1959 Jaguar XK 150 4.1 Fixed Head Coupe

Jaguar’s new six-cylinder twin overhead camshaft engine was ready by 1948 and launched in the XK 120 sports car which took the motoring world by storm. Some 12,000 XK 120s were subsequently sold. This was succeeded in 1954 by the XK 140 and the final evolution example was the XK 150 in 1957.

This new car with major American influence had lost some of the svelte looks of its predecessors but was more luxurious; the cockpit was larger and had wind-up windows and a one-piece curved windscreen. The first XK 150 models were 3.4-liter fixed-head coupe and drophead convertibles and in 1958 the Roadster was reintroduced at the same time as the “S” series option for all models. This Harry Weslake “straight port head” version with three large SU carburetors provided 250bhp and then in 1959 a 3.8 liter “S” version giving 265 bhp was introduced providing the ultimate performance, coupled to superb braking.

The very special 1959 XK 150 3.8-liter “S” fixed-head...