Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé - Italian GT elegance on a British basis

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé - Italian GT elegance on a British basis

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Created on September 23, 2022

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Bruno von Rotz

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - restored several times, once green or brown, now black

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - the color black suits the car well, but you can also imagine blue or dark green

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - the alternative to the Ferrari Europa or the Facel-Vega

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - a good perspective for this car

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - elegant coupé

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - exciting to look at from every angle

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - especially the glass house looks very elegant

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - around 4.6 meters long, but probably somewhat flatter than the standard XK

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - the 300-SL openings don't quite fit, would Scaglione have approved of this?

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - unmistakably a Jaguar

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - the rear is not one of the design's best features

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - completely flat hood

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - the XKE lettering was already present at that time

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - a true Granturismo

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - View of the interior

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - View of the interior

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - unlabeled toggle switches, you just have to know what you're doing

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - modern and elegant looking cockpit, the center console did not exist in 1957 in the car photographed at that time

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - ready to drive off

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - today the large Jaguar steering wheel is fitted again

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - the inteireur has already changed color several times

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - Emergency seats in the rear

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - completely re-leathered

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - beautifully crafted door panels

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - Bertone insignia

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - today a 3.8-liter engine is installed

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - the restorer spared no effort here

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - the beautiful in-line six-cylinder with three SU carburetors

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - the radiator shape is typical Jaguar

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - whether this air outlet was there from the beginning is uncertain

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - Jaguar and Bertone lettering

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - Rear section

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - the fins only match the overall design to a limited extent

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - Design elements in competition with each other

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - the large rear window caused considerable problems during restoration

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - handmade Jaguar lettering

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Jaguar XK150 S Bertone Coupé (1957) - comparatively spacious trunk

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Jaguar XK 150 Drophead Coupé (1958) - harmonious shot in the park

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Jaguar XK 150 FHC (1958) - in a sales brochure

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Jaguar XK 150 (1958) - edited factory photo

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Jaguar XK 150 Bertone (1957) - elegant and individual variant of the XK 150

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Jaguar XK 150 Bertone (1957) - hardly any similarities with the Jaguar series variant visible

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Jaguar XK 150 Bertone (1957) - rear view

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Jaguar XK 150 Bertone (1957) - View of the interior

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Jaguar XK 150 Bertone (1958) - exhibited in Turin, right-hand drive with two windshield wipers

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Alfa Romeo BAT 7 (1954) - aerodynamic concept car at the Turin Motor Show

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Alfa Romeo BAT 9 (1955) - the third BAT variant at the 1955 Turin Motor Show

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Alfa Romeo BAT 7 (1954) - Bertone prototype at the Turin Motor Show

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Alfa Romeo BAT 5 (1953) - Bertone/Scaglione coupé based on the Alfa 1900

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Jaguar XK 150 Zagato (1958) - this coupé with special bodywork weighs 150 kg less than the standard XK - Geneva Motor Show 1958

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Jaguar XK 140 Coupé Zagato (1957) - at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2015 in Class D 'Made to Measure'

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Jaguar XK120 SE Pininfarina (1954) - D-46 - Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2018

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Jaguar XK120 SE Pininfarina (1954) - D-46 - Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2018

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Jaguar XK120 SE Pinin Farina Coupé (1954) - offered as lot 241 at the Bonhams Amelia Island auction on March 3, 2022

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Jaguar XK 140 Ghia (1956) - new line of Ghia Lugano - Geneva Motor Show 1956

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Jaguar XK 140 Ghia Coupé (1955) - at the 1956 Paris Motor Show

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Jaguar XK 150 Ghia Aigle (1958) - in the exhibition "Genie e Elégance - L'Automobile par Giovanni Michelotti"

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Summary

Anyone who wanted Jaguar technology at the end of the 1950s but was no longer happy with the now somewhat old-fashioned design of the XK150 could be helped by the independent coachbuilders. This was not cheap, but the results were clearly different from the standard vehicle and were suitable for prizes at the beauty contests of the time. Two or three coupés were built by Bertone on the basis of the XK150 chassis, and one has survived. This report is dedicated to the elegant Granturismo, drawn by Franco Scaglione, and shows it in historical and current images.

This article contains the following chapters

Bertone's Franco Scaglione
Two or three Bertone XK150s?
The first or second car
The differences
Exciting hybrid

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

At the end of October 1948, the Jaguar XK120 with its flowing lines and in-line six-cylinder engine was the sensation of the London Motor Show. Around a decade later, the sports car, which had been updated several times, adapted to American tastes and mutated into the XK150, was visibly aged and no longer really cutting-edge, although there was nothing wrong with the driving performance or the price-performance ratio. No wonder designers and coachbuilders kept trying their hand at alternatives, such as Pinin Farina, Ghia, Zagato and also Bertone on the XK120/140/150, with attractive results. Some of these custom-bodied sports cars bore little resemblance to the original, but this was not necessarily a disadvantage for the owner, as they were given a sleek body on a proven and affordable platform.

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