2024-11-27 17:22:28 | pauls writes:

Car at auction 11/24

www.handh.co.uk/auction/lot/lot-77---1957-jaguar-xk150-convertible-uprated-to-38 ...

Auction description:

27th Nov, 2024 13:00

Pavilion Gardens | Buxton, Derbyshire

Lot 77

1957 Jaguar XK150 Convertible Uprated to 3.8 'S' Specification

Registration No: KSJ 164

Chassis No: S834794DN

MOT: Exempt

Supplied new to the USA in Fixed Head Coupé form and later reworked to right-hand drive Drophead Coupé configuration

Uprated to 3.8 litre, triple carburettor 'S' specification and fitted with a five-speed gearbox

Previously fitted 3.4 litre XK engine unit included in sale

Purchased by the current owner for £75,000 from Graeme Hunt Ltd

According to the Jaguar Heritage Certificate supplied with the history file, chassis number S834794DN was first supplied via Jaguar Cars, USA specified in left-hand drive Fixed Head Coupé form. Little is known of the early history of the Jaguar, however it is understood to have been imported to the UK in 1990 and would remain in project state until it was sold by The Carriage Company of Silsoe, Beds in 1996 to a Mr Woodward of Royston. The Carriage Company was also given the task of the restoration for which there are a plethora of invoices on file between 1997 and 1998 which total approximately £40,000. During this period, not only was a bare-chassis overhaul performed, but the interior was re-trimmed, the 3.4 Litre engine was rebuilt, suspension and brakes overhauled and other components were upgraded including the fitment of power steering, a five-speed gearbox and triple carburettors.

Fast forward to 2011 and via a further keeper, the car was purchased by the current owner, Mr G. Lucas MBE. During his ownership, the car was fitted with a 3.8 Litre engine with 'straight port' cylinder head, although the 3.4 litre unit accompanies the car to the sale. Unfortunately, Mr Lucas' health condition is such that his family have opted to sell the Jaguar with the last job that he did, being to strip the sump off to check the bearings which wasn't completed, and as such is presented in non-running condition.

Upon inspection, we noted that the XK has been very well cared for prior to Mr Lucas' health decline. Although in non-running state currently, it should be an easy task to return the car to tip-top mechanical condition. The bodywork has also survived well, thanks to dry storage, however it should be noted that there are some scratches and bubbling in small areas that may need addressing. 'KSJ 164' is a fabulous opportunity for any enthusiast to return to a running order and use as a true drivers' car in line with its healthy specification.

Sold for £36,562

2026-02-07 06:10:38 | pauls writes:

Car returning to auction 3/26

www.handh.co.uk/auction/lot/lot-1957-jaguar-xk150-convertible-to-38-litre-s-spec ...

Auction description:

18th Mar, 2026 12:00

Kelham Hall | Newark, Nottinghamshire

1957 Jaguar XK150 Convertible to 3.8 Litre 'S' Specification

Fitted with numerous upgrades for modern driving and recently subject an engine overhaul at a cost of over £10,000

Estimate £60,000 - £70,000

 Registration No: 600 BF

Chassis No: S834794DN

Previously subject to a bare-chassis, photographically documented restoration

Uprated to high-performance 3.8-litre, triple-carburettor 'S' specification

Fitted with numerous desirable upgrades including a five-speed gearbox, EZ power steering, and all-round Coopercraft disc brakes

Recently subject to extensive recommissioning including an engine overhaul at a cost of over £10,000 by Sigma Engineering

Private registration '600 BF', which the vendor has had valued at £10,000, is included in the sale

Previously-fitted 3.4-litre XK engine included in sale

Resplendent in Jaguar Signal Red, this fine XK150 dhc, prepared to 3.8-litre S specification, has benefitted from much careful attention during the 28 years since its original restoration. Manufactured on November 20th, 1957, as a 3.4-litre Fixed-Head Coupé in L.H.D. export specification, painted Cream with a Red interior, it was despatched on December 23rd to Jaguar Cars of New York. It was reimported into Britain in 1990, apparently in a sorry state. It was sold by Jaguar specialists The Carriage Company of Silsoe, Bedfordshire, in 1996 to Mr. Woodward of Cambridgeshire, in a condition described as “dismantled, for total restoration.”

Mr. Woodward entrusted the restoration to The Carriage Company, and a large collection of photographs documents its transformation into a Drophead Coupé in Signal Red. This restoration was comprehensive, including overhauls of the engine, suspension and brakes, plus an interior retrim. Additionally, several upgrades were made for modern driving, which included the all-round fitment of Coopercraft disc brakes, electric power-assisted steering from M. & C. Wilkinson, a five-speed all-synchromesh gearbox, and an electric fan. Photographs show the work approaching completion in 1998, and it was first registered and taxed for the road in November that year, but work with The Carriage Company continued up to 2002, and there is no record of the Jaguar being taxed again until 2004, after it was sold in 2003 by The Carriage Company to a Mr. Meadows of Northamptonshire. It then remained in consistent use until 2012, ownership having passed in 2008 to a Mr. Reeve of Bedfordshire, who continued to lavish attention upon it.

In 2011, the XK was sold its longest-term keeper on record, having freshly benefitted from even more extensive upgrades just prior to the sale. With dealer Graeme Hunt, it received not only a full repaint in the same Signal Red, but was upgraded to 3.8 Litre S specification, with triple SU carburettors and the big-valve head. Electronic ignition was installed, as were the spotlights which were standard for the XK150 S in period. The new owner from December, 2011, was the late Major Guy Lucas of the Royal Engineers, who bought it as a retirement present to himself with the intention of Continental touring. Major Lucas enjoyed some local use with the car and took it to the Le Mans Classic in 2012, before he decided to take it off the road and mechanically renovate it to his own meticulous standards. Sadly, declining health forced him to abandon the project in 2017, and when it was acquired by our vendor from the Lucas family in 2024, it was a non-runner, as Major Lucas’s last, unfinished job had been to remove the sump to check the bearings. In all other respects, however, it was very well-preserved, having been stored in a well-ventilated garage.

The vendor immediately took the Jaguar to Sigma Engineering for recommissioning, which took place over the course of 2025 at a cost of £10,519. Sigma found the engine had noisy tappets and a warped head, so it fitted a replacement head which it prepared to its “fast race” specification with new valves, guides and inserts. The engine was completely dismantled and cleaned, and put back together with a replacement crank, new bearings, timing chains and so on. The carburettors were overhauled with new jet assemblies and needles, and the tracking, toe and camber angles were reset. The worn speedometer cable and all the broken switches were replaced. Satisfied that he has saved a very worthwhile car, the vendor is offering it for sale having just completed its 500 miles of running-in. Included in the sale is the private registration number which the vendor has had valued at £10,000.

The Jaguar is offered with a large history file including the current V5C and historic registration documents, assorted old M.O.T.s and tax discs, many invoices, sale invoices (1997 and 2011), restoration photos (1997-98 and 2011), and two J.D.H.T. certificates, and the previous 3.4-litre engine is supplied. Altogether, this XK amounts to a fantastic touring car which should be ideal for everything from Sunday outings to a return to the Le Mans Classic.

Sold for £53,750