Topic: Solved - NEH 1412: Worblaufen Jaguar XK120 - 1953

[Carnut]

For 1 point what is this car, who built it and when?

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[Jean-Marie H]

1953 Jaguar MK7  Worblaufen

[Carnut]

1953 Jaguar MK7  Worblaufen

That's the car, yes.

[72Must]

This must have been a very heavily cut & shut mk 7 ,looking at the wheelbase & steering wheel position (& presumably pedals & other controls ), is it possible it was built on an xk120 ?
Just a thought 

Would be interested to see more photos of it ,wonder if it survives ?

[woodinsight]

My source tells me they produced two cabriolets on the XK120 base - chassis nos: 660985 and 671871.
Apparently they were both red - inside and out!

[Carnut]

My source tells me they produced two cabriolets on the XK120 base - chassis nos: 660985 and 671871.
Apparently they were both red - inside and out!

Thanks.  But your source doesn't mention any Mk VII based ones then?
So is my source incorrect and this is based on an XK120?

[woodinsight]

My source tells me they produced two cabriolets on the XK120 base - chassis nos: 660985 and 671871.
Apparently they were both red - inside and out!

Thanks.  But your source doesn't mention any Mk VII based ones then?
So is my source incorrect and this is based on an XK120?

I can't really confirm that as it doesn't mention any Mk VII based examples and it doesn't include any views of the XK120 cars.
My source is Jaguar expert Roland Urban's book "Les Métamorphoses du Jaguar" that covers almost all special-bodied Jaguars.

[72Must]

My source tells me they produced two cabriolets on the XK120 base - chassis nos: 660985 and 671871.
Apparently they were both red - inside and out!

Thanks.  But your source doesn't mention any Mk VII based ones then?
So is my source incorrect and this is based on an XK120?

From my (different) source;
It seems that Worblaufen did rebody a Mk 7 into a convertible which was displayed at Geneva probably
in '53 with rebodied xk120 671871 ,a  LHD roadster chassis ,as puzzle car is LHD it's probably 671871.


It's most likely xk120 660985 , RHD roadster chassis was rebodied in the same design as the latter ,but I don't think it's definitely the same although the chassis' were delivered to the same dealer

[Carnut]

I can't find any mention anywhere that this car is anything other than a Mk VII!:

[72Must]

I can't find any mention anywhere that this car is anything other than a Mk VII!:

Anders Clausager ,the JDHT head archivist has a recent book on the XK 120 ,with a chapter on special bodied cars .It has a photo & a couple of paragraphs on the Worblaufen XK120 ,the same car in the original puzzle photo but from a different angle.... The book also gives the chassis numbers as detailed above.

[woodinsight]

I can't find any mention anywhere that this car is anything other than a Mk VII!:

Personally it looks more like a MK VII than an XK120!

[Carnut]

Yes, it doesn't look particularly sporting to me with that upright grille.
The wheelbase does look a bit short but the Mk VII's wheelbase wasn't specially long, and that bonnet does go a long way back!
Clausager should be right, but isn't necessarily so..
More opinions welcome!

[Joćo]

Another picture : Not a good one!

[72Must]

Some more info / science !

Mk 7 ,8 ,9 wheelbase is 10 ft  , xk120 (& 140 ,150) is 8 ft 6 in ,     1.5 ft shorter ! ,noticeably different
( Also XK track is 6in narrower than mk 7 )

I think  pictures from similar angles  of a standard mk7/8/9 & the Worblaufen car illustrate the wheelbase difference quite well.
Also if you scale up from a 16in wheel (where tyre bead sits) on Worblaufen car & calculate wheelbase you end up much closer to that of xk........



Interesting to compare the Beutler xk 120 & mk7 ,the latter is barge-like in comparison to their xk !

 

 

[SACO]

Another source :

[Carnut]

Thanks for the further info.
Unfortunately 72Must I had that Beutler lined up as a future puzzle..

[barrett]

Just leafing through Bernard Viart's Jaguar XK120 Explored book, and he has two previously unseen (to me at least) photos of the Worfblaufen car. It is confirmed to be based entirely on XK120 chassis and running gear, and he even mentions the fact that it is often mistaken for a MkVII due to the frontal styling

[grobmotorix]

I have found a 1955 photo of this car racing: