JP’s A to Z Challenge – X is for XK-150

There is something magic about a vintage Jaguar. That’s Jag-U-ar for we Americans who want to get the full helping of this car’s classic English atmosphere. The story of the post WWII British auto industry is a long and sad one, but Jaguar proudly flew the Union Jack higher and longer than most.

The Jaguar XK-120 made its debut at the 1948 London Motor Show, and was the company’s first postwar sports car after discontinuation of the model SS in 1939. Its 3.4 liter inline 6 cylinder engine was both good and fast. It made the XK-120 one of the fastest cars in the world at the time, and also remained the basis for Jag’s engines into the early 1990’s.

The XK-120 was updated and improved as the XK-140 from 1954-57, a car that was both roomier and more powerful than its predecessor. The XK series culminated in the XK-150, which received even more changes. At its 1957 debut, it could boast of 190 horsepower from its 3.4L engine. The final 1959-60 versions of the XK-150 were good for 220 and then 265 horsepower from an enlarged 3.8L six. It was the XK-150 that carried Jaguar’s colors until the famous E-Type of 1961, which defined the brand through the rest of the 1960’s (if not to the present day).

Yes, the E-type is the Jag that usually makes my generation swoon, but there is something really alluring to me about these older XK roadsters. These were fearsomely good driving machines that found a price niche significantly higher than the smaller MGs and Triumphs but were far more affordable than the Bentleys and Rolls-Royces that were the high end of the British offerings of the day. These Jaguar XK roadsters were truly cars that you could either race or drive daily (or both, if that was your preference).

Who wouldn’t want to slip down into that red leather driver’s seat and take a spin, accompanied by the fabulous serenade that came from the tailpipe. Oh, are you one of the poor unfortunates who has never heard one? Let Jay Leno demonstrate. You can watch the interesting video, or you can just listen to the car run in the first 15 seconds or so.

But we don’t need to drive this car to respond to its sultry, come hither aura. Fortunately, this car proves that we can have the sultry and the alluring but without the X rating. This XK-150 may be rated G, but it it were any more stirring than it is, it wouldn’t be!

Photos by the author in suburban northeast Indianapolis, Indiana, June 9, 2015

23 thoughts on “JP’s A to Z Challenge – X is for XK-150”

  1. I have an immense soft spot for Jaaaaaaags.

    The E-Type is one of my top 5 most beautiful cars, but I’m with you on these roadsters. There’s just something about them. And you’re right about the sound, too. This might be my personal favorite car on your list. Will you be doing a summary post with links to all the entries when you’re done?

    (I sometimes see women (and often most of the men) in AMG-trim Mercs and wonder if they’ve ever actually heard the animal in their expensive toy… Although, now I say that out loud, I wonder if AMG still sound like they used to before all the eco-terrorism was inflicted on them).

    My XJS is the only car I’ve really ever regretted selling and have actually gone looking to replace on more than one occasion.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I stumbled on this when I left a meeting ar a neighborhood restaurant. A group of Jag fans had met there, and I got photos of 2 or 3. This one at the curb really got my attention, though. If given the choice between an E-type or an XK-1something, it might be one of these older ones.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. I had a boss in the 1990’s who was very proud of his Jag (I do not even remember the year or model). After work or social functions we went to together, he would sometimes have me drive it as a perk. I was too petrified of possibly getting in a wreck to enjoy the experience. I would have preferred a bigger raise. But I was not too thrilled about the possibilities of him driving it either, so I always obliged. His Jag is long gone but he lived well and just turned 90 this past summer.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. I always DID swoon for the Jag XKE, and believe it or not, had a line on pristine one in the mid 90’s for $16K. 6 cylinder engine tho, which was OK with me in terms of maintenance. The owner reneged from the sale through the British Car Specialist dealer. I had literally almost gone bankrupt in the early to mid 70’s, owning a Triumph TR-4, and a Triumph GT6-MkIII. The GT6 was considered “the poor mans E-type”, but if you weren’t poor when you bought it, you soon would be! It was a mechanical mess, but fast and a “handler”, especially with the Perelli tyres I had on it. By ’75, I was into used Toyotas that never broke, and, here’s where the story takes a weird turn, I bought a brand new ’77 Corolla from one of the original Japanese car dealers in my area, and in the back of their shop, there was a XK 150 up on jack stands that two of the mechanics were working on in their spare time. The dealer was eventually absorbed by by a big American dealer, but I never heard what happened with the car.

    I’ve been delighted to watch the “new” version of Ms. Fischers Modern Mysteries, on PBS, which takes place in “swinging Melbourne” of the 60’s! The original Ms. Fischer from the 20’s era series, has been lost somewhere in the jungles, and leaves her house and current car to her grand niece. Of course the star in this series, is the pristine Austin-Healy 3000! When I was going broke with those Triumphs, the conventional wisdom from “swells” hanging around the British Leyland dealer, was that if you wanted a bullet-proof Brit sports car, it was the Austin-Healy 3000.

    https://www.imcdb.org/v001288670.html

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Great stories! Yes, British car ownership from that era was not for the faint of heart or light of wallet.

      My counterpoint to your experience with the Austin Healy was a guy I knew in law school. He had a beautiful A-H 3000 that he drove a lot. He also owned a big Olds 98 sedan from the mid 60s. He told me that having the Oldsmobile as a backstop was what made the A-H relatively practical, and allowed him to take his time on repairs, which were needed pretty frequently. The stupid Oldsmobile almost never quit on him.

      Like

      Reply

  7. JP, as to your photos of this Jaguar – was it just parked on a street, or part of a car collection event in your town? I like the license plate name “Jagnut” and yes, wouldn’t it be inviting to jump into the driver’s seat with that red leather interior? I was expecting the steering wheel to be on the opposite side since it is a British vehicle, so I was surprised. I watched the Jay Leno video to hear the sound of the rumble from the tailpipe and got hooked on the story and watched a little more about the guy that kept the car in an old barn that Jay Leno saw/sat in when he was a kid.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I find that I easily get sucked into Leno’s videos. He has an impressive car collection and is quite knowledgeable about them. He has a long series of videos on them.

      Most sales of British sports cars from that era were to the U.S., so they were built with left-hand drive for this and other export markets.

      I came out of a restaurant to find several Jags in the parking lot, probably a club getting together for dinner after an event of some kind. It was a fun coincidence.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • I had heard of Jay Leno’s Garage before and always thought it was a building where he housed his collection of vintage automobiles. Jay Leno has participated in the Woodward Dream Cruise several times, but I didn’t know he made videos. That makes sense that the British sports cars were made for the U.S. drivers, thus left-hand steering. I know you were happy to run into this group – a lucky day for you!

        Liked by 1 person

  9. Over 10 years ago I had the opportunity to drive a ’60 or ’61 Jaguar XK-150S hardtop. It was sublime, with the S being geared toward racing. The driving experience was an amazing, the higher than normal power engine was delicious, and the overall experience almost defies description. And, yes, sitting in the seat is amazing.

    Thank you for this; it’s made my evening!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a reply to Amusives Cancel reply