Richard Hammond takes us around his freshly restored Jaguar XK150, a car that had been in the works for the better part of a year now.

Overview

Regular viewers of the DRIVETRIBE Channel will be familiar with this classic Jag. It’s the same car that Richard set out to restore over a year ago. Neil and Anthony Greenhouse gave this once battered XK150, a new lease of life. Well now, it’s finally finished (almost), and at long last, Hamster finally got a chance to take it out for a blast.

Hammond acquired this beautiful example when he replaced his vintage Lagonda. However, when he bought the car, it needed a lot of attention as it had been abused quite a bit. Special attention was needed when it came to restoring the body, because cars from this period, were mostly hand-made with panels beaten to perfection.

Richard Hammonds Jaguar XK150 Project Car

Moving on, Richard hit the road in his new pride and joy, with a glorious sound note that invokes nothing but nostalgia. The car seen here is an FHC or fixed head coupe. He begins by comparing it to the XK120, which came before the XK150, and the E-Type that followed it.

Both cars weren’t that great when it came to accommodating full-size adults. Richard himself struggled to fit in the E-Type. With the XK150 however, there was enough room on the inside. With that out of the way, Richard pulls over to talk about some of the visual changes that were made to the car.

A Glorious Exterior

The car has been finished in a beautiful shade called Dove Grey, although if you’ll notice, there’s one big change upfront. The bumpers are now gone. Richard wanted it to look a little angrier and he hence added a touch of sportiness, as you’d find on an old Rally car.

Other exquisite details include a leather strap on the hood, along with vents to help the engine discharge heat better, an S Badge, a Tulpen Rallye Badge, and even more leather straps, which all add to this Jag’s overall character.

The Cabin

Hammond didn’t really talk about the interior, however, the striking red color goes really well against the flat grey paint of the exterior. You can’t miss the wooden steering wheel either, or all the chrome on the gauges and the window surrounds and that very purposeful spherical gear knob with a retro font, which helps with switching between the cogs.

Changes under the Skin

Next, we move to the Mechanicals, and there are a few changes to report here. Under the Hood or Bonnet, if you’re British, lies a 3.4 liter straight six engine, that later on went on to also feature in the E-Type as a 3.8 Liter. The car has received a full engine rebuild, now features a new improved cam, a limited-slip differential, and better brakes.

But there’s one big controversial change according to Richard. He swapped out the old Moss gearbox with a modern transmission, which he’s not really a fan of. So the XK150 might head back to the workshop to have it back. Apart from the oily bits, the car also got new shocks, new springs, and new bushes, which have transformed the way that this old Jaguar handles.

To Sum it Up

This restoration really gave Richard the opportunity to treat it as a blank canvas and do whatever he wanted to the car. In fact, it was the tremendous amount of interest in this XK150, that compelled Richard to start his new classic car restoration show, Richard Hammonds Workshop, which went live last week.

Overall, Richard is pleased with how the XK150 has turned out. It is still an ongoing project and he says that the car will also make brief appearances in the show.

Watch Richard himself take you through his XK150 in the video below