Barons, the auction house which runs eight sales at Sandown Park during the year, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the XK150 with its Jaguar Heritage Auction on 30th April and 1st May 2007.

It was in the spring of 1957 that Jaguar launched its new, high-performance sports model, the XK150, with its single-piece windscreen and cleverly restyled wings underlining the car’s modern looks. More important even than the styling, however, were the brakes: the XK150 came with all-round disc brakes, a world first on a genuine production road car and a huge improvement on the questionable stopping power of its predecessors, the XK120 and XK140.

Now, 50 years on, the XK150 is a highly desirable collectors’ car. It was Barons themselves who, in 2006, set a new UK auction record for an XK150SE drophead coupé, with a substantial £55,000 sale. The southern-based auction house will no doubt be hoping to attract XK150s to the sale they’re holding in honour of the model’s 50th anniversary, along with a selection of XK120s and XK140s, but the auction is open to all Jaguar and SS cars dating from 1932 to 1975. Barons will also accept some later significant Jaguars, such as the XJ220 and XJR15, along with selected competition cars – including ETCC Broadspeed XJ Coupé and XJS.

Top-quality re-creations of C-type, D-type, XKSS and XJ13 will also be welcome – plus there’s a separate section for classic and collectors’ cars other than Jaguar.

There is no better time to buy a classic sports car, with the long summer ahead of us and plenty of opportunity to enjoy a drophead coupé in particular. Whether you’re selling or buying, keep an eye on www.barons-auctions.com where a full lot list will appear nearer the time. The catalogue closes on 23rd April, so sellers are advised to get in touch with Barons well in advance of that date.

Barons (Auctioneers) Ltd PO Box 243 Hythe S045 6WZ UK Tel: +44 (0)23 8066 8409 Fax: +44(0) 23 8042 8469 Email: [email protected] Website: www.barons-auctions.com