scout master of my old Boy Scout troop. I wish while I was still in it I knew about this so I could talk to him about it. I gotta try and get in connect with him, I know he’s still alive but he isn’t doing well.
Superducks!!!
Wow! My father going on a vacation trip through Utah in 1953 was driving his 1952 Studebaker commander flat out at 70. This car passed him like him was sitting still. He told me about the amazing sound. Saddens me he is not here to watch this with me. Truly one of my many favorites shows Mr. Leno. It's amazing sounding car.
John Combs I never much cared for most British cars, but Jay’s Jag converted never! Same with German cars, though that happened for me a lot younger!
I always thought that if they'd starting making James Bond movies 5 or 10 years earlier than they did that
the Jag XK120 or 150 would have been 007's machine.
@@billolsen4360 Iirc, the first Bond book had him driving a blower Bentley. Probably because Fleming had or wanted one.
@@fredyellowsnow7492 I forgot all about that, but yes! As I understand it, the first Bentleys were built for speed alone.
This is arguably one of Jay's most compellingly heartfelt and impassioned segments. Out of the hundreds of cars in his vast stable, this particular vehicle represents the very core of his automotive ethos and you can tell that by the moving narrative that accompanies this installment. Not to mention this car literally begs him 'DRIVE ME' through that utterly gorgeous sounding powertrain. Well done sir, WELL DONE..
Love hearing Jay double clutch and properly rev match automotive jewels like this. Nirvana.
Boy does this bring back memories. This was my first car. Bought it in 1960 I think, for $800. Looks exactly like yours, not nearly as pretty though. My mother knew I was crazy to pay $800 for a car. Damn hood of this car went on forever. Mine was what was called an XK120M. Believe the M indicated it was modified to indicate it did not have a muffler. It was loud, especially in tunnels. Only ticket I ever received was for a loud muffler, or no muffler. One dark night I took it out on a straight back road near my home and proved that it would go 120. Great car. Drove well and could move, or at least I thought it could move. First and only large scale work I ever did on a car was this car. With the help of a friend who owned a shop, I performed a valve job on the car. Also milled the head 0.040. After that when the RPM's went pass 2500 you got a kick in the behind as the car really came alive. Only real problem I can remember was with the fuel pump. After a period of time the points in the pump would fry themselves. That either required a new set of points, or file down the ones already in the pump. Real fun when the fuel pump stopped working at 70MPH.
My dad had a XK 120M too before he and my mom had kids. They talked about the sound and how my mom could hear my dad from miles away and knew it was him.
Two things stand out for me beyond the obvious WOW factor of an XK120. First is the way Leno describes the car in terms of sensual pleasures: This is an auto to be appreciated for all its collective sensory delights. The second thing is how Leno rejects the purist, cork sniffing mentality of many collectors and connoisseurs of fine objects. He’s comfortable adding small things like a tape player, an after-market steering wheel, a somewhat larger engine or whatever else catches his fancy without worrying about compromising the overall integrity of the Jag. Yet, he chooses not to optimize the car's performance by installing the most powerful engine or changing out the brake drums due to the sheer sensory pleasure of keeping those things exactly the way they are. I’ve never been particularly attuned to the values Leno reveals as a public figure, but here, in the garage, I think he gets it just right.
Jay is just a bit too sensible and practical to be a staunch purist. He wants to be able to jump in or on anything he owns and use it safely and reliably.
@@gregorytimmons4777 Yup! Staunch purists are most self-worshippers who have nothing better to do than tell people how refined they are.
@@billolsen4360 LMAO Soo true.
@@gregorytimmons4777 Classic cars driven "pure" are very fussy things especially on modern gasoline which makes it very hard to use them often, and ultimately that is what a car is for. A few retromods can made an old car very usable again, just by improving the electrics, modern wiring, modern fuses, relays, ignition, valve seats, fuel pump, AC/heat, lights, tires, brakes if modest improvement is warranted etc makes them into cars you can use every day to do normal car stuff like getting around and seeing people. I love using interesting cars to perform otherwise mundane journeys especially if I have passengers.
