Description
This drop dead gorgeous Jaguar XK150 roadster was supplied to Jaguar Cars New York on January 27th 1959. Little is known about the first owner, a Mr Nemeth of Baltimore, but it must have been an incredible first drive in the 3. 4 Litre double overhead cam 6 cylinder roadster. With disc brakes to all 4 wheels, rack and pinion steering and a cabin trimmed in the finest Connolly leather this was a sports car for the discerning driver and one of the most exclusive on the road. Just 2, 265 XK150 roadsters were produced between 1957 and 1960.
The car was purchased by its most recent and only UK owner in 1995 from a lady in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The car had been dry stored since the 1970's so was in remarkably solid and original condition. It was shipped back to the UK where a thorough restoration was begun with focus on quality over cost. The body renovation was undertaken by Classic Parts and Panels in Aylesbury who had an excellent reputation for their work on rebuilding XK Jaguars. The engine rebuild was entrusted to EMS, one of the best in the business who rebuilt, balanced and converted to unleaded before delivering back to the customer. The chassis was stripped, bead blasted and repainted whilst the overdrive, axle, carbs and horns were rebuilt by BJRC in Coventry. A local painter with an excellent reputation for attention to detail repainted the freshly restored body and everything was assembled in readiness for its first MOT test in April 1998.
Now that the car was ready for the road it was time for the finishing touches including a full retrim by Mick Turley of Astley, Warwickshire who had a reputation for the quality of his work. He had worked at Coventry when the XK was assembled and had retained the original trim patterns from the factory when production was switched to the E-Type. The car was retrimmed in Connolly leather as per original and returned to the owner.
During the rebuild great attention was paid to authenticity with original nuts and bolts being refurbished and re-plated instead of replaced, no modifications or upgrades have been made from the factory specification. With less than 5, 000 miles being completed since the restoration and only two occasions of the car being caught in the rain the car remains in stunning condition throughout. When not in use it has been stored in a warm, dry garage and regularly serviced regardless of the low miles covered.
The car is an absolute joy to drive and gives great confidence on the road. Every element of the restoration is documented down to the last penny by the meticulous owner. The car is an absolute credit to him.
