Words: Nathan Chadwick | Photos: RM Sotheby’s/Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust/Edward Quinn archive
A 1952 Jaguar XK120 first delivered to Clark Gable is due to be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s at its Villa Erba sale at Lake Como in Italy later this month. First registered MDU 420, chassis number 672282 was specified with competition upgrades such as wire wheels and bonnet louvres, while the factory built a custom luggage rack for the Hollywood movie star’s golf clubs.
Gable specified the XK120 in Battleship Grey over a red interior, and would use it extensively across Europe over the next 18 months. The most notable of these jaunts was with his rumoured fiancée Suzanne Dadolle, which incorporated a long trip to Rome via Paris and included a three-week stay at Villa d’Este. At the end of 1953, Gable and the Jaguar would go to the US; soon after it was registered in California, the car was sold to Irving Robbins Jr.
The car was bought by the consignor’s father in 1982. Fast forward to 2011, when the XK120 was entrusted to Swiss Jaguar restorer Georg Donni for a five-year, CHF400,000 restoration. During this time the originality of the matching-numbers body, chassis and engine was confirmed. The process was completed just in time for the 2016 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
The Jaguar is now due to be auctioned at RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba sale, which takes place on May 20, 2023, with an estimate of between €350,000 and €500,000. More details can be found here.