I just finished restoring my 1953 xk120 fhc a few months ago. I can attest to the wonderful feeling it is to drive such an iconic car, and Jay is right about the sound of the xk engine. It truly is like a symphony to the ears!
Oh Jay, without any doubt your love of that wonderful XK120 came through loud and clear The beautiful full rich engine throatyness also couldn't be missed even when your camera care was shooting! I'm 80 have a similar story that took place in 1959, I was just 16 and growing up on a working dairy farm but my father who owned a contracting business always drove Buicks. He pulls up to my school one day in a brand new red 59 Porsche Cabriolet 1600. At that time I owned a1948 Ford, a Christmas present. To this day I don't believe I've ever driven a better cornering car then that Porsche. Not any other car in thoes days could corner like that under powered Porsche! I admitted to my dad years later that I had raced all types of period sports cars from Triumphs, Austin Healy 3000,Corvettes ,etc always on back roads and ways left them way behind. Looking around id see them often the road In the grass because they couldn't make corners like that 1600 Porsche! Thanks for making a longer version of your dream sports car. You have given your followers a far greater understanding why you love all things mechanical that sound like that XK120! Absolutely love every show, thanks again
My favorite Jaguar. An uncle brought a '53 back from England and taught me to drive a manual transmission on a right hand drive car. Good job, Jay!
The sound of that straight-6 is bringing a tear to my eye... that's gotta be one of the sweetest choruses of sound I've ever heard!
I’ve gotten to ride in both an xk120 and a 67 Shelby cobra 427 and in my opinion as heart pounding as the rumble and roar of that big 427 was through the straight pipes the Xk sound was just better.
there would be a few tears if you hit something! if you were to fit a seatbelt to that car, would it affect it's re sale value?
@@vincentl.9469 I would cry if I destroyed that car, what do meatbelts have to do with anything?
indeed, a great sound. It's not about the volume of the sound but the character of the sound.
manygaga definitely a spot on comment!
So true. From the 120 through the E type & the Mark 2 sedan as well. Nothing else has that Jag exhaust note.
@@chrisjensen8369
Lovely sound. But I was also enthralled by the Austin Healey 3000.
225 Marklin omg now there's a car. I would love a Healey 3000. Or a 54 Talbot-Lago Grand Sport. Google it, if you haven't seen one. They are gorgeous! Just like the Healey.
Would love to take this car through a long tunnel
I saw my first Jaguar XK 120 about 1966. Someone had it tucked away for a while in the town up the road from my small West Virginia mining community. I was eighteen at the time! It took my breath away! Seeing it again today has the same affect at seventy-one! Thank you for sharing with this Florida retiree.
When the engine initially cranked up, it growled like a jaguar. When the engine reved up in gear, it roared like a jaguar. And the car looks aggressively elegant, like a jaguar, whether at rest or on the attack. It helps, also, that you, J.L., are a very pleasant host. Thank you.
Another one of Jays OWN cars?? YESSSS He's back!!! Thanks Jay, if this one gets to you, I think you listen to the comments more than a lot of others out there and it's not like you're trying to get rich doing this...
Maybe he listens but he doesn't comment. :-(
@@dannydaw59 Yeah, it's not like he's busy or has a life or anything. He should be here on YT answering comments.
@Dream Girls Daily Of course the channel pulls in money but wow did you miss the joke there.
@John B To be clear, my assumption is Jay himself has never sat down and read a single comment. He most likely has a staff or an individual who looks at the comments with a lot of likes on each video. Via comments and other stats, he's informed and given the decision of where to guide the future content. My guess is that guest/sponsor/payola videos generate more front-door revenue to keep the garage funded but if Jay doesn't balance them with what his audience wants to see, he'll lose viewership. No different than his old day job really, just a subject I assume he likes a whole lot more than what movie an A-list celeb happens to be promoting. Yes, I'm assuming more than a few of the guests pay for the privilege of showing their work on JLG and I'm sure the sponsors do too. It only makes sense. It seems to also be a trend of the wealthy to have their new deliveries "Christened" by Jay as a big "to do" in certain circles. Meanwhile there are Jay's rolling art pieces in the background there that I'm far more interested in knowing about.
