It’s hard to be number one. The Jaguar XK was that for a very long time, even when it was over 10 years old – an eternity in sports car terms. When the legendary Jaguar XK120 made its debut in 1948, it was merely seen as a temporary vessel for the firm’s brand new DOHC straight-6 engine. But then it turned out to be extremely fast, stunningly beautiful and surprisingly affordable.
In late 1957, the XK150 was launched. It was wider, the beltline straighter, the windshield wrapped around – almost every panel was different from its predecessors, yet the family resemblance was unmistakable. The styling was still stuck in the ‘40s, but that didn’t really matter. In fact, it was almost an asset: it made the car immediately recognizable.
The major chassis update for the XK150 was four-wheel Dunlop disc brakes. Coupled with radial tyres, the XK150’s road manners were about as good as any car with a live rear axle could be. But the danger was the rise of the V8. Jaguar’s main market was over the Atlantic, where it was now being countered by cheaper and equally powerful Corvettes, hemi Chryslers and Thunderbirds.
In Europe, BMW were venturing in this direction (not very convincingly), followed by MY 1959 by Bentley and Maserati. Facel-Vega were showing the easier way ahead: using Detroit V8s to power high-class coupés. Jaguar, just like Mercedes or Aston Martin, were stuck with their six, great though it was.
It was a glorious engine, though. More wins at Le Mans than any rival, enough flexibility to be able to power both race cars and stately saloons, decent reliability (for a ‘50s British motor), great parts availability…
In 1959, Jaguar did the obvious thing and added 4mm in bore, bringing the 3442cc six up to 3781cc – the 3.8 engine was born. This was in honour of the Mark IX saloon, but the new engine was also made available on the XK150.
For 1959, the XK150 was thus available in various states of tune and two engines: 190hp (standard), 210hp (Special Equipment) or 250hp (‘S’ triple carb) for the 3.4 litre engine and 220hp (SE twin carb) or 265hp (‘S’ triple carb) for the 3.8 litre engine. This particular car is a Xk150S, as per the little script next to the mirror on the driver’s door, but I’m not entirely clear if it has the 3.4 or the 3.8.
Given the rest of the car’s appearance and the unusual triple-Weber setup (factory models would have had SUs), I’m thinking this might be a 3.8 litre. It’s no V8, but it’s probably to be rated even higher than the 265hp these originally churned out. With those brakes and radials, this decade-old Jag was still highly competitive on the track.
This car is obviously aimed at looking like an FIA special, though the lack of rollcage means this is not a full-fledged card-carrying classic racer. I usually don’t care for de-bumpered cars, but I must admit this improves the XK150’s looks rather dramatically. Without that heavy and toothy brightwork, the fluidity and (relative) purity of the Jag’s design really shines.
Not sure that we have the dreaded Moss gearbox in there: those were notoriously difficult to use and noisy, so some Jaguars have been retrofitted with more modern 5-speed boxes. And that gearstick looks quite un-Moss-like.
In 1959, The Motor got a factory-spec 250hp 3.4 litre XK150S fixed-head coupé to go from 0 to60mph in under eight seconds and reach 132mph in top speed. The E-Type that followed it was a huge leap forward in terms of styling and suspension, but performance-wise, that’s one big cat that could still show its fangs.
Related Reading
Curbside Classic: 1960 Jaguar XK-150S – Treasures Are Meant to Be Shared (And Driven), by Jason Shafer
What a beautiful car! Nothing more to say
I was gonna say that. But, Like ya said, I got nothing more.
That and something else. I am surprised by the relatively modest 0 to 60 time for a 250hp 1350 kg sports car. That seems to happen with many old cars with a better power to weight ratio than my own 180hp 1350 kg Skoda Octavia supossed 7.7 seconds. Why?
Jaguar power numbers from this period were still SAE gross, which doesn’t include accessories, mufflers, or production ignition timing. In DIN net terms, it would probably be more like 175, 180 PS, something in that realm.
Why can’t they make a compact SUV look like this.
What a beautiful engine! Nothing more to say…
Stunning!
Yep ;
This thing has dangerous curves all over it .
I know a few older guys who have the DHC version, I like this FHC much better .
Bumpers are a must .
-Nate
“Bumpers are a must.”
Signed and confirmed
Im just replaying in my head what that straight six sounds like while being caned at 4000, 5000rpm. Perhaps my favorite note short of a built v8 or an F1 v10
132MPH top speed? I thought the numbering was supposed to indicated top speed, XK120 meaning 120MPH, XK 140 suggesting 140 MPH, and the 150, 150? Or was truth in advertising the same then as now?
Whereas the XK-120 was named after its top speed, that was not the case with the XK-140 and XK-150. It’s very difficult to increase top speed without large increases in hp. A stock XK-140 had a top speed of 120-125 mph. A 250 hp XK-120S coupe tested by Motor hit 132 mph. The lower ouput version would have been slower.
It’s a very good point about the significance of a V8 for the US market. In 1960 Jaguar acquired two V8s (2.5 (155 cid) & 4.6 (278 cid)) when it absorbed Daimler and although by then the XK150 was in its last days, it would have transformed the Mark X (as testing proved). Stroked a bit for more low-speed torque, a V8 Mark X would have been ideal for the US and while the driving experience wouldn’t have been exactly Cadillac-like, its other attributes would have had great appeal. By the early 1960s Detroit was building the world’s finest engine-transmission combinations but the Mark X was a couple of generations ahead in braking and suspension and it had that wonderfully atmospheric interior. Rather than the V12, had Jaguar devoted their resources to developing the V8 for the XJ and details like effective air-conditioning, their outcomes would likely have been better and the idea of a five liter-odd Daimler V8 in the E-Type is intriguing.
The car is a very nice “Restomod”. The exhaust manifold is fabricated stainless instead of cast iron and the radiator is aluminum. A T-5 transmission swap is probable since it is quite common with Jags to get rid of the terrible OEM shift quality and add overdrive besides.