1959 Jaguar XK150 3.4-Litre 'S' Roadster (RHD)

• Exceptionally rare, one of only 32 right-hand drive, 3.4-litre ‘S’ Roadsters
• The 150 'S' delivered 250bhp with the aid of a Weslake-developed, straight-port cylinder head, high-compression pistons, triple 2” SU carburettors and twin fuel pumps
• Originally registered on 16/06/1959, the Jaguar was purchased by our vendor in 1970
• Several stalled restorations and life itself meant that this glorious XK150 eventually returned to the road in 2019
• The final leg was entrusted to Alan Holdaway, an established Concours Jaguar restorer
• This was an 'every nut and bolt' restoration and the quality is unmatched
• Supplied with the original Green Logbook, V5s, older MOTs, early photographs, the ownership story by the vendor and a very recent (April 2021) copy of Jaguar World with a six-page article and road test of JK 150
• With its flawless interior, tight shut-lines, immaculate paint, sparkling chrome and powerful, torquey straight-six, this a special example of a quintessential sporting Jaguar

Launched in 1957, the Jaguar XK150 was the most radical step forward in the XK range since the launch of the revolutionary XK120. The XK150 was vastly different in both style and performance from the XK140 it replaced and was a much bigger step forward than had been taken from the 120 to the 140. The most striking external change was the straighter wing line, widened bonnet and single wrap-around windscreen, which replaced the now-dated two-piece split screen. This gave the XK150 an altogether more modern look. More generous interior space was also achieved by putting the doors on a diet and the wooden interior was lost in favour of leather-clad dashboard and door cappings.

At 190bhp, the 3.4-litre engine's maximum power output was identical to that of the XK140, so performance was little changed, but ‘Special Equipment' and 'S' versions offered 210 and 250bhp respectively, the latter delivering an astonishing 0-60mph time of 7.3 seconds and a top speed of 136mph. This improvement in performance resulted from the adoption of a Weslake-developed, straight-port cylinder head, high-compression pistons, triple 2” SU carburettors and twin electric fuel pumps. Overdrive and a Borg-Warner automatic gearbox were the transmission options, the latter becoming an increasingly popular choice, whilst a Thornton ‘Power-Lok’ limited-slip differential was available for the 150S. Steel wheels remained the standard fitting although XK150s so equipped are a great rarity as most were sold in SE (Special Equipment) form with centre-lock wire wheels. Only 92, right-hand drive, 3.4-litre roadsters were built, making a UK-supplied, RHD ‘S’ a bit of a rare beastie.

According to its ‘Green’ Logbook, TS820043DN was first registered on 16/06/1959 finished in Signal Red but not much else is known about its early years. It certainly hadn’t been looked after as, when our vendor and the Jag’s long-term owner Chris Blackmore went to see it in response to an advert in ‘Exchange & Mart’, it was in a very poor state. It didn’t have any carpets, seats or a bonnet, the spare wheel well was rusted through, the interior was filthy and the engine didn’t run, however, a deal was done at £230 and JK 150 was subsequently registered to a young Chris Blackmore. Some 51 years later, he still owns the car and it is undoubtedly one of the best we have ever seen.

However, the transformation from Ugly Duckling to Graceful Swan was not a linear one as the 150’s initial restoration was not altogether successful. The majority of the mechanical work was carried out by Chris himself (a trained mechanical engineer) and the bodywork was entrusted to legendary Cobra specialist, Rod Leach. At our vendor’s request, it was painted two-tone Turquoise Blue and Emerald Green, both Chrysler colours, which, we imagine sounded quite good on paper but ended up really clashing, resulting in the car being a bit of a head-turner, for the wrong reasons. (pictures in the History File). Nevertheless, Chris enjoyed the XK throughout the Seventies even venturing as far as Paris. Other aspects of ‘life’ took priority in the early Eighties and JK 150 was to spend the next 30-odd years in a succession of dry garages and lock-ups before the decision was taken in 2009 to return the car to a Concours standard.

This time the restoration was to be comprehensive and, after a suggestion from Mick Duffy at the JDC, Alan Holdaway from Surrey was given the project. According to our vendor “Mick was, and still is, an XK aficionado and has had two XKs previously restored by Alan, both Concours winners”. Alan totally dismantled and then carefully rebuilt the car from the bottom up. All the nuts and bolts were plated, the chassis treated and then protectively painted, the engine rebuilt, the wiring replaced and the standard Moss gearbox was updated with a modern Toyota five-speed transmission. The body panels were repaired and prepared and the car was painted in an exquisite dark metallic red (details in the file). Finally, leading interior specialists, MCT in Nuneaton fitted a new hood and retrimmed the seats and dashboard to a fabulous standard as you can see from the images. Other financial commitments meant that the restoration was put on hold from time to time and this glorious XK150 eventually returned to the road in 2019.

The car’s History File contains the original Green Logbook, V5s, older MOTs, photographs of the car in red and two-tone, the ownership story by the vendor and a very recent (April 2021) copy of Jaguar World with a six-page article and road test of JK 150. We understand that all the restoration invoices are available.

With its flawless interior, tight shut-lines, immaculate paint, sparkling chrome and powerful, torquey straight-six, this a special example of a quintessential sporting Jaguar and as one of only 32, RHD, 3.4-litre ‘S’ Roadsters, it’s also rather rare.