1979 Jaguar XK120 (Nostalgia Replica)

Factory-built by Nostalgia Cars in 2001, this wonderful XK120 replica is finished in Pacific Blue metallic and fitted with a navy roof and a tan leather interior. Chassis number #16, its first owner, Malcolm Borthwick, commissioned the car with a 4.2-litre straight-six engine and a five-speed manual gearbox.

That Jaguar engine was stripped down and rebuilt in 2008 at a cost of more than £5,500, and Mr. Borthwick then arranged for the bodywork to be stripped down and resprayed in 2011 by Rawles Motorsport following a paint reaction. This bodywork set him back more than £6,000 but left the car looking magnificent, even after nearly a decade. There are plenty more hefty bills over the years despite the car’s low recorded mileage; this is a very well maintained car.

Bought three years ago after the sad death of the car’s first owner, it has been used only sparingly and stored correctly. The vendor has owned both XK120s and XK140s, yet says that they’re “miserable to drive”, adding with a grin that this one drives “like a modern car”.

Despite being smitten with it, the vendor simply isn’t using it as much as it deserves, and having had success selling his Hawk Ace with us, he has sufficient faith in it - and you lot - to offer it with no reserve, trusting in your sense of fair play to bid it up to a sensible level.

So, if you’ve ever fancied getting behind the wheel of a vintage British roadster but have been put off by the necessarily vintage engineering, then your time has come…

Almost indistinguishable from the factory cars, this XK120 Nostalgia probably has, dare we say it, a better overall fit and finish than anything that Jaguar built at the time. With very good panel alignment and tight and even shutlines, the XK proves the blurb in the catalogue was no idle boast.

Given the material they’re all made of there is no rust to worry about. No dents, dinks, and other damage, either. That expensive respray in 2011 has left the metallic Pacific Blue paintwork looking very good indeed, and the straight and shiny chrome serves to reinforce the Jaguar’s smart appearance.

The blue folding roof is as awkward-looking as the original. Yet, aesthetics aside, it’s in a very good condition, rising and falling easily. That said, we can see that most folk will drive it with the hood removed and the matching tonneau cover to hand; few things are more rewarding than a hood-free run in brisk weather with the passenger side neatly covered, the heater on full blast, and the top half of the driver’s body open to the elements.

Removeable side screens for the doors are another delightfully authentic touch, as are the folding front Perspex side windows.

The 15-inch chromed wire wheels are in great shape, too. Running straight and true, they also shod with matching 205/70ZR15 Pirelli P4000 tyres, all of which have good tread.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Two front spotlights and a period-style RAC grille badge finish off the car’s exterior. Bar a few stonechips and the like, the car needs nothing other than the rusty chrome trim on the rear foglight replacing and a few of the chrome bits polishing to remove some light pitting.

The low-back tan leather bucket seats, which are piped in dark blue to match the exterior, are still in a very good condition, as well they might given the owners’ fastidious nature and the car’s low mileage. Barely marked and showing virtually no creasing at all, they’re as comfortable and supportive now as they were when the car was first built.

The matching leather trim to the doors and dashboard top are just as good, as are the door cards and dashboard. The dark blue carpets are similarly good, and the whole kit and caboodle comes together very well.

A large part of its appeal is the four-spoke, wood-rimmed Mota-Lita steering wheel, which is perfectly judged and a major part of the car’s semi-vintage look and feel.

The modern switches and speedometer/rev counter/clock do look a little incongruous but there are plenty of more period-appropriate replacements out there should they offend your eyes as much as they do ours. The rest of the dials are chrome-bezeled and black-faced Smiths items. The vast wooden dashboard they all sit in is excellent.

A lovely alloy gearknob and handbrake handle plus a chromed map light finish off the interior’s high-end feel. It really is a lovely place to be and would be utterly convincing - once you’ve sorted the switches.

The boot, which contains a matching wire wheel and Pirelli P4000 tyre, is in good order but both the carpet and underlying plywood trim both show signs of water ingress. Given the carpet’s condition, we can see the new owner will probably want to replace it once the leak has been identified – and a very picky owner might like to consider having their trimmer replace some of the carpet in the cabin while the sewing machine is out, including the bit behind the three switches on the transmission tunnel.

Other work to do? Well, if you’re feeling picky then the gaiters around the gear lever and the handbrake have both seen better days but that’s very much a job that would be nice to do rather than something more essential. And the passenger door pull/handle is a compromise as teh origial broke.

Well fettled over the years, including the comprehensive engine rebuild in 2008, the XK drives very well. As you can see in the video, it starts promptly and revs well, making a gorgeous noise at both ends when provoked.

The engine bay is neat and tidy yet leaves plenty for scope for the enthusiast to tidy it up should they be so inclined.

The underside is very straight and solid and yet it too could do with some modest cosmetic tidying, work that is largely restricted to wire brushing off some surface rust ahead of protecting it with some good quality underseal.

The XK’s MOT certificate, which is valid until November 2021, was gained without a single advisory point, something it’s been doing for the past few years.

It has a number of expired MOT certificates plus a few old bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

It also has a copy of the original brochure and price list, a print-out of some contemporary road-tests, and correspondence from between the owner and the factory from the time the car was built.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been built and maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

For all but die-hard originality buffs, cars like the XK120 Nostalgia offer many benefits over the cars they’re based upon; with much better safety equipment and more modern mechanical components, they combine the looks we love with the dynamic performance we’ve come to appreciate.

And the Nostalgia cars are almost certainly the best of the breed; with magazines heaping praise on them in period, they combine well-proven mechanicals with a strong and safe chassis and body.

Yet, all this counts for nothing if you buy an old dog, which is why we’re so pleased to be able to offer this one; beautifully fettled over the past two decades, it’s running beautifully and still looking magnificent.

Despite its many attributes, the seller is so convinced of his car’s quality that he is offering it without reserve, so while we estimate it’s probably going to fetch somewhere between £26,000 and £37,000, it’s going to sell from the very first bid.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.