One of only 56 right-hand drive Drophead Coupés with the standard 3.8-litre engine
1960 Jaguar XK150 3.8-Litre Drophead Coupé

• Delivered new in the UK
• Matching chassis and engine
• Comprehensively restored professionally between 1995 and 1999
• Getrag five-speed gearbox

"The Jaguar XK150 3.8-litre 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." - The Autocar.

What would turn out to be the final glorious incarnation of Jaguar's fabulous 'XK' series of sports cars arrived in 1957. As its nomenclature suggests, the XK150 was a progressive development of the XK120 and XK140, retaining the same basic chassis, 3.4-litre 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, replacing the XK140's divided screen. A higher front wing line and broader radiator grille were other obvious differences, but the new model's 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.

In the autumn of 1959 the XK150 became available with the 3.8-litre engine first seen in the Mark IX saloon. 'Standard' (220bhp) or 'S' (265bhp) states of tune were offered (the latter featuring overdrive as standard) and in either form the XK150's increased weight was more than offset by the power of the larger engine, the car regularly recording in excess of 130mph in magazine road tests.

Representing the XK150 in one of its rarest configurations, this 3.8-litre drophead coupé was supplied new and registered in the UK on 3rd August 1960 by the Ritchies Jaguar dealership in Glasgow. The accompanying Jaguar Heritage Certificate confirms that the car has matching chassis and engine numbers. It has had only three former keepers and between 1995 and 1999 underwent a comprehensive restoration carried out by Classic Restorations in Alyth. In more recent years the XK has been looked after by marque specialists The Splined Hub. The car is finished in Imperial Maroon with matching interior and sand hood, and benefits from an uprated transmission in the form of a Getrag five-speed gearbox.