A Closer Look: Jaguar XK120 - Then and Now

Good morning everyone! A Closer Look is a new segment on the blog made to highlight certain parts of my collection. You can go to other blogs to get a look at the brand new releases, so I will try to focus on older cars. Mainly Matchbox, but a significant part of my collection is made up of the blue brand, so no doubt there will be lots of that too. Anyways, on to the cars...

This beautiful white Jaguar was received in the mail yesterday, and I couldn't wait to get a closer look at it, so here you are! It's got a few nicks, but I like cars like this. Displayable for sure, but it has a story to it, it's not perfect. Every single car in my collection is loose, I just like it better that way.

This is a great color combination, cream and red. Very authentic to the car. The racing number on the doors make it look like a nice British gentleman's entry into the Mille Miglia. According to my books, this model was #22 in the 1-75 lineup in 1986 and 1987, someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm a Jaguar enthusiast through and through, and the XK120 is one of the best. One of history's greatest cars, no doubt. It was made from 1948-1954, and was Jaguar's first sports car since the SS100.

Jaguar's first sports car, the SS100

The XK120 debuted Jaguar's fantastic new dual overhead cam straight-6. That engine, debuted in 1948, was in use all the way up to 1992! That's how good it was. It has seen use in everything from the original XK120 and XK140, E Type, and even the D Type racer. (Expect a post in the future about the Hot Wheels version of the D Type) 

An XK120 at a small car museum in Kentucky

Back to the small scale, the last time this casting was seen was in the Superfast series back in 2008. I never found in unfortunately. However, in 2009, Matchbox released a new XK120 casting! A coupe this time. I think it was better than the original casting. 

The coupe made its debut in red as #5 in the 2009 lineup

Then came the excellent 2009 10-pack exclusive, in black, with red accents

Then came the lovely Lesney Edition model, in 2009. This one is unique because of its metal chassis

Next up, as #20 in 2010, the Jag is wearing a very interesting pale rose color

My personal favorite, in British Racing Green, is #20 from 2011

The latest release is this pale blue model, #14 from 2013

Now for some comparison pics! The two models display nicely together. The older casting is a bit bigger, but I prefer the coupe. The proportions just look better to my eye. 

What do you think? Did Matchbox do it right with the new model? Or is the old one better? Let me know in the comments. Don't forget to like us on Facebook! LA's Diecast Facebook Page