1957 Jaguar XK150 S Bertone (Chassis number: S834365) - This is one of three XK150s styled with custom coachwork by the Bertone design studio.  This is believed to be the only one of the three cars that has survived, though they were all slightly different in any case.  Franco Scaglione was the specific designer who worked on the cars and some of his more famous creations include the Lamborghini 350GTV prototype, the Alfa Romeo B.A.T cars and the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale.  All three Bertone XK150s were Fixed Head Coupés and the differences between them were in areas like window shaping, rear-lights and wheel-arches.  From old photos this is the only one of the three that seems to have been given the finned side vents, though it is not inconceivable that they were added later in the car’s life, as they were often a feature of slightly later cars from the late 1960s.  There is some thought that the cars were commissioned as design studies for a possible XK150 replacement, which eventually was the E-type.  The cars did carry an “XKE” badge on their rear wing - a lovely crafted touch as can be seen on this  car.  However, none of the style obviously carried through to the E-type and from other accounts it seems more likely that the cars were commissioned as part of continued “brand enhancement” and in response to specific customer requests for special cars.  John Coombs recounts a story of being involved in the commissioning of a gold-flecked red car, which was probably the only right hand drive version and the last of the three made.  The car pictured here is the second of the cars and was originally shipped as a chassis to Italy in August 1957.  It was possibly painted a shade of brown when it was first manufactured though it was reportedly also green for many years whilst it resided in Italy and then later photos show it sporting a red livery.  The car has been restored at various points in its life, including more lately by the current owner Daniel Donovan.  This latest renovation has resulted in the current Jet Black paint scheme with a Saddle Tan interior.  The car is powered by Jaguar’s iconic 3.8 litre DOHC straight-six engine with twin carbs giving it 220bhp and making it highly competitive against contemporary rivals of its era.  It’s a great looking car with great combination of British engineering and Italian style.  The car was shown at Pebble Beach as long ago as 1992 and here is pictured at the 2020 Hampton Court Concours of Elegance.