Cars

This classic Jaguar is hiding a $720,000 secret

Published on Apr 21, 2022 at 11:49 AM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis

Last updated on Feb 28, 2023 at 2:28 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Kate Bain

Restomods are all the rage at the moment and quite frankly, looking at these pictures, it’s not very difficult to understand why everyone wants one.

This, for example, is a Jaguar XK European by car restoration specialists Thornley Kelham.

It looks like it was built in the 1950s but it’s a 2022 vehicle, and it costs (nearly) three quarters of a million dollars.

READ MORE: This super rare Jag was sitting under rags in a barn for decades, and it could be worth nearly $400k

The Jaguar restomod from the back.
Image: Thornley Kelham
An aerial view of the Jaguar restomod.
Image: Thornley Kelham

So what exactly is a restomod (a blend of the words restored and modified)? It’s basically a classic car, a Jaguar XK 120 from the early 1950s in this case, fitted with modern technology so you can comfortably use it in the real world today.

This particular model has a modern suspension system with Bilstein shock absorbers and Eibach springs, new steering and brakes; and the original body panels have been replaced with identical ones made from alloy to make it lighter and rust-resistant.

READ MORE: David Beckham’s $450,000 wedding gift to Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz

Jaguar XK on the road.
Image: Thornley Kelham
The XK 120 parked outside a manor, the rear of it is visible.
Image: Thornley Kelham
The XK 120 from the front.
Image: Thornley Kelham

The standard 3.8-litre straight-six was reengineered with direct injection and a bespoke camshaft and it now delivers 340 hp, about 120 hp more than it did in its original form.

The car can be customised to your heart’s content but it won’t come cheap: prices start from £550,000 ($716,000) plus donor car.

Some of the world’s rich and famous are also jumping on the restomod trend.

Recently, football legend David Beckham bought his son, Brooklyn, a bespoke electric 1954 Jaguar XK140, as wedding gift for him and his new wife, Nicola Peltz.

It was fully restored and electrified by Lunaz, of which Beckham is an investor.

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user

Experienced content creator with a strong focus on cars and watches. Alessandro penned the first-ever post on the Supercar Blondie website and covers cars, watches, yachts, real estate and crypto. Former DriveTribe writer, fixed gear bike owner, obsessed with ducks for some reason.