Explore the rare Jaguar XK150S Bertone and witness the unique design of this iconic vehicle alongside other classic cars. This footage provides a close look at the Jaguar XK150S Bertone, a standout model known for its distinct aesthetic and historical place in automotive design.
Whether you are a fan of British engineering or appreciate the lines of Italian GT cars, this collection highlights the specific features that make these machines special. We examine the craftsmanship across several rare vintage cars, focusing on the visual details that define their character and appeal.
Collectors and enthusiasts will appreciate the focus on the Jaguar XK150S Bertone, which remains one of the most interesting examples of cross-cultural design. By showcasing these vehicles in various settings, we provide a clearer understanding of how classic car design has evolved over the years. This visual tour is tailored for those who admire the intersection of performance and style in automotive history.
The TTAC Creators Series tells stories and amplifies creators from all corners of the car world, including culture, dealerships, collections, modified builds and more.
An AI-summarized transcript edited by a staffer is below.
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Summary
The transcript tells the story of the Jaguar XK150S Bertone, an extraordinarily rare coachbuilt Jaguar that combined British mechanical engineering with radical Italian styling.
Origins
By 1957, Jaguar's XK150 was technically superior to its predecessors, with improved chassis, greater interior space, better visibility, disc brakes, and strong performance. However, some wealthy customers felt its styling had become heavier and less elegant than the XK120 and XK140. Three of them commissioned Italian design house Bertone to create something more distinctive.
Under designer Franco Scaglione, Bertone produced a dramatically different body. Rather than simply refining the XK150, the designers created an almost futuristic shape that incorporated influences from Bertone's experimental Alfa Romeo BAT cars.
Radical Styling
Although the mechanical components remained Jaguar, virtually everything above the chassis was transformed. The car featured a small oval grille, recessed headlights, wide horizontal front intakes, prominent vents behind the front wheels, sweeping bodywork, subtle rear fins, and — most dramatically — a huge panoramic rear window.
The result looked far more like an Italian concept car than a British sports car. The styling was futuristic for 1957 and barely resembled the standard XK150 despite sharing its mechanical foundation.
Jaguar XK150S Mechanical Package
The donor vehicle was an XK150S, Jaguar's high-performance version of the XK150. It used Jaguar's 3.4-liter DOHC inline-six with triple SU carburetors, producing approximately 250 horsepower. For the late 1950s, that was serious performance, with a top speed exceeding 130 mph.
The XK150S also benefited from Jaguar's four-wheel disc brakes, which were still an advanced feature at the time. The combination made the car both fast and technologically sophisticated compared with many contemporary sports cars.
Three Cars, One Survivor
Only three examples were built. The surviving car spent years painted red, leading some enthusiasts to assume that was its original color. Restoration work eventually returned it to its correct factory black finish, which the narrator says better reveals the subtlety of Scaglione's design.
The whereabouts of the other two cars remain uncertain. They effectively disappeared from public view, adding another layer of mystery to an already obscure automobile.
Why It Matters
The most significant aspect of the Bertone XK150S isn't simply its rarity. The narrator sees it as a glimpse of an alternative direction Jaguar could have taken. The company never pursued this kind of Italian-influenced design again, instead moving toward the iconic E-Type.
The car also represents a period when wealthy customers could commission completely new bodies from independent design houses with relatively few of today's regulatory and corporate constraints. That freedom allowed designers to create cars that were dramatically different from their production counterparts.
Bottom line: The Bertone-bodied Jaguar XK150S is a fascinating automotive "what if"—a Jaguar underneath, an Italian concept car on top, and one of the rarest and most unconventional Jaguars ever produced. Its combination of Jaguar performance, Bertone styling, and a three-car production run makes it a remarkable snapshot of the creative freedom of 1950s coachbuilding.