(first posted 1/15/2015) The text of the email was brief: Got a good car for an article. Call me. Knowing my co-worker Rand would not tell me about just any car, he had me intrigued. When he disclosed it was a 1960 Jaguar, along with the owner’s name and phone number, I called immediately.
Her name is Theresa, and her 1960 Jaguar XK-150S has quite the story.
Theresa’s father purchased this Jaguar in 1962 from the Jaguar dealer in Kansas City. For reasons she has never fully determined, Theresa’s father, a machinist and farmer, developed a very strong affinity for British automobiles during his time in Panama, even bringing an MG back with him.
Theresa with her grandfather, 1961
The family car was a Riley, seen on the right. It was a 1.5 liter car, based upon the Morris Minor. On the left is an MG, specifically an MGA fixed-head coupe, that was the last body-on-frame MG and produced from 1955 to 1962.
Perhaps such a combination was typical in some places, but Theresa grew up near the small town of Clinton, on the western side of Missouri, about an hour south-southeast of Kansas City. Let’s just say this area wasn’t exactly a hotbed for British cars.
Yet Theresa’s father loved this second of his Jaguars, keeping it parked in a corrugated steel garage, further protected from the elements by flannel blankets tied down with pink bows. He drove it sparingly, limiting it to Sunday drives and making runs to the local Dairy Queen on Friday’s during hay season. He did, however, drive it to Indianapolis one year with his brother and a mutual friend to watch the Indianapolis 500.
Indeed, a grown man rode in this compartment behind the seat. The friend was of a smaller stature and he rode there crossways. It was not a short trip, as the distance between Clinton and Indianapolis is 475 miles.
The collection of British cars Theresa’s father would ultimately amass contained the Riley, a Jaguar XK 120 (seen here), two MG’s, and our featured car. Later in his life, Theresa’s father turned his attention away from British cars and toward something closer to home – John Deere tractors.
Upon her father’s death, Theresa and her sister were faced with quite a formidable amount of iron to address, one item of which was a Cadillac V16 engine that had originally been in a car owned by the Pendergast family in Kansas City – yes, it was the family of political boss Tom Pendergast. That engine was sold to someone in Australia.
The only item Theresa was truly interested in was this XK-150S. Theresa obviously has very good taste; she is also a very generous woman. How so? Theresa let me drive her Jaguar, but we will get to that shortly. We haven’t discussed any specifics about the car.
This XK-150S is powered by a 250 horsepower dual overhead cam 3.4 liter straight six with three SU carburetors. Theresa tells me it also has two fuel pumps and two batteries. She has had some mechanical refurbishment performed on the car and nearly everything is working seamlessly. This car is entirely original, save for the headliner, windshield, and a few miscellaneous rubber parts.
Painted in what appears to be Cornish Grey, this fixed head coupe is equipped with the Laycock De Normanville overdrive, which likely aided the XK-150S in reaching its reported 136 mph top speed. Jaguar introduced this series of XK in 1958 and it ran until 1961. There were only 199 fixed head coupes built during that time powered by the triple-carb 3.4 liter S engine like this one has. From our conversation, Theresa said she has been told only fourteen of these were exported to the United States. This is one of them.
In our emails, Rand had warned me this was a very cold-blooded car; Theresa reiterated this prior to our meeting and added it is very cold-blooded even on a summer day. She’s been around the car for nearly 53 years, so she knows a thing or two about this Jaguar.
On the day of our visit, it was 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Theresa had put a heated dipstick into the engine to warm the oil for easier starting as she said the car has no choke on any of the carburetors. I knew getting it started would be an adventure.
This is what the Jaguar sounded like while trying to warm up. Like most people, it wasn’t happy about being awakened on a cold, January day. To acquire outside pictures, Theresa encouraged me to pull it out of the garage.
