1957 Jaguar XK150

This wonderful Jaguar XK150 has been in the seller’s care for the past 19 years, during which time he’s taken it on global rallies through France, Spain, and Portugal many times.

And to Russia, Morocco, Bratislava, Budapest, Switzerland, and Corsica - and into the Arctic Circle.

This is not your average XK150.

No, it’s something far, far better. Well known to the Jaguar Enthusiast’s Club and the XK Club, it’s a beautifully maintained and much-loved example of a car you are more likely to see on the back of a trailer on its way to Goodwood than fighting through Russian traffic in St Petersburg.

If you’ve ever read Travels of a Capitalist Lackey by Fred Basnett you’re going to love this.

First manufactured on 25th July 1957 as a Mist Grey fixed head coupé and given chassis number S834334, it was exported to Jaguar Cars in New York.

Repatriated in 1991 and converted to right-hand drive by its previous owner (who had it for 13 years) it is now burgundy and powered by a 3.8-litre straight-six engine coupled to a Guy Broad five-speed gearbox.

It was also given a comprehensive mechanical overhaul in early 2021 by an independent Jaguar specialist at a cost of almost £4,000. As a result, it is running beautifully and is ready to start its new life.

The bodywork is in a very good condition having had a partial respray in September 2021. With good panels and a great shine to it, it’s not perfect but then who of us is?

It’s very presentable though, and given its history and extensive modifications, we can see the new owner won’t worry too much about further improvement; it’s easily good enough to show at your local classic car meet and is all the better for being so clearly well-travelled.

The chromework is good too, as are the chromed wire wheels. They’re also fitted with matching radial Blockley tyres, all of which still have oodles of tread left on them – and y’all know how we feel about matching tyres by now, don’t you?

There is a small amount of bubbling to the nearside rear wing (#56) but that’s all we can see to worry about.

There’s no escaping the fact the red leather interior is tired.

And yet, this is genuine patina. Every crease, rip, and scuff has been hard-won in the sort of places most of us would be reluctant to take a Land Rover.

And, because they’re the original maroon leather seats and red carpet that were fitted by the factory in 1957, it’s authentic - and a car can only be that once in its life.

If it were ours – and believe me, more than one of us is thinking about making it so – we’d be thinking along the lines of conservation, fitting new webbing, re-stuffing the seats with horsehair, and trying to reuse as much of the original leather as possible. (It would be a great candidate for Suzie Fletcher on The Repair Shop, wouldn’t it?)

The red carpet has faded, and the offside door card is ripped. Like the seats, you could replace, restore, or conserve them depending on your attitude towards originality.

As for faults, the seller tells us that the clock doesn’t work but that that is the extent of the problems he’s aware of.

The S prefix on the chassis number denotes that this XK was equipped with the Special Equipment option incorporating disc brakes and twin SU carburettors.

Now fitted with a Jaguar MKII 3.8-litre engine, it also benefits from a five-speed gearbox that was supplied and fitted by Guy Broad in 2011 at a cost of £7,620.

It has other modifications but then that’s only to be expected given its globe-trotting lifestyle. For example:

• The work to the fuel system includes:
• It now has two Red Top Facet pumps, which are switchable from under the dashboard for reliability.
• It also has a Filter King fuel filter.
• The pressure regulator is set to 3.2 psi.
• Braided hoses are used from front to rear using A.N. military spec on all unions.
• A new guard was fabricated and installed in the boot to protect the pump and filters, and this was trimmed to match the rest of the boot.
• New fuel tank mounting rubbers were installed.

The cooling system was uprated with:

• A switch-operated cooling fan fitted to the radiator.
• An additional header tank was fitted.
• The water pump was replaced.
• All the engine coolant hoses have been changed for silicone replacements.

The chassis has been uprated with:

• An uprated anti-roll bar including new poly bushes.
• New dampers on all four corners.
• New Alpine springs on the rear axle.
• Both track rod ends replaced along with both upper half joints.
• New lower ball joint cups installed and scraped to fit new lower ball joints.
• New joint gaiters and clips fitted.
• Both front stub axles and wheel bearings replaced along with new seals.
• New half shafts and rear hubs.

The braking system benefits from:

• Front discs and pads replaced with Coopercraft items.
• The front callipers had new seals fitted.
• A new Goodridge braided brake hose set front and rear along with new copper brake pipes from the front callipers to new Goodridge hoses.
• The rear brake disc pads were replaced, along with new handbrake pads.
• The brake system was flushed and refilled with Dot 4 brake fluid.

The electrical system wasn’t forgotten:

• The alternator was reconditioned and new pulleys fitted.
• A new wiring loom was fitted five years ago.
• A 123 electronic ignition system was installed for greater reliability.

Other work includes having the exhaust system replaced including the manifold and downpipe gaskets, plus new studs, exhaust clamps, and hangers.

In 2013, the engine was rebuilt by Sigma Engineering. This work included dismantling the engine, having the bores re-lined, the block re-faced, the timing gear overhauled, and the flywheel re-drilled before being rebuilt with replacement conrods and more at a total cost of £4,686.

More recently, in 2021, the car was also subject to over 101 hours of work with Rob Noakes, much of which is detailed above. The work included a routine service and the final bill came to almost £4,000.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, it has been maintained by XK specialists throughout the time it’s been in the seller’s care and the comprehensive history file contains invoices from its current ownership totalling over £63,500.

As you can see – and would expect – it starts on the buttons, idles well, revs beautifully and shows good oil pressure.

In addition to the history file containing old invoices it has a Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust certificate confirming its original build specification, two sets of keys, and a current V5C document.

Also included is the original Moss gearbox, a spare set of wire wheels and tyres, a hydraulic jack, and an adjustable tow bar.

The Jaguar doesn’t have a current MoT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it MoT’d at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MoT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic vehicle, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear.

If you want a Show Queen then this isn’t it. It could be, of course, but the amount of work that would be needed to get it to concours condition would mean ripping the heart out of one of the most special cars we’ve ever sold.

Because, just look at it! It’s travelled more widely than most if us, and has been modified and maintained with exploration in mind – and how many Jaguar XK150s can you say that about?

Yes, you’ll probably want to (sympathetically) retrim the interior but that’ll probably be the extent of your further investment because we think it’s pretty much perfect as it is.

As for the up-front investment, we think somewhere between £35,000 and £45,000 should do it, which is a pitifully small sum given the history it brings to the relationship and the possibilities it offers.

Forget that Land Rover Defender you planned to take globe-trotting; buy this instead and spend the next two decades continuing to explore the sort of places everyone else says you need four-wheel-drive to reach.

And, we guarantee the welcome you receive will be far warner for being aboard a 66-year-old Jaguar…

P.S. If you’ve been following @briansquestionabledecisions on Instagram we don’t need to say anything else, do we?

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at the Bonhams|Cars Online HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.