The rare Pininfarina bodied 1954 Jaguar XK120 SE was unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California, USA, after a full nut and bolt restoration taking 6,725 hours by world-class specialists Classic Motor Cars (CMC). The unique car was well received by the crowd of collectors and aficionados gathered at the event and finished second in class O-2 Postwar Closed.
In 1954, the equally Pininfarina-bodied Ferrari 250 GT was to follow, but the coachbuilder also found time to build a one-off Jaguar XK120. This final-year 1954 Jaguar XK120 SE debuted at the 1955 Geneva Motor Show but didn't make it to the Turin Motor Show in '56, simply due to the owner wanting to take delivery of it earlier to the event.
Peter Neumark, Chairman of the Employee Ownership Trust that runs CMC mentioned the car as a great result. He was a petrolhead who inspired the production and refinement of several vehicles from the main manufacturers, which made their entry into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2003. It is believed that Hoffman has inspired Pininfarina to reinterpret the shapes of the XK and then revealed it at the 1955 Geneva Motor Show, as reported by News 18.
The Pininfarina's 1954 Jaguar XK120 SE runs on an XK 120 3.4 SE (C-Type Head) straight-6 engine. It also has a new front end, rear quarter panels, inner arch panels, boot floor, sills and door skins, front and rear bumpers. Moreover, the zero mile items include 80 percent of the chrome work, the rear screen and screen surround, plus the interior trim, as reported by Road and Track.
Under the hood, the engine and gearbox were rebuilt in the rare 1954 Jaguar XK120 SE by Pininfarina. The 3.4-liter straight-six now produces 180 horsepower and comes paired to the original manual gearbox. The unique car was completed to original Jaguar equipment specification and took home second place at the Pebble Beach Concours class 0-2 Postwar Closed.
