Jaguar XK120: remarkable history of JWK 651

a história de um dos 6, XK120s, que foi preparado pela Jaguar em 1950 para competição!

Este, conhecido por JWK651 devido ao número de registro que lhe foi atribuído desde o novo, foi propriedade de Leslie Johnson com o qual correu em alguns dos mais prestigiados eventos da época, incluindo o Le Mans 24 Hours, o Mille Miglia (duas vezes ) e o Troféu Turístico em Dundrod. Além disso, Johnson e Stirling Moss tentaram a taça em Montlhéry, perto de Paris, e Johnson também participou do RAC Rally.

Além desta carreira de competição de período diverso e distinto, o livro conta a história, ao longo das128 páginas e 120 fotos, da vida posterior deste XK 120 mais significativo.

Key points

• Competition début on the 1950 Mille Miglia brought a superb fifth place for Leslie Johnson and John Lea, beaten only by three Ferraris and a works Alfa Romeo driven by Fangio.

• JWK 651 could have won the 1950 Le Mans 24 Hours: driven by Johnson and Bert Hadley, the car lay in second place after 15 hours and was gaining on the leaders when the clutch failed.

• While Stirling Moss won the 1950 Tourist Trophy race at Dundrod, in Northern Ireland, in another alloy-bodied XK 120, Johnson finished seventh on handicap to help secure the team prize for Jaguar.

• Record-breaking at Montlhéry: in October 1950 Johnson and Moss averaged 107.36mph for 24 hours and in March 1951 Johnson returned to achieve 131.83mph in one hour.

• A final flourish in 1952 brought another Mille Miglia appearance, which ended in retirement, and an outing on the RAC Rally of Great Britain that saw Johnson reach third place before dropping back to 16th by the end.

• The book includes a wealth of period photographs as well as a portfolio of magnificent studio images.

(PUB 04/2017, Autor: Philip Porter & Chas Parker,Porter Press, Idioma: Inglês, 128 págs, capa dura, 21X27 cms, 120 fotos ). Preço Editor: 30,00 GBP