1958 | Jaguar XK 150 SE FHC

The Jaguar XK150 was manufactured between 1957 and 1961 and despite having a family resemblance to the XK120 and XK140, the XK150 was radically modernised. A one-piece windscreen replaced the split screen and the wing line no longer dropped as much over the doors. The bonnet was widened, opened down to the wings and on the roadster, the bulkhead was moved back four inches to make the bonnet longer. In the interior, the XK140's walnut dashboard was replaced by a leather trimmed unit. The standard engine, the same as fitted to the XK140, was the 3.4-litre DOHC Jaguar straight-six rated at 180bhp at 5750rpm. Either wire wheels or disc wheels could be specified and the suspension and chassis were very similar to that on the XK140. These were high-performance, well-appointed sports touring cars and could cope with long distances with alacrity.

This is a very nice example which was interestingly ordered from new with black steel wheels, not wire wheels like most would usually associate with XK150's, the original owner clearly wanted to go for a more understated look. The car was originally owned by Mrs Ruby Chapman, the wife of Mr Ralph Chapman who owned Britvic drinks. Our vendor is a Jaguar specialist who looked after the car for many years before being offered it by the long term previous owner. He knew the car well and agreed to buy it based on its originality, known history and impressive history file, which contains history from new including a buff logbook, handwritten notes from previous owners and a heritage certificate confirming this as a matching numbers example. When our vendor purchased the car, the paint was likely to be all original and in need of tidying up, it was unfortunately a bit past 'patina', it had began to really crack in places and let the car down, so a full respray was carried out and finished to an excellent standard. Our vendor also went right through the car and replaced virtually every perishable items, so new bushes, fuel lines, rubber seals and so on. The car is reported to drive very well and is a welcome change from a lot of the overly restored examples we often see today. Consigned by Fraser Smith

Lot details
Year: 1958
Make: Jaguar
Model: XK150 Fixedhead Coupe
Registration: 8000 NO
Chassis No: S824516DN
Odometer: 64,519


* Heritage certificate confirming matching numbers

* Originally owned by Ruby Chapman, wife of Ralph Chapman, owner of Britvic drinks

* Interesting factory specification of steel wheels

* Overdrive