Have you seen one of these before?
Although many Italians are enthusiastic Anglophiles, it’s hard to imagine anyone going to great expense to combine an English body with a Latin chassis.
But the reverse union makes sense, as this utterly spectacular 1954 Jaguar XK120 Supersonic proves.
Stunning inside and out
When one of Italy’s finest coachbuilders redefined the Jaguar with a style born out of aviation, it landed upon the XK120 Supersonic by Ghia – and just look at it.
From any angle it is totally beguiling. The Jaguar we know and love has come a long way, it seems.
Italian on the outside, British under the bonnet
On one of the hottest days of the year it’s difficult to look chic in this burgundy GT, but cruising around Paris 60 years ago it must have been the coolest of cats.
With shapely, sleek Italian skin wrapped tightly around the tuned XK120 chassis, and few vents to free the hot air from the 3.4-litre ‘six’, you’re guaranteed to cook inside the stylish but cramped cabin.
Badge appeal
Ghia’s team undertook this impressive transformation.
Even for my short build it’s a tight squeeze, with legs bent around the broad, wood-rimmed three-spoke steering wheel and the shell-like XK pointed boss targeting my chest.
Trying it for size
The Supersonic produces lots of roll through the corners, and the steering loads up for an involving driving experience – and plenty of understeer.
There’s no mistaking the origins once on the move. The Burman steering is low-geared and light, the Moss gearbox action slow and methodical, and the drum brakes uninspiring.
A much-loved powerplant
With around 200bhp, the rorty XK straight-six delivers torque and pace with a howl, but through the bends its hefty forward weight results in understeer when hurried.
Narrow wheels and a pronounced overhang create an ungainly lean through turns, but its launch out of corners is impressive.
It started with an Alfa Romeo…
The Supersonic originated from a one-off design by Virgilio Conrero, commissioned by wealthy Swiss enthusiast Robert Fehlmann to compete in the 1953 Mille Miglia.
The basis was an Alfa Romeo 1900 engine but with a special tubular chassis featuring Fiat 1400 front axle and Lancia Aurelia transaxle and rear suspension.
Out of this world
For the bodywork Conrero enlisted his close friend Savonuzzi, who had just left Cisitalia. Several scale models were made and, as with many of his previous GT and speed record projects, Savonuzzi tested the shape in the wind tunnel at the Politecnico di Torino.
A signature style
The body was made by Ghia in its Turin workshops and featured many of the signature details carried through the Supersonic line, such as the elongated nose and tail enhanced by the low roofline and long side moulding.
The tail-light design clearly shows the jet-age influence that was fashionable at the time on both sides of the Atlantic, while novel features included flush-fitting pushbutton doorhandles and a Perspex top that followed the roof profile.
Quite the story
You really need the Jaguar emblem to remind you what’s underneath this car.
Anyway, returning to the original, it was painted white and the prototype Conrero Supersonic made its debut at the 1953 Turin Salon.
With hubcaps removed and Geneva registration plates fitted, the coupé was entered into the 2-litre Sport class of the Mille Miglia and roared up on to the Brescia start ramp in darkness for its 4:53am start on 26 April, giving it the race number 453.
A fiery end
On the event, few outside Brescia saw the sensational Supersonic because it never reached Rome – Fehlmann and co-driver G Vuille had a major accident that resulted in a devastating fire.
While the burnt-out aluminium body was beyond salvation, the chassis survived.
Fehlmann commissioned Conrero to rebuild the car, but with a new Giovanni Michelotti design and a removable Perspex hardtop. With a hot twin-plug head fitted, it was unsuccessful on the 1954 Mille Miglia.
Later, with the top removed, the Conrero Alfa became a successful hillclimb car and is a now regular on the modern Mille Miglia.
Dressed to impress
Because of the excitement the Conrero Supersonic had created, Ghia decided the body style should continue with a series of bespoke coupés based on the Fiat 8V.