Getting to the street, Theresa suggested parking it in front a house for pictures. With the reverse gear in the Jaguar being a bit cantankerous, Theresa suggested going to the next street and taking the alley back around. That was a great idea, although in my excitement of piloting this Jaguar solo, I moseyed past the alley and over the crest of a very steep hill. I quickly got myself into an undesirable predicament: Turn around in a driveway and risk using the reverse gear or drive over the ice at the bottom of the hill caused by a burst water line. Choosing the ice, I looped around another side street to get back toward the alley – and necessitating a second jaunt over the ice.
After taking these pictures, Theresa said the Jaguar needed some exercise and suggested driving toward the downtown and state capital building area, ultimately going to my house on the far end of town, nine miles away. Firing up the Jag, we took off.
Driving this car is a wonderful mixture of old, contemporary, and unique. The four-speed transmission shifts delightfully easy, with first and second gear requiring a longer travel from neutral than does third or fourth. The shifter is very close, almost touching my knee, and its movement, while not buttery smooth, is amazing given the era this car was built.
The XK-150S is equipped with four-wheel disc brakes that are as good as any I’ve ever experienced. The overall response is quite contemporary and it belies the age of the car.
I am not one to hoon somebody else’s car, especially one this old and rare. However, the 3.4 liter straight six in this Jaguar practically begs to be driven hard. In our drive around city streets it was perfectly content in first and second gear, with longer stretches using third gear. The car wasn’t ready for fourth gear until about 40 mph. We did not use the overdrive.
Once up to speed, the Jaguar rode beautifully with only a few expected air leaks. The initially awkward driving position of having my legs nearly straight out in front of me seemed to evaporate. The steering was tight and the XK tracked as straight as can be. Theresa has quite a wonderful car in this Jaguar. After some exposure, I’m starting to see what her father saw in these cars as the smell of incompletely burned gasoline, old leather, and the melodious tones of a DOHC Jaguar straight-six are highly intoxicating. I have always like British sports cars, but always from a distance. This car, after driving it, can easily make one look past the triple carburetors, the Lucas electronics, and all the other eclectic features.
This is not the only thoroughbred in Theresa’s stable; she also has two Corvettes. Her daily driver is a new Honda CRV, a vehicle she says is indescribably different from her other three, but only it can succeed in getting out of her steep driveway in the winter.
Theresa has experienced some life altering events over the past year. During our visit, she talked about the possibility of needing to adjust her fleet size, but each of her three stallions has significant meaning to her which makes any decision quite tough.
Whatever decision Theresa comes to will be the right one, as her statement upon our departure will long stick in my memory. As I thanked her for her time and generosity, she responded by saying treasures are meant to be shared.
Related reading:
Automotive History: Jaguar and Sir William Lyons by Roger Carr
A beautiful car. Sidenote story; years ago, one of my brothers was almost killed driving one, as he lost control on a curve and was thrown from the car. If he hadn’t, he likely wouldn’t be here today. I still remember seeing it after the accident, sitting at a local car dealer, and my mother’s description of it being “smashed to smithereens”.
XK-150 had a rubber steering knuckle in the steering column under the hood. When it breaks, the steering is completely disconnected from the front wheels. Happened to me in 1974 on the heart of america bridge in kansas city mo. at slow speed.
Ooohh, lucky lucky lucky! Like most old cars, looking at it is such a small thing. It is the sounds, sensations and smells that bring it alive. What a great experience, one that most of us will never get.
I love these stories involving longtime owners. What a wonderful family heirloom.
I would never have guessed that these lack a choke for starting. I guess England is a milder climate.
Every once in a while, the sun, moon, and stars line up just right. Last Saturday was certainly my day!
The dipstick had been in for close to an hour before we attempted to start it. Prior to my shooting the video it had stalled many times from it being cold. But once going she ran like there was no tomorrow.
The lack of a choke would be due to the state of tune of the engine. A regular XK150 would likely have one. The optional S engine was a semi-race tune, meant for competition rather than tootling round the suburbs.
