Duo of Stunning Jaguar XK150 Barn Finds up for Auction

 

                    

By George Kennedy                            

Car lovers of all kinds have a fascination with the barn find. For some makes, the numbers of cars still in existence is quite limited, so the discovery of a new example creates quite a buzz in the classic car community.

 

 So when a pair of 1958 Jaguar XK150s appeared out of nowhere in a barn, our interests were piqued.

Many look to the E-Type as the quintessential Jaguar, but the XK150 was its forbear, and the gold standard for British roadsters.

 

The first car is a navy blue, right-hand drive drophead coupe (pictured above). It’s number 74 of 622 right-hand 150s. The car was bought in the 1980s by an Italian collector and brought to Sicily, where it sat until its recent discovery.

 

Next up is this red Fixedhead coupe (pictured below), with an interesting story. It was purchased by racing driver Alan Eccles, who had the car ordered with the very-rare close-ratio gearbox. Eccles took a job abroad, and the car sat for 40 years, before being sold to another owner.

Unlike the first car, which might need a restoration, this car could live on, due to its wonderfully preserved paint job. Unrestored cars have become extremely valuable, making either vehicle very collectibles.

 

The two Jags are each estimated between £35,000 and £45,000 ($58,000-$75,000), and will be crossing the block at an event called the Restoration Show Sale. It is the first type of these shows put on by Silverstone Auctions, and will be held April 12, 2014.