I think they do listen to the comments but I’ve been asking for a review of the Citroen SM for years, it sits there looking at me almost every video!
I love the showing off of other people’s cars don’t get me wrong but it’s a real treat to see jays own cars. Love it.
Right? There are so many great ones staring at us in the face every episode, many need to be re-shot too because they go back to the old, old format.
Hi! This was the first type of JAG . I ever sat in after getting permission from the garage owner But it was a 1956 XKE 120 and I would sit in that dream of.having one just like it - I am now 84 and still dreaming but no one will ever take the mental image of this stunningly beautiful automobile from me - every so often I need a Jaguar FIX thank you Jay Leno
My father had a XK 120. The noise it would make was fantastic. You could see people waiting to see what was coming around the corner due to the wonderful note it would play. It was always a thrill whenever my father would let me drive it.
man I just love these old photo's of Jay wearing the exact same outfit. Doesn't matter if it's 20 years ago. Same outfit.
Like how Jay recreates the original scene by riding some old beat up bicycle.
I think this must be the fourth or fifth time I've watched this and when you mentioned the "spats" (took me a minute to remember we called 'em "fender skirts"), I was reminded of a cartoon in one of my magazines when I first got interested in sports cars around 1960. To remove the Jag's skirts, you plugged a T-handled tool into a a hole with a chrome bezel to release the bars holding them in place. The cartoon showed a Jag driver squatting next to the car with the "key" in his hand and a farmer standing next to him. You can probably think of what he asked: "Oh, gotta wind 'er up again, eh?" Beautiful car. My next-door neighbor when we were kids raced a 120, in BRG (of course!), with a yellow stripe like the "tire track" on the yellow Goodyear T-shirts his team wore. (Hilariously, their tow vehicle was an early '40s Cadillac hearse with huge vintage wheels (20"?). They'd painted the beast a screaming yellow to match the T-shirts, with a black tire track stripe. Stay safe, everybody.
Made my day. This is how I’ll always remember my favorite car guy, Jay Leno. Occupation? Man!
Sweet! Brings back memories! I owned an XK120 in the 1960s as a teenager. Got it when I was 15, before I could even legally drive! Bought it for $350 (people just thought they were old junk heaps back then). But I had seen a picture of one in the newspaper and I fell in love!!
It was a 1951 model, so not refined like Jay's and not updated like Jay's so it had all the mechanical warts that the originals had (electrical problems mainly). It was just a brute racing machine, didn't even have a heater! Mine had obviously been raced. Most body panels were damaged. But it had so few miles on it it was barely broken in! Just smashed and stored away in a garage.
I happened to have a neighbor who was starting out in classic car restoration. I used to hang out and help where I could. So when I brought this home, this neighbor said "If you buy materials and do the grunt body work, we'll provide guidance and spray it for you". So at just 15 1/2, I had a pristine, silver Jag XK120! What a car for a 15 year old! I would just sit and look at it for hours. In the morning, I'd give it a sponge bath to remove the night's accumulation of dust, then push it half a block to the downgrade to get it started (credit to the Lucas "starting carburetor" which worked as well as most Lucas components!) Hah!
God created light but Charles Lucas invented darkness.
Beautiful story
One of my favourite cars of all time. Looks so much better without the spats. Loved the story that goes with the car. Wonderful entertainment, just made me smile the entire episode. Thank you so much Jay and your entire team that make these gems possible. John
4 years after you posted, this content still plays like new. the XK120 is still a fabulous sports car. What looks.., and what sound!!!
30 years ago I peeked in a window of a British mechanics shop here in Portland and saw the front end of a red one. Still my favorite car ever.
This brings back memories of growing up in Jamaica in the 60's & 70's, with mostly British cars. These XK120s werent a dime a dozen but they were around, continuing the Lyon theme of the leaping feline shape. Still the sexiest car shape ever in my eyes.
