Big Resto: XK150
The most extraordinary story of survival. How a father and son gave a dead cat another life
The amazing tale of the only XK150 ever to go round the banger track.
Motorsport glory comes in many different forms and, over the years, Jaguar has had its fair share of ‘elite’ success. But not with this bruiser. Nope, this Ecurie Ecosse-liveried warrior is no Goodwood beauty queen. We are in the presence of a gladiator, an oval brawler that has fought to the death – almost.
When Mike Read came across what was left of this XK150 on ebay he was unaware of the tale he was about to become a part of. Mike, no stranger to XK restoration, initially made an offer on the ‘Foxhall Stadium Car’ as a stepping stone to another dream: ‘I wanted to recreate a special aluminium XK120 replica and I needed a chassis and suspension. Nobody bid on the car at £4500, so I offered £4k and my offer was accepted.’
Parts car sourced, or so Mike thought: ‘When I checked it over I realised that, despite the damage to the rear end, the car, particularly the bulkhead, it was too good to be broken up.’ But it was when Mike arrived home with the battered XK that he discovered the interest surrounding the car he was destined to revive. ‘I was directed towards a well-known online forum and discovered a huge thread devoted to the car. I realised I had bought something with a story. A large number of enthusiasts were very interested in what I was doing.’
The XK’S saga goes back to a long-term restorer, based in Kent, who sadly passed away and whose wife had insisted that the car be destroyed rather than sold on. ‘The
scrapyard chaps thought they were coming to collect an old P6. When they saw it was an XK150 in reasonable condition, they tried to offer proper money for it, but the old lady insisted on only taking £100. She also insisted that the scrap team ‘scuttle’ the car right there in front of her. So they took an angle grinder through the A-, B- and C-posts and removed the roof! They also got rid of the bonnet, boot, doors and interior.’
Evidence of that day is only now visible on one chrome trim on the rear nearside window. ‘It’s there to remind me,’ says Mike, with a smile, ‘But actually I have approached this entire restoration with the car’s story in mind.’ He’s right, this is one XK150 that still looks like it’s up for a fight. The scrapyard boys took the car into the banger community and sold it to a racer. Mike is relaxed about it. ‘I have no strong views about what happened to this car. I would personally have preferred not to have seen it raced, but at the end of the day it was ‘Plonker’s’ car.’
Plonker gets busy
Plonker is the racing pseudonym of the man who bought the decapitated XK150 and made it race ready. He took six months to prepare it and spent a significant amount of money, he even welded the old roof back on (but not quite in the right place). A bonnet was formed over a space frame and the shell was strengthened with welded and bolted on plates and girders. Plonker raced the car at Foxhall near Ipswich in 2010. Unsurprisingly it caused a bit of a stir but, despite taking a broadside impact and a rear end shunt during the race (you can still see it on Youtube), it wasn’t a total write off. After the event the, by now, famous XK was sold on to a Jaguar breakers who, in turn, sold it on to the Classic Motorsport specialist where Mike saw it. ‘I actually joined four years into an argument between banger racers and classic enthusiasts as well,’ says Mike. ‘But the reception I got was great, really positive, from all sides – I even ended up chatting to Plonker.’ Despite the chassis number having been ground off next to the engine, Mike persevered and found the number in the other location, just under the
‘The reception I got from both racers and enthusiasts was really positive’
radiator. With the car ID’D. the restoration was on – Mike even managed to get the last registration number the XK had worn back from the DVLA.
‘The chassis needed a lot of work, particularly at the rear. The gearbox and back axle appeared to be OK, and the suspension and drivetrain could be revived once we replaced the ‘machined on’ five-stud hubs with the correct XK spin ons. It needed a complete new rear body and all the ‘crap’ taking off – but once we had done that (a long and arduous task) we realised it was all doable.’
