Jaguar XK European GT Roadster | UK Review
Don't fancy Jaguar's new Jaguar? Try Thornley Kelham's one...
Given the future of Jaguar looks so different, buyer appetite for its past is unlikely to wane. For so long there was a retro tinge to new Jaguars, perhaps to a fault, and you can be sure that whatever is coming next won't pay the same lip service to nostalgia. Yet there’s undoubtedly a lot of love for the classics; see the reaction to anything Eagle produces, the energy behind the TWR Supercat, and the appreciation enjoyed by the very best XKR and XJRs of late. As Jaguar charges headfirst into the future, so its past looks more lucrative than ever.
A great time, then, to reimagine the XK120. A car that sometimes feels lost in the annals of Jag sports car history with later C-, D- and E-Types, despite it once being the fastest car in the world - and owned by Hollywood icons like Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart. Six cylinder up front, rear-wheel drive and a pretty body over the top served Jaguar well (if not permanently) all the way to the F-Type, which gives the XK120 an additional significance.
Only this isn’t an XK120. This is the latest of Thornley Kelham’s European Collection, a series that’s already spawned a 911-derived European RS and a fixed head XK120 (the European GT Coupe). So this drop-top is the Jaguar XK European GT Roadster, and 25 will be made; only it’s even more than just a Coupe without a roof, the body sufficiently overhauled that only lights and indicators are shared.
What a body, too. Once more with design overseen by Paul Howse (he of McLaren P1 fame), the Roadster has a bespoke sports car vibe straight from an Italian carrozzeria, voluptuous and curvaceous in a way that makes the regular ‘120 look demure. It’s a fascinating thing to behold, immediately recognisable as an XK with the face and the wings yet also very different thanks to the breadth, sinew and attitude. There’s something lovely, too, about knowing that the panels were hand beaten into their spectacular shape by the craftspeople of TK, that thousands of hours at the English wheel by human beings make each GT Roadster unique.
Gone is a dainty and delicate postwar classic; in its place you get an almost outlaw-grade speedster. The body is tall in relation to the raked windscreen, the wheels fill out the profile like never before, and the strakes bring drama. It’s an intriguing culture clash of modern cues and classic proportions. The fact that this won’t be to all tastes, and isn’t breathtakingly beautiful from every angle, is to be celebrated; it means the Roadster is memorable, and ensures the XK120 is considered in a new light. Which, for all the efforts lavished on cars like the E-Type, isn’t something that’s happened for later models. The exterior finish puts new cars, even pricey ones, to shame - that’s what 1,100 hours in the paint shop will do.
Don’t go thinking this is a contemporary experience, however. There’s precious little space to squeeze feet between seat and wing, the wheel has the diameter of a bin lid (and the thickness of a strawberry lace), and the turned aluminium dash is a thing of tactile beauty. Even sitting on exquisite, rich leather and glancing across at dials that actually work, this feels like every inch the classic British sports car. Only the steering wheel is adjustable, the seats are heated, and your phone can charge in the middle. The Roadster’s interior is like one of those perfectly colourised black and white films - maybe the originality has been tampered with, but the experience is too joyful to worry very much.
It could hardly be easier to drive. The re-engineered straight six is on the button, the clutch is accurate and the shift very satisfying indeed. With a new body that weighs so much less than before and a burly specification for a now all-alloy 3.8 (there’s more than 300lb ft), brisk progress requires very little effort indeed. Peering out over that incredible new bodywork, wind rushing in and surrounded by that interior, it’s very easy to imagine yourself cruising around as one of those caddish film stars.
Or a racer of the era, once that engine’s extended a little further. Thornley Kelham offers the European GT Roadster with either 300hp or 360hp optionally; either way, with less than 1,200kg to shift now, it’s abundantly fast. And utterly divine to listen to: imagine what an M3 CSL would sound like with carburettors, and the result is this XK, greedily snorting all the air it can at any given opportunity. The snarl is raw and raucous, the underlying smoothness of the layout perfectly complemented by the rasping exhaust. It’s an engine of rare joy, even in this rarefied sector of the market.
The chassis overhaul is potentially even more impressive. That glorious new body is seam-welded as part of the build, boosting the strength of the structure; with a totally new suspension setup as well - the rear leaf springs and live axle are ditched, replaced by trailing arms, and with an Intrax/Bilstein double act at each corner - the GT feels imperious. The ride is taut and expertly controlled, the structure feels endlessly resilient, and all that power under the bonnet never, ever feels too much for the underpinnings. So you can go a little bit faster…
Yet it stops short of feeling like a new car; it’s the classic experience with modern manners. Partly that’s because of the view out and around, but also because the brakes need a fair shove, nothing will help beyond a limited-slip diff if you’re greedy on the throttle, and plenty of road feel comes up through the seat. But the balance is near-perfectly struck, the combination of traditional sports car bonhomie with proper speed, grip and poise pretty beguiling. This is how you dreamed classic cars felt, only to be disappointed by the reality of an untouched old car.
Gripes? Maybe there could be a slightly better sense of connection between steering wheel and front rubber, and maybe the brakes could bite a bit sooner. But you only start nitpicking because what TK has created performs so adroitly against all present-day expectations. This isn’t an old car brought up to snuff; it’s a ground-up recreation that bears a resemblance to an old Jaguar and drives absolutely beautifully. You can keep all the new roofless hypercar speedsters; nothing makes getting down a road such a pleasure as this car.
With so little bodywork, the European GT Roadster is clearly a pretty full-on experience even by the standards of reworked classics. It isn’t going to be a car for long-distance touring, but that only means the limited opportunities will feel even more special. By not sticking to the usual script when it comes to making Jaguars great again, Thornley Kelham has made something unforgettably brilliant. And just wait until you see what they have coming next…
SPECIFICATION | JAGUAR XK EUROPEAN GT ROADSTER
Engine: 3,868cc, straight six
Transmission: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive, LSD
Power (hp): 300@6,500rpm (optionally 360)
Torque (lb ft): 280@4,250-4,500rpm (optionally 310)
0-62mph: c. 5 seconds
Top speed: c. 160mph
Weight: 1,180kg
MPG: NA
CO2: NA
Price: from £750,000
That said, the craftsmanship is exquisite and I guess if £3/4M is nothing to you, then why not?
if you like XKs, buy an original in good condition for less than £100k now, usually fully restored. Its no less practical than the replica, will probably hold its value now that prices have bottomed out, and you could always at fuel injection and CATS if you want a cleaner engine.
Out for a run in the early morning just enjoying the wind and sound of the engine...lovely.
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