For Sale: 1960 Jaguar XK150 in Maldon, Essex,

1960 Jaguar XK150 S 3.8 RHD Fastback
This XK150 is the famous Hartin Fastback, which was modified for its first owner in 1962 and retains its unique bodywork to this day.
The XK150 S 3.8 is one of the most desirable variants of the legendary XK range. With outstanding performance and only constructed in limited numbers these cars have consistently been in high demand, both from enthusiasts when new and collectors of more recent years. With only 118 RHD Fixed Head S�Coupes built to this specification the car offered here is already a rare and desirable example but its appeal is further enhanced by virtue of the fact that it is the unique and very well-known Hartin Fastback, constructed in 1962 for its first owner, a Mr A E Richardson. The car was completed as a standard XK150 S 3.8 FHC in February of 1960 and dispatched via the Sussex dealership Cooden Engineering to its first owner, Mr Richardson, in early March when it was registered RPM 935.
Richardson, a solicitor working in Surrey, was clearly a motoring enthusiast and it appears that the Jaguar's high speed touring potential was one of the key factors behind his purchase given that his family was based at the other end of the country in Durham. Research undertaken by previous owners, and corroborated by documentation in the history file, shows that he drove�up to�1000 miles a week commuting between home and work and that by 1963 he had accumulated a staggering 77,500 miles, largely on pre-motorway roads. His quest for ever better performance is highlighted by fascinating correspondence between himself and Jaguar where he seeks information on maximum sustainable speeds, different final drive ratios and requests speedometers with ever higher top speeds (the 200 mph unit currently fitted was the type used on D-Types and was provided by Jaguar to Richardson in 1962).
Having acquired a suitable means of high speed transportation Richardson was now faced with a different problem; his son was growing up and needed more space than the standard rear seats in a FHC could provide. Rather than sell his beloved 150, he instead commissioned coachbuilders Ron and Leonard Hartin (who had previously undertaken panel work for Coopers) to redesign the bodywork on the XK and fit a fastback that would accommodate, albeit rather snugly, two adults in the rear seats. The resulting design was constructed in aluminium to compensate for the additional material used and the net weight was approximately the same as a standard coupe.
The car remained in Richardson's ownership throughout the 1960s during which time it was repainted from Black to Pastel Blue Metallic before regretfully being sold in the 1970s. �After passing through a number of owners it was eventually acquired at auction in 1990 by a Mr Richard Galvani, proprietor of Cambridge Motorsport, by which time it needed a complete restoration. The chassis and bodywork was undertaken by Peter Thurston and the running gear was done by Galvani's own company. During this restoration every effort was made to retain as much of the unique Hartin bodywork as possible while preparing the car for light competition and rallying, which involved fitting a roll cage, timing equipment, fire extinguisher and uprating the engine, brakes and strengthening the suspension. Subsequent development work has increased the power further and the engine now delivers almost 300 bhp. During Galvani's ownership, the car successfully completed numerous events and in the process visited nearly 20 countries.
Following its acquisition by its current owner, JD Classics have been commissioned to undertake some minor cosmetic work to the bodywork and with this completed RPM 935 is now ready to be used once more, either in competition, or as is its first owner intended for long distance touring. The car is currently painted White with a Blue leather interior and retains many of the modifications made by Richardson and the Hartin brothers, including the aluminium fastback bodywork, D-Type speedometer and long�3.47 final drive ratio. The engine is a correct 3.8 S type but not the original unit, which was, not surprisingly, replaced by Richardson himself at an early stage in its life. With a fantastic history file including original correspondence with Jaguar, numerous magazine articles, original log book, factory guarantee and original service records, it provides an unmissable opportunity to acquire a unique piece of Jaguar history.
Please contact us for further details.
Price on application.