Tuesday 20th October 1953

A Jaguar XK120 driven by Norman Dewis set a stock car record of 172.412 mph at Jabbeke, Belgium. Built in 1953 to set the world record for fastest vehicle over a full mile, the heavily modified Jaguar XK 120 was built to cut through the wind and stick to the ground. Flat panels were bolted to the underside of the car and over the passenger seat to reduce drag. A bubble-like Lucite canopy from a glider was fitted to the car to enable driver Norman Dewis to see. He also had to remove the car’s seat to fit inside the cockpit, and instead ran the car sitting on pads.