Wrecked Jaguar XK150 sells for 6 times guide price
1960 JAGUAR XK150 S 3.8-LITRE DROPHEAD PROJECT
REGISTRATION NO. NRN 6
CHASSIS NO. T827488DN
If anyone thought the golden era of the 'barn find' was over and done with, then an XK150 that sold last month at a Bonhams Auction has proven that to be wrong. The car looked like it had been through a crusher, but that didn't put off buyers with the hammer falling on the car (literally by the looks of it, several times) at a price six times higher than the estimate!
Launched in 1957, the Jaguar XK150 was the third and final iteration of the XK series, following on from the XK120 and XK140. Available as both a fixed-head coupe or a drophead coupe, the XK150 featured updated styling and various mechanical improvements, including four-wheel disc brakes.
Supplied new by Ashton Preston Garages Ltd to the Preston Mattress Company Ltd, this Jaguar XK150S 3.8 S Drophead Coupé was first registered on 1 January 1960, the car has a limited history file and went through two owners before being purchased by the deceased vendor in 1969. The history included a V5C, buff logbook and a quantity of expired MOTs.
The damage to the car was caused when it spun off the road on a wet day in September 1996. The vendor, who was driving the car, unfortunately lost control and ended up crashing head on into a tree. He remarkably walked away, however the car has remained garage-stored ever since.
The auctioneers advised that the car was still in a salvageable condition and buyers agreed as a battle took place on the day. It's a remarkable story and amazing that the car has survived in such a condition for so long, we look forward to seeing it fully restored and back on the roads once again, it's going to be quite a journey getting there! The final hammer price was £90,000 but when complete, this rare XK150S, one of only 69 made, will be worth upwards of £250,000.