@Retro Collected Yes, 007 should have had a Jag or other British car, rather than a Mustang, in Dr. No!! Favorite line in that movie: "That's a Smith & Wesson, and you've had your six, ...zzip, zzip!!"
It was a sheer joy to listen to Jay talking about his Jaguar. He really enjoys his money, spending on things he loves and saving them for future generations to appreciate. Fantastic man.
Now I can see how Jay Leno has made a success of his career, he talks lots of sense about British car manufacturing. I might be bias, but we led the world in performance, sophistication and styling and it’s so refreshing to hear an American talking up the brand and clearly loving the way it gets down the road. Bravo MR. Leno
My father owned a black 150. Of all my father’s classics he would buy, enjoy, sell, repeat. This was my favorite. When I was 20 I purchased a XJS. Not quite the same. But I will always be a jag fan.
Original fast and furious movie from 1954 brought me to this car . I’ve been following Jay Leno’s garage for years .This car was years ahead of its time in technology and styling. Long live the internal combustion engine.
Never realised how aerodynamic jays hair was, I’m genuinely impressed
I bet Jay will thumb up this comment personally.
Beautiful
Lol, Jay is very aerodynamic.
The term is hairodynamic.
It's because that chin pushes all the wind out of way.
The biggest asset is to have someone who knows how to tune these inside and out. My brother had a five five xk-140 around 1960-61 but it ate him up because it was always in the shop and there were not a whole lot of mechanics in Chippewa Falls, Wi. that knew what they were doing with Brit motors. Puppy was sweet when it did run well for a while.
This was the car of my dreams growing up. My cousin had one and whenever we went to visit I would drool all over it. True art. By the way I was 7 years old.
Now I've had 5 different Porsches including a 928 and currently drive a Lexus LFA. I would love to have Jay's Jaguar.
No need for a cassette player, that engine sound is pure music! 🎶
Bogfinken that’s why such an old tape remained in the radio/tape player. Fist rule of Brit racing, the sound is what matters! Kind of like the original quote, first rule of Italian racing, whatsa behind us isa not important! Canonball run I believe!
Had an XK-140 in 1970. Drove it from California to Michigan and I remember that exhaust note, which after several hours on the highway, stayed with you for many more hours. The clip-on side windows were a treat. Above 50 mph they would bend into the air steam and provide a cooling feature, not fun in the winter, as was the heater core, a can with two D-shaped flappers that allowed you right leg to be either roasted or frozen, with no in between. I recall that the hood and trunk lid were aluminum. The XK gave me the opportunity to learn how to drive without a clutch!
I just love "first one" stories. It's obviously very special to you, as it should be. I remember my uncle with his "new to him" XK having finally moved up from a Triumph TR3.
Many characteristics of those low buck TR's, MGs and Healeys still resonate today. The first car I ever sort of "soloed at" behind the wheel was an elder brother's '59 TR3. At eight years old, I'm grasping at that banjo wheel and stretching for those tiny spoon pedals. CaChunk-a-chunkity chunk it would go.. "Gas ..GAS Gas..more gas...." would come the command from the instructors' seat. Side curtains and freezing your bottom off in midwest winters, pretty much laying besides the transmission, and the overall cockpit circumference. And those unmistakable squadron of angry hornets exhaust notes..marvelous memoirs rekindled here. Any full size stock '60-ish Healeys or TRs coming up for an episode? These solo themed video exploits with the passion and the pure joy being exposed are the best.....
Thank you Jay. The reason I kept asking for this was when I was 5 years old we visited my Dad’s brother in Wheeling W. Va.of all places and he had a red ‘54 he bought new. It was in 1956 and he asked if I wanted to go for a ride and of course I jumped right in.The first thing I noticed was the mirror & gauges it was an amazing experience and a ride I will never forget so again thank you.
