Description

1959 Jaguar XK150 SE 3.4 FHC

Recent new clutch kit and 5-speed gearbox conversion; new wheels and tyres; hi-torque starter motor; original UK car; last owner 25 years; eminently usable XK150 with scope for cosmetic improvement

As the Heritage Certificate confirms, this Jaguar XK150 SE 3.4 FHC was built in early April 1958 and sold new to its first owner via Bailey & Law of Doncaster at the end of the same month. Originally Cotswold Blue with a grey leather interior, it comes with no early history but has clearly been restored and colour changed to red at some point in the past, most likely in 1983 which is when Experian records the colour change.
It has had six former keepers according to the V5C, our vendor acquiring it at auction in September 2018 where it was offered as part of the estate of a Kent-based Jaguar collector who had owned it for 25 years, an invoice on file showing that he paid £10,250 for the car in 1993. Other invoices show that the rear axle/diff was rebuilt in August 2013 at a cost of £2,900 and another £4,200 was spent in September 2017 which included a full service, replacement of the brake and clutch master cylinders and slave cylinder, hi-torque starter motor, new inner wheel arch/battery cover panels and a full check over. Many old MOTs show that the car was used very lightly during his ownership, clocking up only around 3,000 miles.
Since acquiring the car, our vendor has treated it to a 5-speed gearbox conversion (which cost £4,167 at Beagle Engineering), a new clutch kit, rebuilt carburettors, new Fog Ranger FT7 driving lamps, rebuilt petrol gauge and a full service. He has also fitted a new set of MWS stainless steel wire wheels shod with new Blockley tyres which cost £3,134. The car retains its original Doncaster-issued number plate, 1286 DT, which is transferable.
Eminently usable as it is, this XK150 easily holds its own in modern traffic and could be improved over time as desired – the paintwork is past its best and the driver’s door fit could doubtless be improved.
MODEL HISTORY
Outstanding motorcars by any standards, the three XK models from the William Lyons stable remained in production for 13 years and simply got better as time went on. Last of the line was the sensational XK150 of 1957, safer, faster and roomier than the XK140 it replaced. Available in roadster, drophead and fixed-head coupe form, it was powered by the superb 3.4-litre XK engine from the 140 but now with 190bhp and more torque thanks to a revised cylinder head design. This was sufficient to propel the car to 60mph in 8.3 seconds on its way to a top speed of 125mph. 1958 saw the introduction of Special Equipment models fitted with disc brakes and an SE engine using twin 1.75" SU carburettors and a modified cylinder head with larger exhaust valves. This boosted the power to 210bhp.
The XK150 had the same independent torsion bar front suspension, live leaf-sprung rear axle and rack-and-pinion steering as the XK140, but had vastly improved stopping power thanks to the all-round Dunlop disc brake technology that Jaguar had pioneered at Le Mans. Wider and roomier than its predecessor, it also had more modern lines, a bigger one-piece windscreen and a padded leather dashboard in place of the wood in the 140. The XK150 remained in production until November 1960 by which time some 9,300 had been sold of which just 1,386 were right-hand drive fixed-head coupes.
For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com