Sir Donald Campbell’s Jaguar XK150 comes for sale at Sworders this summer. The classic sportscar, bought by the British speed record breaker in 1958 as his regular runabout, is expected to bring over £150,000 on June 18th, part of a stand-alone auction of classic cars. The car’s full history is confirmed by a Jaguar Daimler Heritage Certificate.
Campbell, the only man to hold both the land and water speed records, received his fixed head coupe from the Jaguar factory in Coventry in June 1958. Finished in his favourite ‘Cotswold Blue’, which happened to be Campbell’s ‘Bluebird’ livery, with grey upholstery, it came with numerous special factory options. It was used as his daily driver, although there is a rumour he did replace the engine – using the 3.4-litre power unit for a speedboat!
The car is pictured in a period photograph at Coniston Water alongside Bluebird K7, the jet-powered hydroplane in which Campbell set seven world water speed records between 1955 and 1967. The original numberplate, DC 7, was retained by Campbell but it occasionally displays the plate for historical reasons.
Enthusiast
Donald Campbell sold the XK150 (4445 of this model were made by Jaguar between 1957 and 1961) to fellow car enthusiast Michael Brooks who fitted it with a D-type cylinder head for racing with some success. Relatively little is known of the car’s history between 1964 and 1997 when it was acquired in a dilapidated state. The restoration work was carried out by the Norfolk Jaguar racing family Henry Burton and his son Peter, the interior work was completed in 2001 by G & G Sergent.
The current owner, an ardent Campbell enthusiast, purchased the car in 2013 from Chelmsford dealership J D Classics. Occasionally shown at rallies and club events, it was featured in Jaguar Enthusiast magazine following the 2017 Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb that celebrated the life of Sir Donald Campbell with Campbell family members and other Campbell vehicles.
Auction info:
The auction will be staged at Sworders Stanstead Mountfitchet auction room.
Interested parties can bid online at www.sworder.co.uk, in person, via phone or leave a commission bid.
See also: The Remarkable Collection of George Farrow