Jay, it’s 8 months later and I just finished watching the guy with the homemade (lol) 59 Ferrari and seen this video on the side and I don’t know why but today it put me right back in the car next to my uncle driving the hills around Wheeling looking up at him with the biggest , dumbest grin ever so thank you again ❗️🇺🇸
"You'll never forget your first love." And what a sweetheart it is!
Jay, your appreciation of automotive history benefits us all. To add to your narrative, this car was built just nine years after WWII ended. The economy was in shambles, factories had to retool and the car market In Europe was seriously depressed. They had to make a hit with US buyers and thankfully they did. Great video!
It's unanimous. THIS is the type of video we all want to see. It's very meaningful in so many ways.
9:24 "It'll cost you about $15..." LOL. That look he gives is awesome.
that had to be 25 years ago - last time I had a hood strap made for my sidecar it cost just over 40 $
Love these 1 on 1 talks with Jay with his own cars, so personal and passionate, Jay is car Jesus
Arguably the most beautiful sounding and looking cars ever made.
I have been waiting for this for quite a while, I saw it in your garage a lot....this was my very first car. I bought one used in 1966 out of high school for 1400 dollars. It was the car that did it for me too...this might just be mine. Mine was white, red leather and mine had the plaque on the dash.I got drafted and lost the car by '68. I still have dreams about it...mine also had a little different exhaust headers, mine were like black stove porcelain, not stainless or chrome like yours. It was only 12 years old when I got it, it had the books and everything. It was titled to the Pabst company when I got it. I was way too young to own such a car..it changed the way I looked at everything. Mine also had the skirts and that plaque gave it a top speed of 137.
I love the story about the hood strap. 😄
Jay bargain hunting? OK
I've noticed a few times Jay has been thrifty like that. 3D printing knobs instead of getting ripped off. Old school. I love Jay on his own.
Thank you for posting this! Scrolling through the comments to be sure someone mentioned it. You deserve much more likes! 'Cause JL reminds us of that to become rich, you have to think about the cheapest options. And even if we're not talking about rich money wise: for 250 bugs spare you can buy your spouse a nice dinner :) That's at least richness in experience!
@@225marklin3 Jay apparently came from humble roots, still respects the true meaning of money, where it comes from, how it's made, the hard work involved, etc.!
"Yeah, that's ok, I'll.. I'll go for the fifteen.. yeah." Haha! I loved that too!
Funniest thing, Friday night I was watching Play Misty for me, Clint Eastwood, 1971, and he's buzzing around Carmel in a XK 150, really cool car too, I know back in the mid sixties when I was 5 or 6 the guy that parked next to my dad, in our building garage in NY, had a MG, now I was a Pontiac kid, my dad had a 65 Catalina w a 389, and a lot of neighborhood guys had GTOs, but my first fast ride in a convertible was that MG, nothing to compare to this Jag, but with that buzzy motor and the top down, it felt like u were doing a hundred, my dad, who passed away suddenly soon after this had asked the guy to take me out for a blast, I've had cars in my blood since I was a toddler, I can relate Jay
Neighbor across the street had his mid life crisis with a red Triumph Spitfire. He gave me a ride in it when I was about 12 years old. And I drove a 1973 Pontiac GP for a few years. It was tan with a brown vinyl top.
Everyone had a Grand Prix , when I go to car shows, people love my car, it's sadly not worth much, but I love it
My mom's younger brother, my uncle raced sports cars in the Bay area in the 1950's and 60's. Had one of these and also rebuilt a wreaked Cheetah or Fiberfab but his favorite was the poor man's XK. The Triumph TR3 with race spec engine it was a thrill when visiting during the summer.
My brother had a red xk120 roadster around 1964. It had a Chevy V8, because he got it from a junkyard, and had to get it running. We lived in small town Texas. Anyway, after riding in it as a five year old kid, I was imprinted, and have always wanted one. The thing terrified me, and was close to a rollercoaster in feeling. I would always beg for yet another ride. Now that I’m old, I just may get one. Looks like I could fit behind the wheel. I really enjoyed this video! Thank you, Jay!
Two wonderful sounding engines, Jaguar straight 6 and Rolls Royce Merlin, both send shivers down your spine.
