1960 XK150 Drophead Heads Up to Monterey for Auction
One of 174 lots up for bid at upcoming RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction, this XK150 Drophead is ready for a new home.
After the end of World War II, England turned its attentions toward making the best sports cars to wear British Racing Green, beginning with cars like the overnight sensation known as the Jaguar XK120. Bowing at the 1948 Earl’s Court Motor Show, the first XK drew an audience who believed the car was worth every penny of the $4,000 (in in 1948 U.S. dollars) Jaguar asked for the XK.
The XK’s evolution led to its final incarnation, the XK150, which arrived in 1957 for the 1958 model year. This 1960 XK150 is among 174 lots RM Sotheby’s will auction off when the auction house touches down August 22 through 25 in Monterrey, California for Monterrey Car Week.
Built February 11, 1960, this XK150 underwent “a proper and very high-quality restoration performed by Jaguar professionals, with virtually no expense spared.” The interior leather may appear gray, but is a shade of green, the perfect contrast to the British Racing Green reapplied to bare metal.
But it’s under the long hood where the real gem hides: the 3.8-liter inline-six. Fitted with the then-new “B” type cylinder head, the big six dropped 220 horses down through the four-speed manual to the rear chrome wire wheels, now wrapped in period-correct Dunlop Roadspeed RS5 tires.
This XK150 is also a rarity, as it’s one of 2,672 XK150 dropheads ever produced. It also comes with a Jaguar Daimler Heritage Certificate, a certified copy of its place in the assembly line, complete with every little detail on its build, where it went, and its original registration. Whomever drops anywhere from $150,000 to $200,000 on the drophead when it rolls up to the block August 24 will be one lucky owner of an amazing piece of post-war Jaguar history.