2014-01-10 04:45:06 | Lofty writes:

1959 Jaguar XK 150 Drophead Coupe For Sale
Silverstone Auctions | Race Retro & Classic Car Sale | 22nd February 2014 | Stoneleigh Park, United Kingdom
Estimate from £55,000 to £65,000
is.gd/tW000r

2014-01-23 19:50:14 | pauls writes:

Above auction description:
www.silverstoneauctions.com/1959-jaguar-xk150-drophead-coupe-2932

Race Retro & Classic Car Sale
The ex Dr Stephen Ward - 1959 Jaguar XK150 Drophead Coupe
Lot No.: TBA
Registration: WLY150
Chassis Number: S827299D/N
Engine Number: V6609-8
Number of cylinders: 6
CC: 3442cc
Year of Manufacture: 1959
Estimate (£): 55,000 - 65,000

This original right-hand drive XK150 Drophead Coupé has had a total of only 5 owner from new. Finished in the lovely colour combination of Old English White with dark red leather interior, this 150 has been stored in a temperature controlled carcoom with its current owner. Subsequently, both the interior and bodywork are in superb condition.

Photographs in the history file detail a ground up restoration by marque experts Marina Garage. The odometer is reading 9,500 miles and this is since the restoration was completed. The original number plate, WLY 150, is included in the sale and the car is being sold simply due to lack of use. Supplied with a current MoT test certificate, this stunning XK150 Drophead Coupé remains one of the most desirable post-war British sports cars of all and with good reason considering the very limited number of right-hand drive examples manufactured. Not only does this example offer its next owner exclusivity and rarity but a notorious history to boot, as confirmed by Peter Ingram of the XK Gazette:

"S827299DN. 150 DHC. OEW. Eng. V6609-8. UK reg. WLY 150. This car has been listed in old Jaguar Daimler Registers for many years but now we can confirm that it has a celebrity and somewhat infamous past. Members in the UK of a certain age will remember the Profumo scandal of the early 1960s, which mixed sex, spies and politics as well as the rock and roll of the times. We have just established that this is the actual XK owned by Dr Stephen Ward, the "friend" of the even more infamous Christine Keeler. Former owner and current Classic racer, Peter Swete of Braintree in Essex, bought it in the late 1960s from the estate of Ward after it had been in storage. He says that its glove box contained a couple of bits of paraphernalia related to its former celebrity users!"

Few Jaguars can boast such a fascinating ownership record and one that seemingly defined the era when it was first driven. We believe that XK Roadsters and Dropheads offer classic British open-top motoring for a very reasonable outlay and also represent a most sensible investment given the current performance of the market. This car is a piece of British motoring history that would take pride of place in any Jaguar collection!

2022-04-28 07:46:20 | pauls writes:

Car now offered at:

www.carandclassic.com/car/C1448517

Seller's description:

Classic and Sportscar Centre, Corner Farm, West Knapton, Malton, Yorkshire

WLY 150 was manufactured on the 16th March 1959 and is a UK Home Market matching numbers factory built XK150. Supplied new with 3. 4 litre engine, manual transmission with overdrive, finished in Cream with Red upholstery, Black hood and distributed by Lex, London W1 to J Carseras. The Jaguar was registered WLY 150 in London and is an incredibly correct car in original specification and has arrived with us in exceptional condition having been subject of a top class body-off rebuild by marque specialists during the early 1990’s. Since restoration, the XK150 has covered just 15000 miles explaining its fantastic condition so many years on since rebuild. Not only is this a top quality example, it also carries some very interesting early history.

BBC 1's 2019 drama ‘The trial of Christine Keeler' and the box office sensation ‘Scandal' from 1989 both feature the infamous ‘Profumo Affair' - a true-life drama that had everything - sex, politics, espionage, domestic strife and courtroom battles, all set against the background of seismic social change In the Britain of the early 1960s. John Profumo, the then Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's Conservative government had a 5 month affair with 19 year old model Christine Keeler who had been introduced to him by society osteopath Stephen Ward at Cliveden, the Buckinghamshire estate of Lord Astor, where Stephen Ward rented a cottage. It was there, so legend has it, that Profumo - then forty-six, encountered Christine swimming in the pool. Christine and her friend Mandy Rice-Davies were what society called ‘good time girls' and it was Christine's relationship both with Profumo and Soviet Spy Evgeny Ivanov that troubled MI5. Profumo lied to Parliament about his extra-marital affair and the ensuing scandal essentially brought down the Government. Ward became a scapegoat and his subsequent trial for living from immoral earnings, ultimately cost him his life.

There can be few Jaguars more evocative of a time and a place in British history than Stephen Ward's XK150, WLY 150, the story of which has been authenticated by some of the motoring press's most authoritative names. This unique piece of motoring history is sure to be a talking point on the classic show scene for years to come and the new owner will have a car with a story like no other.

In the late 1960's the XK was purchased from the Ward Estate by classic racing driver Peter Swete of Braintree, Essex and various photos are on file during his ownership. The car spent the late 1960's and early 1970's off the road and it changed hands again a couple of times before 1979 when Straight Six in London sold the car to a Middlesex based Doctor (sales invoice on file) and documentation confirms they sold the car to include new rear brake discs, new battery covers, and they also attended to a faulty oil pressure gauge. The XK was sold again in 1981 and it stayed with one owner for 16 years during which time it was subject of an exceptional restoration by specialists Marina Garage Ltd in Bournemouth.

Between 1990 and 1992 a staggering £45, 000 was spent on an outstanding body off restoration which has been superbly documented with invoices, recorded hours and a photographic record that shows the bare chassis and ground up restoration in detail. The body was stripped down to bare metal and new panels included brand new sill assemblies, vent boxes, door skins, front wings, rear wings, front wing seam panels and floor pan. The chassis was blasted, prepared and painted and the re-painted body put back on the on the chassis. The XK was then built up with mechanicals re-commissioned and the interior fully re-trimmed in Red leather as per original. Marina Garage Ltd continued to maintain the XK throughout the 1990's.

The XK150 was sold in 1997 and the car remained with its next owner for 17 years, used sparingly before selling to one of our customers in Suffolk who covered almost 5000 miles in the car. During his ownership the car was maintained by an XK specialist with invoices on file for over £4, 000 plus a Chrome London restored radio. The XK first came to us during early 2021 and quickly sold to one of our regular clients in North Yorkshire who has enjoyed ownership, and reguarly changing around his collection. WLY 150 has arrived with us in exceptional condition so this isn't just a car with exceptional provenance, it has also been rebuilt to a first class standard, so 30 years on the XK is still truly outstanding. The bodyshell is first class, as is the chassis and the car gleams with a beautiful paint finish, excellent chrome and a stunning, beautifully aged upholstery. On the road our DHC does not disappoint, it holds the road superbly, the engine is excellent with impressive oil pressure, the Moss gearbox is great to use and the car cruises along gracefully at 70mph in overdrive. This is an incredibly special car, the quality of restoration has ensured that 30 years on this is still an exceptional XK150 DHC, and it also has the fascinating early ownership history, the provenance of matching numbers and correct colours, and of course its original registration mark WLY 150. This car has everything and is a wonderful motor car to own.

2022-04-29 06:59:49 | mbarnett writes:

My records show it was built 18th February 1959.

Possibly first registered 16 March 1959

A certificate would help.