Motoring in Spain - Jaguar XK150

Once again, clouds of uncertainty can be seen on Jaguar’s horizons. Its parent company, Ford, have got a bit of a financial crisis on their hands: last year, the losses amounted to nearly $13 billion – that’s "billions", with a "b".

I suspect they’ve had the bank manager round for a quick chat over coffee and a biscuit or two, and he probably suggested that they should try to raise a bit of cash. That’s why, in the middle of March, Ford announced the sale of Aston Martin for nearly £1 billion, and talk is everywhere that Jaguar – another of Ford’s premium brands – might also be up for grabs.

So this is a particularly apt time to get a bit nostalgic, and look back half a century, to when Jaguar was a proud independent company, producing world-beating vehicles. Let’s reminisce about a time long before this proud name got gobbled up and emasculated by British Motor Holdings and then by – and we all still shudder at the name – British Leyland.

In fact, this May is the 50th anniversary of the launch of the XK150, a car that for many represented the ultimate in British sports car design.

Back in 1948, William Lyons exhibited the first XK – the XK120 – as a project at the London Motor Show. Not surprisingly, it caused a storm, and it was almost immediately put into production. The "120", of course, signified the car’s top speed; an astonishing fact, considering the state of Europe’s road back in those times.

The world had moved on significantly by 1954, and so did the XK, with the introduction of the XK140 – with another 20 mph added to the top speed. By now, some mechanical refinement was becoming needed, so the XK140 had little niceties like better brakes, tubular shock absorbers and rack-and-pinion steering.

And by the time the XK150 came along, in 1957, it represented the finest of the breed. It looked similar to its earlier family members, but gone was the two-piece windscreen, now replaced with a single curved one. The bonnet was broader, the styling more up-to-date. Disc brakes were now available all-round – a useful feature considering the XK’s even higher top speed.

There were lots of clever touches inside as well: the traditional walnut veneer had been replaced with a padded leather trim, and the doors had been slimmed down to give more interior space; remember, this was long before the days of safety bars inside the doors.

From a petrol-head’s point of view, though, it’s the XK’s engine that stands out.

By the time the XK150 appeared, the XK6 (as it was known) engine was already a veteran; after all, that original XK120 back in the late ‘40s was originally nothing more than a show vehicle for the new engine. But back then it was something of a technological marvel: a straight six, 3442 cc, double overhead camshaft unit with twin side-draft carburettors, it produced 160 bhp. By the time it appeared in the XK140, power had risen to 190 bhp – or 210 bhp in SE option.

In the XK150S, the 3.4 litre had pushed its power up to 250 bhp, and not long before production of the XK150 drew to a close, a 3.8 litre version was introduced, with astonishing power output of 220 bhp in standard tune, or 265 bhp in S form. The XK6 engine soldiered on for many, many years, right up to 1994, when it made its farewell in a Daimler.

And what of the XK150? Well, it went out of production in 1960 and was replaced by the E Type. Now, as much as we all love the E-Type, it was a completely different machine, with a completely different image.

The XK was all dashing ex-fighter pilot, handlebar moustache, officer and gentleman, hurtling down English country lanes with a classic English rose, probably called Victoria, sitting demurely in the passenger seat, hurrying to drink warm beer and play swashbuckling cricket.

The E-Type was a massive phallic symbol, a willy on wheels. Driven by pop stars wearing loud cravats and copious after-shave, with long hair and sharp suits, with some dolly bird ("Vicki") in a micro-mini skirt giggling on the passenger seat. It’s just not in the same school, never mind the same class.

I’m sorry, I got a bit carried away there, but I couldn’t help wondering: if Ford do decide to sell off Jaguar, perhaps those glory days will return. Perhaps the new owners will know that with the modern − and excellent − range of vehicles that Jaguar has in its portfolio, here is the chance to really propel Jaguar back to being a world-beater in the luxury car market.

Thanks to 20 years of Ford ownership, the cars are good, the reliability is vastly improved, and the reputation has got better year by year. Now, free from government interference and the inertia of global corporate ownership, surely nothing can hold Jaguar back.

Whether it’ll do anything to reintroduce English swashbuckling cricket is quite another matter.

AN ELITE CLASSIC ■ The XK150 SE featured here is one of only 42 manufactured with the Special Equipment (SE) options listed below, and one of the last to be released from the Coventry factory before the launch of the Series 1 E-Type.

■ Main features of the XK150:

Colour − original manufacturers’ gloss black

Interior − tan ostrich hide, piped tan and 24-carat gold plating on all interior metal fittings

Rear lamp clusters – elongated version

Year of manufacture − 1960

Price − €140,000 (tax-free, but matriculation and delivery costs extra)

■ Special Equipment options:

Larger engine option 3.8 litres (standard was 3.4 litres)

More horsepower (increased to 220HP) from uprated engine with B-Type cylinder head

Manual 4-speed floor change

Chrome 60 spoke Boranni wire wheels

Twin sports exhaust system with chrome tail pipes