I have been a Jaguar and Triumph enthusiast all of my life. Born in Coventry to Coventry motor industry family my blood
is infused with the oil of automotive Coventry. Over 40 years I have owned some amazing cars and am privileged to
have driven and raced many significant cars of Coventry.
It might be dramatic to say but every once in a lifetime a significant event happens that forms a chapter of your life that
you don’t forget. Over the last 10 years or so as a level headed classic car dealer I have watched the phenomenon of
‘enthusiasts’ purchasing ‘barn finds’ that are impossible restorations to make any financial sense of. Like many I have
admired the madness of their romantic notion to bring something essentially ‘dead’ back to life. And then all of a sudden
something happens and you end up in exactly the phenomenon you had watched from the side lines.
Enter into my life Jaguar XK150S 3.8dhc 1246AZ
In late March of 2017 I received a phone call from Mr Robin and Mrs Brenda Huddart. Back in the 1970’s they had
purchased parts from Jeremy Broad and they wondered if we would be interested in acquiring their XK150dhc 3.8S.
Robin and his brother Jos purchased the car on the 22nd July 1967 and the purchase invoice is on file from an L.S
Durrant of Belvedere Kent
The car was purchased for £400 and the car has been the property of Robin Huddart from that time up to our acquiring
1246AZ on the 6th April 2017.
On file is a DVLA V888 where Mr Huddart describes the fact the vehicle had been off the road from circa 1990. The
document sought to originate a replacement V5 as the previous one had lapsed. This was granted. Mr Huddart describes
himself as ‘retired’ when this application was made on 4th June 2010. He goes on to state that he may restore, relicense
or sell the car.
Years came and went before the call to me in 2017. Mr Huddart was suffering ill health and the family wanted to sell the
car. The event is well documented in photos
The Huddart brothers worked in the aviation industry and the car was sportingly used. The brothers replaced rusting
parts with a mixture of carbon fibre, Kevlar, and fibre glass. There is a bill from a weigh scale where the car is weighed.
This was for the brothers to see how much lighter the car was with these composite materials in place.
The addition of these parts would make the restoration more complicated and wings and doors needed to be
remanufactured to return the car to its factory specification
As mentioned the collection of the XK is documented with photos of the Huddart’s outside of the lock up garage which
stored the car. The door hadn’t been opened for some 20years. This 6 th April 2017 event was a special moment. For the
Huddart’s to see the car go and for myself to be the trusted recipient of this one of the very last 3.8S to be found as a
restoration project.
Back in Bristol the deconstruction began and this event was documented by the XK Club and Malcolm McKay who wrote
a piece for the XK Gazette. This article is on the memory stick. The deconstruction was of special interest to Guy Broad.
Rarely does a car come to light that is so original in so many ways. The chalk marks on the reverse of the trim where
still there and so many other little pieces of history were revealed as we deconstructed the car. This car was a genuine
matching numbers XK150S 3.8DHC. Impossible to replicate and affirmed by the supporting history
Over the following 4 years a painstaking restoration of chassis, body, mechanical and trim was undertaken. Bodywork
by Lee Thompson of ML Bodyworks. Paint by JLR preferred supplier Peacocks and trim AM Trim. All chassis and
mechanical work was by Guy Broad. We considered these specialists to be the best of their type in each discipline and
the finished car stands testament to the quality of workmanship.
There is a memory stick with hundreds of photos of the car in the various stages of the restoration to the finished car
completed in the summer of 2022
The XK150 3.8S DHC is one of the rarest and most desirable of the Jaguar marque. The Guy Broad valuation at £325k on
file reflects the rarity and exclusivity of this car. There is a 12 month mechanical warranty provided by us for this car
The car is supplied with a Jaguar Heritage Certificate and history file with photos back to the late sixties and various
invoices, MOT’s and other interesting documents plus the original keys. The original buff log book is also provided with
the car. Originally supplied to Davidson and Co the first change of keeper was possibly a Christmas present the change

Dated 24th December 1964 to Alan Ross of Belfast. Ross sold the car to Laurance Durrant on the 12th April 1966. Durrant
sold the car to Robin Huddart on 12th September 1967. Huddart owned the car until April 2017.
This car is so very very rare and to have such a documented story represents the chance for a new owner to enjoy the
car as it was meant to be without all of the 1000’s of hours of work toil and strife to bring the car back to it’s better than
new self.
I could write many more paragraphs of narrative about 1246AZ but suffice to say if only the best XK150S 3.8 drophead
coupe will do then here is a car you will need to see.