After a decade of XK production, time was catching up with Jaguar. High-end European competition from Mercedes-Benz, Aston-Martin, and BMW was starting to make the line look dated, but in the crucial American market, the mid-fifties saw potent small block V-8s come into use. Jaguar, then out-styled and overpowered, readied an answer in the form of the E-Type, and in the spring of 1958, Jaguar added a new, optional S model to bridge the gap; this model centered around a 250-horsepower engine.

Stepping up to a 3.4-liter S not only brought a 9.0:1 compression straight-port engine with a distinctive pumpkin-colored center, but it also included triple two-inch SU carburetors with a triple manifold, a hot cam, a four-speed manual with overdrive, and a discrete “S” badge on the door to alert other motorists that here was a serious car.

Actor Ray Milland once said that “seeing someone like Clara Bow driving down Sunset Boulevard in a white sports car…was like a dream world.” After his own success with a Best Actor Oscar for The Lost Weekend in 1946, he was able to work continually in Hollywood, and he even had his own mid-fifties series, The Ray Milland Show, on CBS, opposite Groucho Marx’s You Bet Your Life on NBC. That success allowed him to live the dream, and on April 28, 1959, he took delivery of a Pearl Grey over red Jaguar XK150 S.

Like many of his contemporaries, Milland enjoyed using his car in the sporting manner for which it was intended, and he appears to have participated in slaloms, time trials, and road races in Southern California with it, before selling it in 1967. The second owners, the Billeter family, kept the car for more than 40 years. Additional details of the car can be found in the February 2012 edition of the XK Gazette.

During an exacting 2009 restoration by Classic Showcase, which has been photographically documented on an included DVD, the car was stripped to bare metal and comprehensively restored in-house. All body work and fittings were attended to before the factory-correct original color was carefully applied. A complete new interior was fitted, along with a new triplex windscreen, and all rubber was replaced throughout. The mechanical work shows the same attention to detail, with every moving and electrical part left in perfect working order. During the restorations process, a stainless steel exhaust system was fitted to improve the longevity of the XK150 S.

In recent years, the XK150 S has achieved National Champion status, boasting an impressive list of show results, including three consecutive JCNA 100-point scores in a single calendar year, a First Place win at the coveted Dana Point Concours d’Elegance, and a win at the Palm Springs Concours d’Elegance. These showings stand as a testament to the quality of workmanship and care that was involved to elevate the XK150 S to a concours-level National Champion.

As a comprehensively restored and rare model with a prestigious and colorful history, this Pearl Grey Fixed Head Coupe is truly a one-of-a-kind example. Coupled with an impressive list of concours achievements and decorated ownership, this Coupe presents the serious Jaguar collector with an opportunity to not only acquire a special piece of Jaguar history but also a chance to own a show-winning example that continues to shine in the spotlight.