The first car, chassis 106.000035, was ordered by Paul Farago and was exported to America, where it created a similar stir and featured extensively in the automotive press.
Chrysler had already established links with Ghia through Virgil Exner, its design chief who had been impressed by pictures of the Supersonic.
Inspiring exotic
Once Exner had heard of the burgundy 8V’s arrival Stateside, he arranged for the Italian exotic to be loaned to Chrysler, where it inspired a series of Ghia-built show cars including the Savonuzzi-styled De Soto Adventurer II.
Later owned by Paul Lazaros, an engineer and machinist, the first 8V Supersonic was stored for more than 55 years before the amazingly original beauty – with just 17,000 miles on the clock and still on its original Pirelli Cinturato tyres – appeared on the concours scene in 2010.
Few and far between
Two Fiat Supersonics were also ordered by Lou Fageol, director of the Twin Coach Company and a champion hydroplane racer.
Ghia had hopes of building 50 Supersonics on the 8V chassis, but the costly 2-litre had limited appeal and final production numbers vary between seven and 15, depending who you ask.
Outside Italy the Fiat Otto Vu was little known, which may have led to other marques being selected as the basis for the sensational Supersonic styling.
Oh, and this doorhandle? It’s the standard Jaguar item.
Revealing the story
In France, wealthy Lyon-based millinery and lingerie manufacturer Joseph Malpelli had been smitten by an 8V Supersonic at the Grand Palais – and he already owned an XK120 coupé.
Because the factory wouldn’t supply XKs in chassis form for coachbuilding, custom projects had to originate from complete car orders, so Malpelli had his XK transformed into a Supersonic.
As well as the body rework, the engine was tuned in Italy, with Conrero enlisted to fit triple Webers in place of the standard SU carburettors.
Show star
Chassis 679768 was completed in 1954 and shown in both Paris and London, as well as at several major concours d’élégance competitions including Montreux and Cannes.
A second Jaguar XK120 Supersonic, chassis 675090, was eventually completed and differed in styling details with a Ferrari-type eggcrate-style grille, a prominent bonnet bulge and a two-tone paint scheme of silver roof over metallic blue main body with no side vents.
Bills, bills, bills…
A third XK Supersonic was built and sold to Switzerland but has since vanished.
And, sadly, Malpelli’s fashion business took a dive in the mid-’50s and he left France without fully paying his bill with the Paris dealer.
In safe keeping
The first Supersonic remained with Royal Elysées through the ’60s, but when Jaguar set up a factory dealership and started importing its own stock to France, Delecroix’s firm was hit hard and closed its doors in ’69.
The stock, including this low-mileage Supersonic, was acquired by Philippe Renault, a well-known Jaguar enthusiast.
Winning ways
He sold the car to Roland Urban, who displayed it in his special-bodied Jaguar collection at Montlhéry, then in ’94, with just 9400km on the clock, the Supersonic was bought by Jean-Claude Ferchaud and renovated by French Jaguar specialist Atelier Sontrop.
The car was resprayed, but its original Ghia upholstery from 1953 was retained, and in the 1995 Concours Automobiles Classiques et Louis Vuitton at the Parc de Bagatelle in Paris it was again a winner as six Supersonics were united in a special class.
In 2015 this car left France for the first time in six decades to be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s during Monterey Car Week. It sold for $2.1million to a Thai collector.
Shooting for the stars
Fiat Supersonic rebuilder Strada e Corsa in The Netherlands was enlisted in the quest for Pebble Beach glory – and despite the car being cosmetically tidy, a total stripdown was required.
The interior was intact, but it was decided to copy it for a full retrim and set the original aside.
The same, but different
While the cabin features many differences from the earlier Fiat 8V Supersonics, the bodywork is essentially the same, hammered out by Ghia’s talented artisans using the same body buck.
Never bettered
What Sir William Lyons made of the coachbuilt XK wonder isn’t recorded, but of all the attempts to restyle the brilliant production original, none matched the spectacular Supersonic.
This is one very special car.