Jaguar : XK Red Leather

1961 XK 150 Special Equipment Fixed Head Coupe LHD 3. 8 Matching numbers with Heritage Certificate Chassis # S 836914 BW

Body # J 11235

Engine # VA 2020-8

Gearbox # JBC 1208 This is a late August of 1960 built (having the new larger tail lights and boot lid spring loaded hinges) 3. 8 automatic with only 66. 83 miles put on by its two previous owners since new. Mrs. Ruth N. Luhrs of Ravena New York. special ordered this car with every option available except bucket seats. SE package (center-lock wire wheels. modified cylinder head. larger exhaust valves. dual exhaust). 3. 8 litre engine (220 HP). driving lights. chrome wheels. white-wall tires. radio & antenna. windscreen washers. automatic transmission. door mirror and Leaping Jaguar mascot on bonnet. Then Ruth made arrangements to pick it up at the factory and tour Europe. including attending a Coronation type ball in London. before having it shipped back to the states. Ruth enjoyed spirited use of her Jag until 1972 when receiving 3 speeding tickets and loosing her drivers license. Ruth could not bear seeing it set idle in her garage. so she had her son sell it. Enter the second Lady care taker. The second lady owner. of the past 40+ years. has enjoyed her as much as the first. She has kept up the maintenance including one respray in original Mist Grey. New correct carpet set. New correct leather front seat covers. New boot kit. New Bell Stainless steel dual exhaust system. New brake calipers and flex hoses. New fuel tank. pump and sending unit. 4 new Firestone 600 x 16 bias ply tires & tubes on original Dunlop chrome wire wheels. Still has the original Dunlop Road Speed RS 4 wide white-wall spare tire. Cylinder head was removed. re-surfaced and a valve job done. Drives as good as she looks. Comes with service records. all original documents from new. including "London Weekly Diary" dated October 2 nd to Oct 8 th. 1960.

Jaguar Drivers Club. RAC membership and Telephone Box Key. Radiomobil Guarantee. Jaguar Guarantee all in original owners name and dated October 4 th 1960. This car was so original it was used as one of the models for Jaguar Clubs North America “Jaguar XK 150 originality guide” by Charles Morgan. at the Seattle. WA 35 th Annual General Meeting of JCNA March 5-7. 1993. This car has always been maintained. garaged and road worthy. November 9 th 2014 shown at JCNA concours received a 1 st place in class D 1 with a 98. 25 score. Reluctantly being offered at $55. 00 USD.

Pictures available at following Picasa site.

google. com/photos/ 5/albums/ 476676033

What would turn out to be the final glorious incarnation of Jaguars fabulous XK series of sports cars arrived in the spring of 1957. As its nomenclature suggests. the XK 150 was a progressive development of the XK 120 and XK 140. retaining the same basic chassis. 3. 4-litre DOHC engine and four-speed Moss transmission of its predecessors while benefiting from a new. wider body that provided increased interior space and improved visibility courtesy of a single-piece wrap-around windscreen.

Initially available in Fixed Head Coupe (FHC) or Drop Head Coupe (DHC) Convertible models (although the coupe was really a 2+2 as opposed to a true 4 seater). an Open Two Seater (OTS) Roadster model was introduced in 1958.

A higher front wing line and broader radiator grille were other obvious differences along with the shifting of the bulkhead toward the rear to make the XK 150 about 4 inches longer and thinner doors to give more cabin space. The car's interior was changed. replacing the XK 140's walnut dash with a leather one. However the new models main talking point was its Dunlop disc brakes. Fade following repeated stops from high speed had been a problem of the earlier. drum-braked cars. but now the XK had stopping power to match its prodigious straight-line speed. Overdrive and a Borg-Warner automatic gearbox were transmission options. the latter becoming an increasingly popular choice. Steel wheels remained the standard fitting. though XK 150 s so equipped are a great rarity. as most were went on sale in SE (Special Equipment) specification with centre-lock wire wheels.

As well as new wheels the SE package also equipped the car with a modified cylinder head. larger exhaust valves and an impressive 210 bhp at 5500 rpm. Later into the XK 150's run. Jaguar released the Jaguar XK 150 S. with a claimed 250 SAE bhp and increased engine capacity of 3. 8 litres by increasing the bore. Production of the XK 150 ended in 1961.

There are still plenty of active Jaguar owners clubs which provide a useful resource when looking to buy parts and accessories. Jaguars sports models grew up in a sense as the company fine-tuned its products for the all-important American market. and these efforts resulted in the XK 150. Produced for only three years from May of 1957 until October of 1960. the XK 150 reflected many changes to suit Americans somewhat unique tastes. styles and driving situations.

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