Photos Courtesy of Bonhams Cars

· This car has had 50 Concours wins and 100-point JCNA status

· Matching numbers, factory left-hand drive example

· Just four owners from new and less than 19,000 original miles

· Restored to the original color combination of black over a grey interior

This car is an original U.S. delivered example, 'S' was built on October 10, 1958, and shipped 20 days later and supplied to the US through Jaguar Cars New York. Finished in black with grey hides and a black top, it was delivered with the exact technical specification and matching-numbers components that it retains today, as verified by its Jaguar-Daimler Heritage Trust Certificate.

The first owner of the car was J.P. Squire of Mentor, Ohio who took delivery on July 19, 1960. Squire kept the car for four years before selling it to W.O. Oden of nearby Cleveland, Ohio in June of '64. Oden enjoyed the car for two subsequent years before putting it into storage in his garage in August of 1966. The Jaguar would sit closeted in Oden's garage for the next three decades until it was acquired by the previous owner in May of 1997. When the car was pulled out of the garage, it was incomplete and showed less than 18,000 miles on the clock.

Sent to marque specialist Jeff Locke of Foreign Car Specialties in Tallmadge, Ohio in 1998, an exhaustive, body-off, concours quality restoration was begun. In completing the restoration, exacting detail features were sourced - items which are so often copied, but rarely are originals as found on this car.

This exhaustive process took three years from start to finish. Completed in its original color scheme, it has achieved consistent success wherever it has been shown. With preciously few miles added since it was completed to its already very low mileage total, and detailed to the highest degree, the car looks today much as it did when the exacting rebuild was finalized. Offered from a prominent Virginia-based collection, the XK150S Roadster is offered with its original owner's manual including its annual maintenance chart, tool roll, and 'Supplementary Instructions' for the XK150 "S" Model'.

"The Jaguar XK150 is undeniably one of the world's fastest and safest cars. It is quiet and exceptionally refined mechanically, docile and comfortable... we do not know of any more outstanding example of value for money," declared The Autocar.

Introduced in 1957, the ‘150' is the ultimate expression of Jaguar's XK series. Revisions to the bodywork retained the traditional XK look but the revised fender line made room for a wider cowl and windshield and fed into thinner doors that much improved comfort. Jaguar adopted the disc brakes which had dramatically demonstrated their effectiveness in the C-types at Le Mans, improving not only braking performance but also the XK 150's marketing.

In standard form, it retained the 190bhp of its predecessor. But for those requiring a little more 'poke', 'Special Equipment' and 'S' versions came with 210 and 250bhp respectively, the latter delivering an astonishing 0-60mph time of 7.3 seconds and a top speed of 136mph.

At first the '150' was available in fixed and drophead coupé forms; the open roadster version didn't appear until the following year. The roadster version would become the rarest XK 150 model, now with rollup windows and thorough weather protection to make it the ideal vehicle for a day's enjoyment or a long trip through variable weather. Looks were not to be compromised, however, as the XK150 Roadster retained the traditional Roadster's windowsill dip and top that was fully enclosed when retracted for an especially attractive profile.

There can be few cars of this marque or model that can lay claim to such achievement in Concours events across this country. Over the course of about 13 years, this XK150S has won more than 50 Concours awards, including numerous 'Best in Class' trophies, resulting in the car earning a 100-point status with the Jaguar Club of North America and has won North American Champion as well.

*This description was condensed from the Bonhams Quail Lodge auction catalog entry, 13 August 2021, where the car was purchased for the Audrain Collections.

Specifications:

Engine: 3.4-liter DOHC inline 6-cylinder
Carburation: 3 SU carburetors
Power: 250 bhp at 5,500 rpm
Gearbox: 4-speed manual transmission with overdrive
Suspension: Front independent, live rear axle
Brakes: 4-wheel hydraulic discs

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