The Jaguar XK150 S Bertone was produced in 1957. The Bertone-designed Jaguar XK150S was considered by some to be even better than the original car.
The Jaguar XK150 featured styling reminiscent of its XK120 and 140 predecessors, while featuring a far more contemporary late-1950s design. It originally came as a fixed-head coupé, a drophead coupé and a roadster, but in a few rare cases it got bespoke coachwork from famous design houses. This Jaguar, S 834365, is just one of three XK150s that were sent as bare chassis to Bertone in Turin, to be bodied as prototype fixed-head coupés. Each had slightly different styling by Franco Scaglione, who was responsible for arguably some of the most striking cars of the 20th century, from the Alfa Romeo B.A.T. cars to the Lamborghini 350GTV prototype and the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale. The Bertones were reportedly built as prototypes for a possible XK150 replacement – a couple of years before the E-type would fill that space. Interestingly, the cars all had a delicate ‘XKE’ badge on their rear flanks. This XK150 Bertone is car no. 2, and its chassis was made on August 15, 1957 and dispatched to Italy the following month. It’s the only example known to still exist, with the other two cars having apparently been unseen for decades.
| engine | Inline-6 |
| displacement | 3442 cc / 210.0 in³ |
| bore | 82 mm / 3.23 in |
| stroke | 106 mm / 4.17 in |
| compression | 9.0:1 |
| power | 186.4 kw / 250.0 bhp @ 5500 rpm |
| specific output | 72.63 bhp per litre |
| bhp/weight | bhp per tonne |
| torque | 325.4 nm / 240.0 ft lbs @ 4500 rpm |
| front tires | 6.0×16 |
| rear tires | 6.0×16 |
| front brakes | Discs |
| f brake size | x 305 mm / x 12.0 in |
| rear brakes | Discs |
| r brake size | x 305 mm / x 12.0 in |
| steering | Rack & Pinion |
| transmission | 4-Speed Manual |