1952 Jaguar XK120 Supersonic

The Supersonic coachwork was created by Ghia designer Giovanni Savonuzzi and originally appeared on an Alfa Romeo 1900 in the 1953 Mille Miglia. Its particularly streamlined curves were used on a small series of Fiat 8Vs, an Aston Martin and three Jaguars XK120s.

The first Jaguar Supersonic was built on the basis of a Coupé XK120 purchased by Joseph Malpelli in July 1952. This coupe was later taken over by the French importer Royal Elysés, which had it re-built by Ghia in 1954.

The example of this restoration is one of three Supersonic XK 120 built and one of only two existing today.

We have restored the body of this car in collaboration with Strada e Corsa, which manages the complete restoration and is in charge of the mechanical and electrical work.

This first collaboration has created a synergy that we wish to replicate in other equally challenging and exciting projects.

The restoration of the interior has been carried out by Interni Auto Maieli

The full restoration of the body and the interior of the Jaguar XK120 Supersonic was completed in eleven months.
This project has proved to be particularly challenging in many aspects. One of them is certainly the streamlined shape of the car, which is not easy to work.
The chrome parts have been another tricky item, because they are in direct contact with the body and have no interface with it. Therefore perfection is mandatory, as defects cannot be concealed.
Finally, since the body is made of aluminium, the work on this difficult material required great skills and special care.
We hope to see this car soon in some concours d’élégance.