Here's the only Jaguar to hold the land speed record in the early of '50s

Legendary ONES The Jaguar XK120 was undoubtedly one of the finest sports cars of its time, known for its superb handling and an engine that produced record top speeds. And according to the Concours of Elegance website in Britain, that car has a Perspex roof bubble to protect the driver and cheat the wind.

1952 Jaguar XK120 Record Car 'MDU 524' on display at the 2013 Quail Motorsports Gathering. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2L68k2A)

That particular Jaguar XK120 is registered as MDU 524 and originally was a Jaguar Works Competition car that competed in the Rallye International des Alpes its first time out. Furthermore, in 1953 Sir William Lyons proved that the Jaguar XK120 was one of the most capable cars by reaching 172,412 mph on the Jabbeke straight track in Belgium.

1952 Jaguar XK120 Record Car 'MDU 524' is featured with the unique Perspex roof bubble to protect the driver and cheat the wind. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2L68k2A)

Behind the wheel, Norman Dewis drives a modified XK120 with a small perspective bubble windshield and wins the land speed record for a production car. The XK120 actually held the land speed record twice. Dewis took the honours in April of 1953 at 140 mph, but then a V8 powered Pegaso went faster of 150 mph a few months later. MDU was further refined and hit 170.412 in October of that same year.

1952 Jaguar XK120 Record Car 'MDU 524' uses a natural aspirated inline-6 DOHC engine with the power of 160 bhp at 5,000 rpm and 195 ft.lbs at 2,500 rpm of torque. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2L68k2A)

Dewis driving the 'MDU524' registered 660986 chassis. It was a factory race car that had competed in the 1952 Alpine Trial before being fitted with the sleek bodywork. Once the record was running, it was maintained by the factory and used at Goodwood, Mallory Park, Silverstone, Crystal Palace and Brands Hatch without an efficient configuration.

It is the only Jaguar to hold the land speed record. As a result of this accomplishment, a small brass plate is included on the dashboard of the XK120 which represents a running record.

In 2013 extensive restoration was carried out on the MDU524 by JD Classics for Jaguar collector Jeff Lotman. When the 18 months recovery was completed in 18 months, shortly after that the MDU had been reunited with Norman Dewis at the 2013 Quail Motorsports Gathering. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SUPERCARS.NET | AUGUSTACHRONOCLE.COM | CONCOURSOFELEGANCE.CO.UK ]

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