Love when you show your own cars. Plus giving credit to your crew. Best episodes.
And the the door angle is perfect for the 'arm out the door' of the day. There are few sounds that can match the throaty, racy sound of an inline 6, and the Jag is the best.
Thanks Jay
Ray
That just sounds like a happy car. Drive every day and never get tired. Beautiful!
Boy does this bring back memories. I bought a used 54 XK120 roadster back in 1968, and one of my fondest memories is driving it through the long tunnel where the I10 in Santa Monica joins the Pacific Coast Highway. Pure Heaven!
Where is it now?
Jay that was a blast from the past. Great show. I've love Jags since I was a kid and between my Dad and I we've had many. I've restored an XK 120 as well as an E-Type 2+2 4.2 coup. Your 120 is one of the nicest I've seen and it has one of the sweetest sounds a man could hear... music to the ear.
"You sure he's still alive? He was pretty old.
He was 24"
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Jay was still in his single digits at the time!
Ahhhh! Thank you Jay. I git to ride in a couple of old Jags as a kid. The style, the sound. It cannot be beat!
Outstanding video and presentation. My first car and love at age 14 was the 1967 MGB in British Racing Green that my parents gave me. Since then I have never been without at least one MGB. Now my collection has a 68, 71, 79, 79 Limited Edition, 80 (Last of the Last) and my most recent addition a 68 MGC GT. Once you get get stung by the British cars you will never be cured and you never get tired of both restoring and driving these beautiful cars.
Very enjoyable! Reminds me of an afternoon when I was a teenager (c. 1965), and I saw an XK-120 in a parking lot and spent several minutes walking around it and looking at it carefully without touching it. It was not restored, but it was obviously driveable. I had never heard of an XK-120, but I knew I was in the presence of a fantastic car. It's nice to see this restored car and hear that wonderful sound it makes.
I, too, have always loved the XK-120s. I used to go to our local Jaguar dealership after school. I went to an all-boys Catholic HS and around the corner was a Buick-Jaguar-Triumph-MG dealership. I would see all sorts of fabulous British sports cars there in 67-68 (my senior year) and would get to sit in the newest E-type or a used XK. From a stylish POV, the XK-120 had it all over the XK-150. At 6'6" tall, I could fit in most British sports cars, but my head was usually just over the windscreen. Some guys in my class started a car club and one guy had an older English white XK-120. I couldn't afford a car, so I just drooled over them.
I once had a job delivering imported car parts to various garages and one fellow was also a local Lotus dealer. They had just received a JPS Europa in black with gold stripes and lettering. I asked if I try to sit in it and they all laughed and made bets with each other. I was able to get in, even with strict instructions to not lean on the door. However, getting my legs in the proper spots was almost impossible as I was barely able to sit down in the seat. The guys were all laughing when I told them I couldn't get out. Fortunately, they offered to pull me out, which was easy for them since I was only 175lbs soaking wet.
Back to the XK-120... Jay is correct. Those engines were damn good and produced the greatest sounds which the video attempts to show (it's even better in person). I've never been able to ride in or drive one, but I've seen them on the road and heard the sounds going through the gears. Simply legendary and quite beautiful to the ears of a car nut as myself.
I once or twice have come close to convincing my wife to buy a MkII saloon, but my senses got the better of me and I gave up the hunt.
Today, if I were to have the money and the space for a classic sports car, it would be a tie between the XK-120, an Aston-Martin DB-3 or 4, and a Mercedes 190SL. Style over substance or speed in some regards, but who would want to really exercise any of those cars today without a lot of money to fix whatever breaks?
Jay, keep up the great work on your collection and in showing your cars on the road as you drive them after showcasing them in a walk-around on your channel. Truly love your cars.