Theresa is one of those people who can be best described as the “perfect car owner”. Keep ’em original, but care for them. I can already visualize the vultures descending on the estate about twenty minutes after she’s gone. Hopefully, her intended heir already has good knowledge of what’s there, and how to handle it.
Dad had an XK140 roadster in college; it was nice to see the video and descriptions because the driving experience sounds very similar. Apparently it was always wanting tune-ups, but, oh, when it was running right how it ran. In his case, sadly, he leant it to a friend who wrecked it. After the friend paid him back, Dad stuck to Ford Galaxie convertibles…cool cars in their own right, but no Jag.
Great story! An incredible experience. Car owners like Theresa are some of the best people. If you own such a rare car, or any classic car for that matter, sharing its story is the greatest gift of all.
That’s a great story and a great attitude Theresa has. Beautiful car, too! Her father must have been pretty handy in the garage as I can’t imagine there were many mechanics in his neck of the woods qualified to work on British autos.
Theresa’s father was very mechanically inclined plus able to fabricate parts as needed. To give you an idea of his abilities, he could produce a duplicate to the spinner on the wheel hub. She said that was handy given the fact parts from Jaguar, gaskets in particular, didn’t always fit.
Impressive! And a labor of love, too. I like the meeting of British style and the American can-do attitude, to say nothing of his individualism.
I can see the mechanical aspects interesting people like him, it’s not such an impossible proposition after all, on the contrary, people like that are often drawn to cars like that. And Jaguar started as a cottage industry, and perhaps never left that line of thought until the 60’s and the E-Type. Just the thought of fabricating their own parts as needed makes it a more viable proposition, and they were perhaps also on par or above the factory bits in either case.
Today, there’s such a large aftermarket business catering for old Jaguars. I would say that with those English classics, the XK:s and the E-types, the MGA:s And MGB:s and Midgets, the Triumph TR-line of cars, one could keep up the keep up more or less indefintely. More so than perhaps with any other classic.
When all other cars are gone, there will still be people running those cars. With the internet, there are new ways to source NOS-parts, and all the other bits and pieces are fabricated again. I would say you could built up a new car on parts only, there’s really nothing that can’t be done.
Shocking that factory parts didn’t fit; is this evidence that the so-called American System of manufacturing limited-tolerance, interchangeable parts, dating back to Eli Whitney, STILL hadn’t caught on with British manufacturers, even after WW2?
At least the Brits were forward-thinking about disc brakes, they get good marks for that. Impressive cars, those old postwar Jags.
Probably he was given parts from a later version, by someone who didn’t know the difference.
I saw a similar car at the LeMay Museum in Tacoma the last time I went there. It was very cool just to see it, But to drive it? It sounds like Mr. Shafer just encountered a little slice of Heaven.
Wow, what a find! The very definition of a CC. And only 14 came to the US. Makes the Renault 5 Turbo2 I got to drive in ’87, at the ripe old age of 21, seem…um, common. Only 200 or so of those were gray market imported, according to the article at Ate Up With Motor.
When I lived in Wisconsin, I’d periodically see an R5T2 being driven around the countryside (must have been a Sunday-excursion car for whoever owned it) with the license plate “U CANT” (as in, buy one, I guess).
To the OP: How many miles on the XK150? I don’t think I saw a mention of that.
About 67,000.
Wow, what an experience! Such a beautiful car, and then sharing it with a basically unknown person, hard to decide if I like the car or the owner more. A great way to start the day, thanks for this!
What a great car, and a manual transmission is the icing on the cake. Theresa is really doing this right, preserving and enjoying the car.
I follow the Classic Jaguar restoration website, because of the incredibly interesting work they do but it also looks incredibly expensive. Sadly I’ll never be able to own an XK or Etype but I do want to own a British sports car again at some point, there remain many affordable choices.
Great find Jason, when I guessed on the clue I was pretty sure I was wrong…
Great story about a truly gorgeous car. Whenever the “most beautiful cars ever” series resumes, there has to be an early XK in there somewhere.
