1960 Jaguar XK 150 DHC

Jaguar turned the motoring world upside-down and inside-out when it introduced the XK 120 in 1948. It combined a powerful 160-bhp twin-cam straight-six with the most sensuous body ever seen on a production automobile. The combination of the 120-mph top speed, beauty and value had the celebrities lining up for their copies. Basic specifications called for mating the gorgeous 3.4-liter twin-cam engine to a four-speed Moss gearbox. Front suspension was independent by torsion bars, while the driven solid rear axle was suspended—and located—by longitudinal leaf springs.

A fixed-head coupe and a drophead coupe soon joined the original OTS (open two-seater). In 1954, the XK 120 was superceded by the more luxurious XK 140, which adopted the 190-bhp engine as its base power plant and offered much more comprehensive bumper protection. Using the cylinder head from the Le Mans-winning C-type, the Special Equipment XK 140—often referred to as the...