My Grade 5, and a different Teacher who became Principal both had Jaguars XKE's one was Silver, Mr. Botting (This was back in the 1970's and Mr. Botting was old then), and Mr. Campbell, who was one of the Coolest Teachers ever, would play Floor Hockey with us after school, was Great, then he became too busy I guess---Principal. His was Gold. Never seen those models ever since owned by anyone else, my Mom re-did my Paint in my Bedroom when I was away at school on day, on the wall paper she used was old fighter jets and a Jaguar XKE, a Downhill skier, well it was just Cool of my Mom, may she Rest in Peace. Thanks Jay, for some reason this video triggered all that.
I first saw a Jaguar XK 140 was a red fixed head coupe owned by one of my dad's co-workers. He had driven it over to have my dad help him install the sedan leaping Jaguar chrome hood ornament.... none standard but to a 14 year old boy looked like piece de resistance. and cool as all get out. He took us out for a spin, with me in the jump seat area. Hearing that engine as he shifted through the gears was unlike any engine sound I'd every heard, pure raw powerful magic...and that was it for me, the dream car I had to have some day down the road.
A few years later a college kid from our church bought a white XK 140 drophead coupe in which I also finagled a ride on country roads. Man, I felt like a navigator in the Mille Miglia, as we roared over the empty twisting two lane country roads!.
Skip forward to my first year out of high school in need of transportation to work I spotted a newspaper ad for a 1958 Jaguar roadster a naval commander had just shipped home from Europe. It was my lucky day, I was the first caller. Don't recall.how, but I was viewing it an hour later. 3.4L engine with 2 SU pots and a Laycock de Normanville electric overdrive, 16" wire wheels with disc brakes all around...and the biggest steering wheel aside from trucks I'd ever seen. First sight of the Dove gray roadster was with the black tonneau cover in place. And oh that magnificent engine sound! His asking price was $800 in 1968, at the high end for an 8 year old domestic used car at the time...but it was a. British JAGUAR ROADSTER! Explained my financial situation, I could give him a check for $400 right there if he could hold off other potential buyers for a few days. It must have been pretty obvious to him how much I appreciated the car because he agreed with big grin. Dad came through with a loan for the rest telling what a bargain I'd found
HearbJay describe the sound as he drove( @ about17:02 ) reminded me of my daily run to work where I had to drive through an arched railroad overpass. One day I down shifted to for the light ahead and two schools stopped and cheered the echoing rumble. Did that every day for the rest of the school year as we were on the same schedule...by then there were 4 boys waiting.
The engines are actually a true hemi as well / perfect hemisphere combustion chambers. Giant valves. The cams are so far apart like that because the valves have to basically be at a 90 degree angle. All the head studs can be retightened w/o taking off the valve covers too.. (1950's pit stops).
Mike B Wow! Thank you for the information there, man. That’s cool.
Mr. Orange And they powered light tanks with it.
Dome top pistons and centered spark plugs. Real old tech now, but damn hot at the time. Premium fuel only!
@@Oldbmwr100rs Fuel requirement depends on version, e.g. the one used in military vehicles (look for pale green paint on the engine) runs on low grade fuel. In the day the standard car had optional 7:1, 8:1 or 9:1 pistons depending on what was available where you lived.
Subaru could use such an engineering design feature.
LOVE when you do your own cars! So much better than brand new stuff! Videos every where on new stuff!! The videos on your cars are unique please please do more of your collection! Thank you sir!
Brings back many great memories. My father had a '54 XK-120M roadster he bought new. He would strap my sister and I in the passenger seat (he added seatbelts) and would wind it out. The sounds and smells of that car still give me goosebumps from those memories. When we got home from one of those rides, he would remind us not to tell mom how fast we went or she wouldn't let us ride in it again!
Thanks, Jay for bringing back the best of times for us.
When I was a young boy in Sydney Australia , our neighbour raced an XK 140 and later a mark 2
3.8 I absolutely loved the sound and was beside myself when ever I had the opportunity to go for a ride in them.
Thank you so much for the lovely memories
Leith
Always my favorite type of episode! Jay, by himself, talking about one of his own (older) cars!
I was given the opportunity to drive an XK150 for a couple of laps around our local race track. Will never forget it. They are very special cars! One of our club members has one of the very first production cars in aluminium. He has removed all the paint a just polishes the metal body panels. Looks amazing.
