1958 Jaguar XK150 Drophead Coupe *Barn-Find*

The XK150 was the final incarnation of the popular XK sports car from Jaguar. Announced in 1957 and available from early 1958 in Drop Head Coupe body form, it was a more refined and capable machine than its predecessors the 120 and 140. The 150 was easily identifiable by its higher scuttle and door line, wider grille, one piece windscreen and improved interior space, however, the XK150 retained much of the mechanical layout of the XK140 sharing the 3.4 litre DOHC Jaguar straight-six XK engine, which developed 180bhp at 5750rpm but now with the addition of disc brakes all round.

Over 30,000 XKs were produced, a large proportion being left hand drive and exported to the United States, 9396 XK150s were produced, of those only 662 were right hand drive drop head coupes, the number of those remaining in the UK for home market sales is unknown as many were exported to Australia, New Zealand and other right hand drive markets. The car offered here today is a very early production (June) 1958 Jaguar XK150 Drop head Coupé, UK home market right hand drive model in original factory specification of Indigo blue with light blue upholstery and retaining its original UK registration, VLP 929. The car was sold through Henleys of London and first registered in London in June 1958, as corroborated by the heritage certificate which accompanies the car. The chassis number of this car is S827074 denoting it to be a special equipment model and the 74th example of the 622 right hand drive cars built. This is also confirmed by the chequered aluminium dash panel present with this car which is only found on the very early models.

At some point in the 1980s the car was bought by an Italian collector and exported to Sicily where it resided in that warm, dry climate for the past 30 years, the last 20 or so seemingly in storage, discovered a short while ago alongside a host of other British sports cars of the period, this car was repatriated back to the UK where our enthusiastic vendor had the intention of restoring to its former glory. Though a relatively straight-forward proposition, other priorities have taken precedence and for this reason the vendor has been reluctantly convinced to pass this over to someone who can take up the mantle.

We describe this project as "relatively straight-forward' for the simple reason that all the component parts seem to be complete with the car, save for one rear-seat squab and the leaping cat emblem from the bonnet. It has most of its original tools and other hard to find components. Please don't confuse this claim by assuming a lick of paint is going to bring the car to concours standard however. The panel work, whilst very straight, complete and in generally good order needs attention as does the chassis and running gear. The interior needs complete refurbishment, and the engine and mechanicals, though complete and able to turn over, need a complete overhaul. The chromework and paint will obviously require attention as well, but whilst this is a large project, the base car is solid and with clear history it is a worthwhile cause.

Rarely do such worthwhile projects present themselves. Whether you're an enthusiastic privateer with the correct skills, tooling and materials to complete this project, or a professional restoration outfit, there can be very few more compelling restorations to consider. It comes complete with V5C registration document, Jaguar Heritage Certificate and all other necessary documentation required for a re-imported car and is sold free from any taxes or duties. This XK150 Drop head Coupe is guided sensibly and warrants serious consideration at auction.