What a magnificent car and a magnificent owner. There are a couple of similar owner/classic sports car combinations near me that I have learned about: one of my neighbors has a 1956 Corvette that has been in her family since 1960, a car that she grew up with, and a woman who lives nearby has a Jaguar XK120 roadster that she has owned for several decades. Both are very friendly people who did not mind answering my many annoying questions in long conversations about their cars.
Thank you, Jason! I think of the children’s song, “This Little Light if Mine… I’m going to let it shine… Hide it under a bush, oh, no….” Treasures and stories are to be shared! 🙂
Hi Theresa,
When the time comes that you would consider find a new home for the Jag, I would be very interested. I promise an air conditioned garage in Indian Wells, CA (zip 92210) and a caring owner to provide good custodian.
Pete
What a great article! I had the emense pleasure of getting to know Theresa and her late husband Rick while caring for this phenomenal car! That riley from the picture curently sits in the back lot at my shop for parts and was the catalyst for my relationship with this family and their car.
This car does have a choke……it is a separate very small carburetor mounted between the two front carbs. It is electrically controlled by a temperature switch located in a coolant pipe on top of the intake manifold. These starting carbs are not known for their high reliability, but without it, the car would not have started at 25 degrees. British cars and SU Carburetors are not happy when cold but are a thing of beauty when warmed up and of coarse absolutely beautiful to look at!
SU carbs, which operate on a somewhat unusual “constant pressure” principle, thanks to the piston in its distinctive housing that is always adjusting itself according to engine vacuum, do not have a “choke plate” in the usual sense. But a “choke” pull knob on the smaller SU moves the jet in such a way as to substantially enrich the mixture, and sets/adjusts the fast idle speed. On these bigger HD carbs, as Scott said, there is a small starting carb with a very rich mixture that comes into play on a cold start.
Jason, I am so jealous! I hope it stays in her famiky like my grandfather clock, which was built outsise Glasgow in the 1860s, came to Rhode Island with my grandfathwr in the late 1920s, and now lives in my California living room.
Sharing
Family reunion?
Thanks, Scott! If not for you, she may still not be purring…. 🙂 love the family reunion!
Every car nut should have the experience of driving a Jaguar with an XK engine at least once. My ’69 E-Type (Strombergs WITH chokes) was a joy to drive. I can still hear the sound of that engine in my head 30+ years later.
You are looking pretty happy in that video, Jason.
This was the highlight of the month. Getting to drive such a car having such history is a truly exceptional experience.
GREAT Jag , nice lady too ! .
I had no idea the Coupes were so rare , I’ve always lusted after one , DHC’s do little for me .
Agreed , InLine 6 Bangers sound *so* nice when working , more so the DOHC Jaguar ones .
They’re also very nice to drive due to their inherent power delivery .
-Nate
XK-150 coupes per se aren’t that rare; it’s just this particular body/engine combo (3.4S) that is rare. XK-150s were built with five different engines; three 3.4s, and two 3.8s. The high-output 3.4S is relatively uncommon, because in 1959 the new 3.8 engine (in both two and three-carb versions) was available, and mostly supplanted the 3.4S engine.
Jason
Nice Jag and a cool owner. Did you show up with your Mayberry Special Ford? That would been and interesting contrast.
I was in a Ford, but it’s the red one seen toward the end of the first video.
Terrific car and write-up! Nowadays, I see these only in perfectly restored condition down at the Sports Car Shop, which has moved a few of these in the past few years. But like this; that really takes me back to when these were not totally uncommon sights on the street.
I’ve had a real thing for the XK 120/140/150 since childhood, and have ridden in one in early adult years.Always a memorable experience. One I’d love to relive.
