1951 Jaguar XK120 ‘Jabbeke’ Record is a strange sighting!
11 Aprile, 2023
During The ICE at St. Moritz, Switzerland, I have filmed this unique 1951 Jaguar XK120 'Jabbeke' Record.
During high speed tests carried out by Jaguar Cars Ltd., on the Jabbeke Motor Highway in Belgium on 20 October 1953, this Jaguar 2-seater driven by Jaguar?s chief test driver, Norman Dewis, covered a flying mile at a mean speed of 172.412 m.p.h.
The car was a special equipment XK 120 model fitted with catalogued optional equipment with the addition of under-shield and cockpit cover. Ordinary commercial grade petrol was used and this was placed in the fuel tank in England, under the official observation of the R.A.C. who sealed the tank after taking a test sample for analysis. This speed was officially recorded by the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium and is the highest ever achieved by a production car fitted with optional equipment.
The test was carried out in order to demonstrate the performance of the special equipment XK 120 in full speed trim. This car in standard production model of this type achieved an officially recorded speed of 141.864 m.p.h. at Jabbeke in April 1953.
In the course of the speed tests, a Jaguar prototype competition model was timed over a flying mile at a mean speed of 178.383 m.p.h. This exceeded the speed of 148.435 m.p.h. officially recorded by a standard production XK 120 C by 30 miles an hour.
The car served as a work?s entry into the Alpine Rally in 1952 winning its class before it was used to break the world record. Technically the record is still standing.
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*Michael - Automotive Mike*
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