The chassis was put on a jig to straighten, then a new rear rail and new cross section was welded in by Mike’s son Tom, the unsung hero of the project. ‘I did some welding, but most of it was Tom’s work – especially the visible stuff. It was really worth me sending him on that welding course when he was 17!’ The work progressed on a budget, Mike buying parts when they came up at the right price – the process took two years. ‘A roof came via an auction in Lincolnshire. We needed to weld in the fresh metal at the back of the new roof – a precision job – so our friend Nick Ashton helped with that.’
Mike loves a challenge and saving something, on a budget: ‘I am a Yorkshireman after all.’ His first restoration back in the Eighties was a 1948 Series 1 Land Rover that cost him £50: ‘It gave me the taste for more.’ The XK150 was missing numerous parts, so Mike spent hundreds of hours searching. ‘The best find was in 2013, an XK150 radiator grille for £180 that, when I went to collect it, was sitting among a collection of other XK150 parts. I bought a bonnet, two doors and a boot lid. All bargain basement, all damaged, but it meant all missing panels were now found, in one go. They needed work, but the price was fair. £400 the lot.’
The rear body was chopped off, new one created by specialist James Lawrence, as Tom started on the damaged panels. ‘I bought the rear wings years ago for £25 each,’ says Mike, ‘I thought they’d come in handy one day and they did! Although they obviously needed some work, but Tom was up for it.’ The next stroke of luck was a bespoke roll cage that had been made for another XK150, but only used a few times. ‘It’s FIA approved, but no-one bid on it, I got it for 35 quid!’
Ecurie Ecosse ‘Rod’
This cemented Mike’s aspirations for the car – it was going to wear its pedigree with pride: ‘This XK150 has its own story and, considering this provenance, I had decided I wanted a road legal track day car. So the lack of bumpers, the imperfections, the roll cage, the Ecurie Ecosse colour scheme, the non-original 3.8 engine (fitted in the Seventies and originally from a Mk IX) all have a part in telling that story and a role in celebrating a racing history of sorts. I’m sure a lot of people think I am bloody mad, but it has also brought the restoration in for a lot less than a concours job. A LOT less.’
Specialist help has been limited, but important. The engine machining by Tim at VSE in Wales ended up as a full build, with the 3.8-litre XK engine being topped off by a straight ported E-type cylinder head with triple HD8 two-inch SUS on the Mk IX manifolds: ‘It will end up with around 265bhp, once run in. This gets to XK150 3.8S spec, and with the other tweaks we are into early E-type territory for power.’
The paint and final body fettling was completed by Nick Ashton of Ashton Classics in Dereham. The other main partner in the project was Bill (and his son James) Lawrance of Sway, Hampshire: ‘They made the rear end for us, straightened the bonnet and James also made the shells for the bucket seats. Other than that, all the work has been completed by Tom and myself. I even made my own door cards.’
A thicker anti-roll bar was added along with adjustable Koni dampers and a set of polybushes. ‘I then took it on a trailer to see Rob at Norfolk Sports and Classic Cars in Fakenham for them to set the castor and camber. I also asked them to have a good look over her and they found the driver’s side rear brake caliper was scraping the disc in one area.
It turned out the half shaft was bent, 65 thou out, presumably from the banger race. I had a spare. With that, and a few other jobs, she was done. I drove her back here a few days ago.’ I am indebted to my brother. He spent four days with the car and fitted the new loom. A lot of people offered help as well, but I am glad that Tom and I did it – on the whole – ourselves. It has been a bit stressful, but that moment when we took it apart and realised we could do it, and do it on a budget, was one I won’t forget.’
The XK’S racing past is memorialised on the wall of Mike’s man-barn in the shape of the original bangered boot lid from that fateful day in 2010. Does he have a message for Plonker and the banger boys? ‘Part of the reason why this story is so interesting is because of what this car endured and survived. It is what makes the car unique. So no hard feelings.’
This would make a great movie script. It has ruin, redemption and revival: pure petrolhead soul food. It’s a Jaguar, it’s a Hot Rod, it’s a phoenix. It’s a car that tells you its story the moment you see and hear it and, believe me, people are going see and hear this XK150 and gasp… every time.