Wow, what a great article! Truly enjoyed it. I love the story of family, and automobile. That Jag is truly special, thanks to Theresa, and Jason! I laughed when I read the car doesn’t like the cold. I was thinking the same thing about my ’03 S Type when I started it up this morning! CC needs more Jags! Thank You
DUDE, you lucky….
Awesome write-up man. Sounds like a helluva drive and Teresa sounds like an equally awesome lady. Ill bet you still cant chisel the grin off your face after driving that amazing car. Its just too bad that the videos didn’t pick up the exhaust note from this car…I can only imagine how good that OHC 6 sounds breathing through 2 tailpipes. Did you notice if that was Y piped out into 2 exits, or if it has a split manifold?
The car has a brand new bell stainless true dual exhaust.
Wow, that’s a nice setup. Bet that car has a sweet snarl when you get your foot in it.
It does!
What an experience! Thanks for sharing, Jason, Theresa, and Scott!
Jason, what an incredible experience for you – and absolutely marvellous for you to share both your experience and the car’s wonderful story with us too! 🙂
As an aside, someone in town here has just bought an XK120 and is using it as a daily driver; it’s stunning to see (and hear!) out and about. Pretty sure I’ll never get to drive it though!
Thanks so much for sharing the story, and big thanks to Theresa and Scott for keeping the ol’ girl alive and healthy!
Let me get this right…..
……you meet a lady you don’t know and not only does she show you her XK150 FHC, she let’s you drive it in 25F with ice on the road…..
…..you must have some chat up lines!
Great car, great write up, which I shall now read again.
Hmm, I hadn’t thought about it quite like that. You do have a point!
I’ve always loved the XK, and wished they were “used cars” instead of “classics” by the time I was eligible for a drivers license.
Growing up in a smaller Kansas town, this was my boyhood fantasy: with so many farmers dedicated to maintaining and repairing their equipment to a high standard, one of them would have a perfect, old car…Corvette, Chrysler 300, BMW 507, I don’t know what. So now Jason, one state over, has lived the dream. As has Theresa, and Scott (nice lineup by that shop!). Truly a great story.
Yes, if there is one thing i LOVE about my career is surrounding myself with the odd-ball classics, now dont get ne wrong i love when i get to work on a 1957 corvette or 1969 camaro, but give me a LBC (little british car) any day!!!
Wow, this is one of the sweetest writeups on this site yet.
Just wow. An amazing car in any case, and you got to drive it? What luck. A fantastic machine *and* a fantastic owner!
Love that it’s in original condition too. It’s only original once, like they say, and this one looks like it has received the best of care throughout its life!
Agreed on all points Chris, what an experience and I hope Theresa has enjoyed it too!
I really enjoyed this trip down memory lane. I owned and loved and polished and drove the hell out of a 1960 XK-150 FHC from 1970-77. I drove both my kids home from the hospital in that car when they were newborns. My daughter remembers and loved that Jag. She currently drives a 2006 XJ8 Vanden Plas. I’m lucky enough to get to drive it occasionally. I would love to own another XK-150 but that’s not likely to happen. I might however manage an XK8 eventually.
I just discovered CC when a friend e-mailed me the link to the fascinating article on the U.S. auto industry following WWII. I’ll tackle the Bristol article next!
Thanks all.
Amazing story. I feel that most people would be inclined to keep this baby under wraps, and only drive it minimally, let alone let a stranger get behind the wheel.
Great experience, and thanks for sharing the videos also! Most illuminating.
Oh wow. Thank you for that report…
Great article, and I loved the sound from that Jaguar six. I can only imagine what a thrill it must have been to fire it up and take it for a drive. Years ago I went to a car show at a park here in Toronto that featured old Jags, and there was an identical XK coupe in a cream colour, along with plenty of older convertibles and saloons. The small of old leather and varnish in those cars was intoxicating, and while I took some good pictures, they don’t do the Jags justice. You have to see and experience them in person, and your short stint behind the wheel certainly qualifies.
It is quite magical. The scent and sound takes me right back to my dad’s shop!