Highlights

A low owner, low mileage example of the ultimate expression of Jaguar’s XK sports car
This is the only XK150 to have been sold in Kuwait.
The subject of a fastidious and high-quality, ground up restoration between 2018 and 2021
A car with fascinating back story that now represents an eminently useable, premium classic
Matching numbers

The Appeal

By the time the XK150 arrived in 1957, the XK’s ethos of providing high-performance sports cars at an attainable price had already been established by the XK120 and XK140. The XK150 looked similar to its predecessors but was significantly revised. The single piece windscreen, as opposed to a split screen item, being the most obvious visual differentiator.

This fine example has lived an interesting life having been driven from Kuwait by its second owner in the 1970’s. As if by way of a reward for those endeavours the car has since enjoyed a full and fastidious restoration covering all facets of the car. It now represents a pristine example of the breed with a great back story.

The History and Paperwork

This XK150 rolled off the Browns Lane production line in June 1958
The car was destined for Kuwait distributors, Latiff Supplies and so is left hand drive
The car left Coventry in a Mist Grey over Light Blue leather colourway
It is thought that the first owner was a wealthy Sheik
The second owner bought the car in 1966 and ended up owning the car twice
He sold the car in 1967 but instantly regretted it so bought it back in 1968 for £950
In 1973 that second owner drove the car back from Kuwait to England taking 25 days and covering over 5,000 miles
The car was first registered in the UK in August 1973
The current owner is understood to be the fourth, having bought the car from a collector
The car comes with an interesting and eclectic paperwork file
Items include a newspaper article covering the car’s journey from Kuwait
Numerous photographs chronicling its early life and also later restoration are on hand
Many previous MOTs from all periods of the car’s life are present
There are numerous invoices covering the extensive work undertaken included
The current V5 is included, and the car holds an advisory free MOT valid until May 2023
Despite that, the car registered as a Historic Vehicle and so is MOT and VED exempt

The Interior

The interior has been exquisitely retrimmed as part of its restoration
The cabin is finished in a high-quality, light grey leather
The front bucket seats are box pleated for extra support and comfort
The owner reports that the original front seats will also be included in the sale and have also been trimmed in the same leather
The diminutive rear seats are made up from a combination of leather finished seat pads and carpeted areas
The dashboard is finished in matching padded leather
The original steering wheel is provided with a new/old stock bezel and centre hub button complete.
The main, white on black Smiths gauges monitor road speed and engine revolutions
Smaller, surrounding gauges take care of petrol level, oil pressure, amps and water temperature
A number of black Bakelite knobs and switches cover other functions
A sublime, leather and black finished alloy, four-spoke Mota-Lita steering wheel is fitted
The door cards are leather finished with highly chromed door furniture
The grey, woollen carpets are in pristine condition throughout
The headlining is tightly fitted, and unmarked and the period-correct tinted sun visors are present
The boot is no less exquisitely trimmed in matching grey carpet and leather

The interior of this XK150 is an analogue delight providing a welcome antidote to the screen laden and technology led interiors of today. The fitted bucket seats provide good lateral support, and the Mota-Lita steering wheel helps complete that late 1950’s time-warp ambiance. The original steering wheel is included but the centre bezel is broken.

The interior of this car was fully restored with the rest of the car and provides a very visible and reassuring insight into the quality and depth of the restorative work undertaken. Sporting and luxurious in equal measure, it would certainly lift the spirits spending time in here.

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The Exterior

The exterior of the XK150 is presented in Indigo Blue, an XK150 factory colour
The car started life in Mist Grey but has clearly enjoyed a very professional respray subsequently
The paintwork looks to be in fine fettle and exudes a deep and lustrous shine
The long sweeping bonnet, short tail and deep wheel arches exude sporting intent
The brightwork of the bumpers, grill, light and window surrounds, and bonnet trim is bright and shiny
The car sits on chromed, 16-inch wire wheels, affixed with embossed twin-eared spinners
New Blockley 185-sized radial style tyres are fitted all round to maintain the period look
Light lenses and cabin glass all appear clear and free from damage or delamination

To the casual observer the XK150 appeared little changed over the XK120 and 140 models. In actuality quite a bit had changed, not least the A pillars of the coupe moving forward a full four inches to improve access. Regardless of any changes the overall result was unchanged. The XK150 looks fantastic and represents the epitome of 1950’s sports car chic and sophistication.

Like the interior, the exterior clearly exhibits the quality of the restoration work expended on this car. The current owner does note the odd stone chip and minor scratch commensurate with any car in regular use but that certainly doesn’t detract from the stand-out road presence of this XK150.

The Mechanics

This XK150 is fitted with Jaguar’s 3442cc, DOHC straight six engine
In this guise it breathes through Double SU HD6 carburettors
Originally delivering around 200bhp the power is fed to the rear wheels
A full synchromesh, four-speed manual gearbox is utilised
The engine was fully rebuilt and recommissioned during the restoration
Most of the mechanical auxiliaries are reported to be new at the point of restoration
The gearbox has been fully rebuilt and new synchromeshes have been fitted
Emergency cut off switches and a full-length stainless-steel exhaust have also been fitted
Only around 3,000 miles have been covered since the mechanical restoration
Given the above the car is reported to be in an excellent mechanical condition
Only a common, minor oil leak from the crank bearing has been reported

The potent straight six engine was sufficient to endow the XK150 with a 120mph+ top speed and a 0-60mph time in the early eights. This was an impressive turn of speed for the late 1950’s. The bald performance figures, however, somewhat miss the point of the XK150.

The car has been converted to a single 12v battery for both reliability and simplicity and a positive post has been fitted to simplify jump starting and charging if required.

The generous torque and sublimely comfortable cabin lend themselves perfectly to spirited touring as well as gentle cruising. The 3.4 litre engine was a well proven unit even before being fitted to the XK150 and as the second owner proved, by way of his 65mph average speed on his Kuwait to London trip, a robust and durable one too.

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Summary

By the standards of the time the XK range was a big success with over 30,000 120’s, 140’s and 150’s built and sold worldwide. However only 4,500 of those were XK150 fixed head coupes and with the intervening sixty years reducing the number remaining to a tiny fraction of that number, this is a pretty rare beast today.

What makes this rarer and more desirable still is its beautifully restored condition, low original mileage (believed to be around the mid 70,000 miles mark) and low owner count. Add in the car’s extraordinary and romantic early life and it soon becomes clear that this is a very special example indeed.

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