Jaguar XK150 Drophead Coupe 3.4 SOLD

1960 Jaguar XK150 Drophead Coupe, 3.4 Manual with overdrive. Finished in Imperial Maroon, Sand roof and a tan interior. The odometer shows 41,133 KM (the number of kilometers driven since an engine renovation in 1998), the chassis number is S827547DN and this is a matching numbers car with a Certificate of Authenticity. The current owner has had the car for 25 years, since he imported it to Sweden in 1996 and it has been carefully maintained in his ownership and benefits from a small number of practical upgrades including a generator and conversion to negative earth.

The love this gentleman has shown this car is apparent from the folders of information we were handed with the keys. 25 years of receipts, saved correspondence with a Jaguar parts specialist in the UK, old photographs, an original brochure, handbook, reference book and even the invoice for his purchase of the car in the UK and left drive conversion. It is rare to find such a well documented history and he has spent many hours corresponding with the DVLA in Swansea, DVL in N.I. and the Statistics and Research Agency in N.I, as well as the previous owner.

The car was finished on the manufacturing line in Coventry on 1960 03 20, as the 547th RHD 150DHC chassis from start of manufacturing this model (November 1957). In total 663 cars of this model were manufactured up to end of 1960. The car was then dispatched to the main Jaguar dealer in Befast, N.I., Victor of Belfast, on 1960 04 06, where it was sold to a gentlemen residing in Holywood, Co Down, N.I. and registered on 1960 05 09 with the licence plate 5776 IJ. It appears to have remained in N.I for some 15 years, passing onto another gentlemen in Kilbackan, N.I., who let the license expire on 1975 03 14. The current owner was unable to trace if the car passed through any other hands between these two gentlemen.

It then made its way over to Scotland were it appears to have been off the road for around 20 years, passing between the hands of two owners in this period. The first of these was a gentlemen in Stranrear, who unfortunately let the car fall into a sorry state while in storage. It was then acquired in 1981 by the owner of a small garage in Fife. His intention had been to renovate the car but as often happens, this took longer than expected. After standing idle in the corner of his garage for a decade the renovation work began in 1990/91. The current owner was fortunate enough to obtain some photographs of his work, which are included in the sale. Before it could be completed however, the gentlemen unfortunately passed away in the beginning of 1993. His widow managed to get the car to a road worthy state, after which it passed an M.O.T and was registered in Scotland on 1996 02 01. The car got a new licence plate, NFO463, which the current owner has kept safe in his cupboard all these years. The car was then sold on to Lady Well Classics in England, who sold it to the present owner in early May 1996.

At the new owners request Lady Well Classics arranged for a RHD to LHD conversion, fitted a set of beautiful chromed wire wheels and changed all brake lines prior to it being shipped to Sweden. On arrival it met its new owner and also found a new carer in Anders Persson of XK Motors, a specialist Jaguar workshop just outside Stockholm who lovingly looked after it for the past 25 years. During this time it underwent a thorough renovation of the engine in 1998, and has travelled some 41,000km since, as reflected in the current milage displayed on the odometer.

A little more about the XK150. The car is powered by the 3.4 L, 210bhp 6 cyl Jaguar engine, which the marque state in the original brochure powered it’s cars to ‘no less than four victories’ at Le Mans, adding a 5th in 1957 which is proudly imortalised by the badge on the boot of the car. This engine puts plenty of power into this slippery-shaped body and would see the car reach over 130mph. It featured twin carbs, aluminium cylinder heads, alloy pistons and steel connecting rods. The manual transmission fitted to this car is a four-speed single helical syncromesh with a Laycock de Normanville overdrive operating on top gear, and controllable via a switch mounted on the facia panel.

The suspension setup is independent up front via transverse wishbones, torsion bars and telescopic shock absorbers. At the rear silico-manganese steel half-eliptical springs are controlled by telescopic shock absorbers. Behind the beautiful wire wheels sit Dunlop disc brakes, which at the time were still seen as at the cusp of technological advances in motoring. Jaguar was in fact the first manufacturer to fit them at all four wheels of a volume produced sports car, quite a claim and an indication of the XK150’s sporting intent.

This is a mechanically sound and classic with a well documented past, that appears to have just been driven by just two of it’s previous owners and clearly cherished by the current one. A wonderful addition to a collection or a usable classic ready to be enjoyed. Fittingly the current owner drove the car over to our showroom, his last drive in it before handing it over for its next chapter.