250 bhp, 3,442 cc inline six-cylinder engine with dual overhead camshafts and triple SU carburetors, four-speed manual gearbox with overdrive, independent front suspension with wishbones, torsion bars and an anti-roll bar, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes. Wheelbase: 102 in.

• Desirable “S” specification car

• Matching-numbers example

• Accompanied by a JDHT certificate

As the ultimate expression of Jaguar’s XK-series cars, the XK150 was the natural product of continual improvements to the lineage, as well as the marque’s brilliant competition record. Four-wheel disc brakes, an enlarged radiator opening, a revised cylinder head and enhanced passenger room marked the most significant improvements.

The XK150 entered production in May 1957, with the fixed-head coupe and the drophead coupe. The roadster was added nearly one year after XK150 production commenced. The XK150 continued to offer spirited performance with luxurious appointments, and it remains as appealing today as it was over 50 years ago. When production came to a close in October 1960, just 1,466 examples of the top-specification XK150 S, equipped with a trio of SU carburetors and a straight-ported cylinder head good for 250 horsepower, had been produced. A mere 924 of these were roadsters.

The S Roadster offered here was originally delivered to New York State, where it remained until its present owner, a respected California-based collector, acquired it and took it to the West Coast about a year and a half ago. Equipped with dual fog lamps and chrome wire wheels, it is a wonderful “driver” with a fabulous exhaust note, and it is complete with its original tool kit, even with the full set of tools within. The car is accompanied by its original Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust certificate, all-important in verifying the history of these cars, and it confirms that this car is “numbers matching” and as it was when it was originally delivered in 1959.

The Imperial Maroon paint, black interior and top, and chrome are in very nice condition, appropriate to the spirited driving for which the fabulous XK150 S was built. This would be an ideal automobile for running up and down the twisty upstate New York roads to the Adirondacks or moving along the coastal roads of California—the ultimate XK, at home in any environment.