Jaguar Classic has completed a bespoke XK120 sports car restoration commissioned by renowned British male model and life-long Jaguar enthusiast David Gandy.

The 11-month project, which was a close collaboration between David Gandy and Jaguar Classic’s experts at its Classic Works facility in Warwickshire, took 2,700 hours to complete.

Following a brief to make it race-ready for classic motorsport events such as the Jaguar Classic Challenge, the car’s specification is inspired by the original XK120 Lightweight.

David Gandy, said: “Having driven a Jaguar XK120 at the Mille Miglia in 2013 and 2014, I knew that I wanted to own one of these incredibly special cars. The team at Jaguar Classic have done such a remarkable job engineering this car and executing everything that I asked for and it was amazing to have such an in-depth involvement in its creation.”

Jaguar Classic’s dedicated sourcing team tracked-down a suitable 1954 base car in California, US, and has retained as much of the original car as possible.

The in-line six-cylinder unit was meticulously rebuilt over five and a half months, with the final objective to use the car for racing. The result is a performance upgrade from the original 180bhp output to 225bhp and enhanced durability for higher speeds, with items like the core plugs featuring steel bracing so they don’t dislodge during high-performance driving. An all-new, upgraded exhaust system features dual pipes instead of the usual single pipe.

Further improvements include the use of a faster-shifting racing-style gearbox which is more durable under high stresses and uprated brakes, with the front set-up now featuring disc brakes with four-pot calipers while the rear retains the original refurbished drum brakes. The suspension features fully adjustable dampers, allowing the Classic team to fine tune the handling for specific events.