Being a British car lover, it’s easy for me to imagine owning an XK120. The big kitty absolutely surprised the world despite being intended as a low-production showcase for the new XK-series inline 6-cylinder engine. Early XK120’s have a unique, classy presence unequaled in my opinion in the classic car world. This total restoration project is located in Hanover, Massachusetts and is listed for auction here on eBay.

There’s no way to sugarcoat this—the XK120 needs everything cosmetic. The good news is that it looks largely complete on the outside, with bumpers, grille, headlamps and the like being present. Top bows are there (although there’s no top). There even appear to be some side curtains present, one on the car and one in the spare parts collection.

I guess this is what a “bare bones” interior really means! Seats may be difficult to come by and don’t appear to be in the accompanying parts. It is nice to see the original steering wheel in place. I’ve heard that foot room and ergonomics leave something to be desired in the XK120; I know changes were made in the following model, the XK140, to correct this. Perhaps period appearing rallye-type seats could be used instead to give a little more room (if the new owner isn’t a purist).

The XK 6-cylinder engine is present, and although we don’t know for sure that it’s the original engine, the ad claims that it has the features unique to early XK120 engines. As a matter of fact, this car is only 50 or so serial numbers away from being one of the very first aluminum-bodied XK120’s which are worth considerably more than later cars. To me, just being close is just that—close but not there. I don’t think I’d be willing to pay extra for a car that was close to being something special. Would you?

What pictures there are of the underside look fairly solid, and a previous owner has had inner sills and floors installed, so some of the work is done. The seller states that the car rolls, so if you want to head up there and pick it up yourself you can easily load it on a trailer.

Despite this being a lot of work, I felt I needed to show you what it could look like when it’s done. This car was originally Birch Gray with Red/biscuit leather. What classy lines! I sure hope someone restores this beauty to what it was. Are you the right person to do it?