When I was thirteen years old growing up in Chicago there was a guy in his early twenties that lived in the three flat next store to ours who had an XK120 in the same colors as Jay's car. The owner was always friendly when pulling the car out of the garage and would always put up with my questions while he was washing the car in the ally. My first car was also white over red but it was only a Volvo 142. I have often thought of that car over the last sixty years or so but life just seemed to always be in the way of me having one. The sound in this video just brought back to me, the sound of my neighbor pulling away in the back ally.
Mr. Leno, it is so wonderful to hear about how when you were but a young kid that this was the car you fell in love with because of that opportunity to sit in it.
My story is much the same but is was a much older car. The car dealership across the street from my grandparents apartment in Greenfield, MA was an Oldsmobile dealership. When I was about 7 years old they had a 1903 Curved Dash Olds on the lot as a curiosity. My Grandpa walked me across the street and asked someone there if I could sit in it while he took a couple of pictures.
I still have those pictures to this day from 1969. I was enamored with that car and it started my love for the pre-1930's cars.
If I had the money and the space I would have a collection of all sorts.
As it is, I feel very lucky to own a 1921 Model T Touring car.
I love your channel!!!
Thank you for sharing your love, passion, knowledge, and collection with the rest of us.
It truly is greatly appreciated.
I appreciate all content on this channel but it’s extra special when it’s one of Jay’s own cars. His stories about and personal connection to these cars allows for a whole different level of video. Thank you Jay Leno!
Reminds me of my own experience back in the 60’s. I became good friends with a workmate who was restoring a 120 roadster while I was doing the same with a ‘54 Corvette. We were both amateurs but eventually ended up with show quality (for the time) cars that began competing in local ‘antique’ car shows. As hard as I tried I could never best his car (from the judge’s standpoint!) so it was usual for us to end up on the podium with him holding the first place award while I had to be satisfied with second place.......great memories about two iconic cars of the time.
Just so the trophies weren't the size the ones from Caddyshack 🙄
Thanks Jay. I watch a lot of your episodes over and again. I am an ex DC messenger hailing back to the last of the motorcycle days, (although I did plenty of bicycle work). It's all good, really wonderful. It might be an old episode and I have seen it before, but it's still great. I had my first sports car at 17, a spitfire. It gifted me with some insight into the art of living. Lots of motorcycles, races and etc. leave me still receptive to your episodes like a kid on chocolate.I watch your pandemic episodes as well and cannot adequately express to you what a breath of life they are. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All the best...
All ‘celebrities’ should be like Jay. Salt of the earth, funny human being.
Thank you sir.
"People Just Love This Car" No Jay! People Love you!
Both!!!
And the car!
@@christinemusselman5499 When they Honked and Waved at Jay is what I was referring to!
When a Jag was a Jag
read this in Jeremy Clarkson's voice lol.
when Britain was still British and they were doing their own thing.
Those were the days
Just don't plan on getting to destinations. Plan ahead, book a tow truck.
new jags are awful
Brought it all back to me when I watched these race as a boy. After the last race, the owner removed the race nos and drove the car home. RIP Sir William Lyons.......Grace Pace and Space ......3442cc....thanks for the memory Jay!
My Mom and Dad bought a new 1954 XK 120M. Drove it everywhere. Even with me between them next to the shifter. He said it really made a beautiful sound going through the tunnel under Mobile Bay in Alabama. White with dark green interior. I'll never forget that car.
This is still one of my favorite episodes of JLG
First true loves are never eclipsed. Jay, the man. Lovely story.
Jay your love and appreciation is creating a ripple effect...I know many are inspired by the art and hand crafted workmanship of classic cars...you remind the world of the good work man has accomplished the love of iron horses with beautiful jewelry...
My next door neighbor got me deep into cars, I was 8 years old or so and he left me all his all his car mags when he was done with them. All genres were represented, from muscle to exotics. I still get excited in my mid 50s about beautiful cars, trucks, bikes, boats and airplanes to this day.