The "Chocolate Sundae" XK120

Wherry borrowed two Jag XK120's to write a review for Auto Age Magazine. I purchased the negatives from the photo shoot and Wherry's copy of the April 1953 magazine on eBay. The negatives are 2" x 2", so the pics are of high quality. Wherry used some of the pics in this book, The Jaguar Story, as well. Many Jag people are familiar with The Jaguar Story, but very few collectors have seen the full length reviews of the cars in the April 1953 edition of Auto Age Magazine.

Wherry drove the the "Chololate Sundae" car for a few days, including at speed. The Chocolate Sundae car had a fascinating history - the car was apparently rode hard and put away wet. The owner, Al Feuerbacher, owned Clayrich Motors, which was the main Jag dealer in the midwest. Feuerbacher raced and sponsored other racers. The Chocolate Sundae was raced, probably a fair amount. It was, after all, a heater-delete car based in the midwest.

Fascinatingly, Sotheby's auctioned an XK120 (Chassis s/n 674293) in 2013 and described the car as:

"Interestingly, this car was featured in The Jaguar Story by Joseph H. Wherry. Sporting the same fiberglass hardtop, the car was finished in cream and brown and was appropriately nicknamed “Chocolate Sundae.”

Hmmm. According to the XKdata.com website, the car auctioned by Sotheby's (Chassis s/n 674293) was built in November 1953. That build date is consistent with cars with similar Chassis serial numbers. Wherry test drove the Chocolate Sundae car in November 1952, however, a full year before the Sotheby's car was made. Auto Age published the Wherry test drive of Chocolate Sundae in April 1953, so there can be no doubt that Chocolate Sundae was made before November 1953. Worth noting - according to Wherry, Chocolate Sundae had 40,000 miles on the clock as of November-December 1952. Also worth noting - the Sotheby's car has a different hardtop and has a heater. Draw your own conclusions…

Click on the pic below if you want to read Wherry's hands-on review of the Chocolate Sundae XK120. Wherry drove the car in the Thanksgiving - Xmas 1952 time frame.