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Jaguar XK 150
There was a time, when it was the fastest of them all, in the meantime however, it had put on a bit of weight and had also grown bigger. It was still fast, but it couldn't manage the 240 km/h (150 mp/h) indicated in its name.
There was a version with three carburettors, which produced 184 kW (250 HP), indeed, also that one could 'only' manage 225 km/h and as a left-hand drive, was obviously meant for the American market. There would
however, be a 3,8 litres engine with three carburettors and a compression ratio of 9,0 : 1, which would produce 195 kW (265 HP). This would also be the engine used in the successor, the E-type.
The development work for the new Jaguar took longer than was expected, particularly as in 1957, a ravaging fire caused a delay in the delivery of the Roadster. Apart from that, the new one was to be converted to a self-
supporting body. Indeed, because time was running out on them, the customers were at least supplied with the new engine, even though it was in the old body.
More than 9.300 were produced, the difference from the XK 140, was that it had a larger windscreen which was curved into the corners and in contrast to that, the less curved mudguards. Due to the radiator grille and the
bonnet being wider, access to the engine was made somewhat easier. Despite this change, the bonnet-release was described as being sticky. A bit more space was also required for the optional three carburettors.
It was no longer the earlier, more uncompromising sports car that it was. It had turned into a GT, reacted more sedately but also offered a bit more room. Whereby, tall people would still have difficulty getting far away
enough from the steering wheel, despite the length adjustability. On the other hand, one needed the steering wheel to hold on to because the seats, characteristic for that time, didn't offer much side-support.
Indeed, the armrests didn't offer much support and oddly enough, the backrests weren't adjustable either. Neither did the seats have a locking mechanism to prevent them from folding forwards and the doors had no
checking mechanism after being opened. Also, both the open- and the closed versions of the XK 150 lacked the famous Walnut panelling on the dashboard. Instead, they had imitation leather, which was popular at that
time. The seats however, were made from real leather, and this could also be ordered as an optional extra (see 1st video).
Looking at it more closely, compared with the predecessor, the waistline had been raised, only to fall more sharply in the front. Which together with the larger windscreen, was noticeably better for the overall view. Only the
purists complained. Therefore, the XK 150, the only one in the series, had the leaping cat decorating the bonnet, of course, as an optional extra. On this model, both the front and the rear of the car had the distinctly stronger
bumpers which covered the entire width. This was also the case with the XK 140 but only in the zero-series.
Well, any negative reactions would probably have been taken care of through the magnificent follow-up model. This
however, in contrast to the XK 150, could not offer the specific feature of looking like a member of the family. Sometimes it was also known as the two-door version of the Mark I (see picture), which of course, because of the
lack of rear seats it wasn't. One more difference: The Mark I had a self-supporting body, the XK-versions had the good looking body mounted on a supporting frame.
The disc-brakes must definitely be mentioned, their introduction (optional) right at the beginning, could still be described as being a sensation. Indeed, they never even attempted to offer them without power-support. There
were also disc-brakes on the rear axle, which however, clearly reduced the efficiency of the hand-brake. At least however, one had now put a self-adjusting system together, something that drum-brakes, at that time,
couldn't yet offer. 03/15
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