- The car belonged to a farmer who bought it about 30 years ago as a restoration project
A rusty Jaguar car has been discovered which was used as a chicken coop before being buried behind a false wall in a barn for 25 years.
The 1958 Jaguar XK150 Drophead Coupe belonged to a farmer who purchased it about 30 years ago as part of a restoration effort.
But it languished at one end of its coop where its chickens slept. Unable to move it, the owner decided to wall it in and build a concrete masonry wall to hide it.
It remained left to rust and deteriorate for a quarter of a century before a car enthusiast learned of the rare engine’s existence and offered to buy it.
Even then, he had no idea that it was hidden behind a secret wall that had to be demolished to get there.
The 1958 Jaguar XK150 Drophead Coupe belonged to a farmer who purchased it about 30 years ago as part of a restoration effort. But it languished at one end of its coop where its chickens slept. Unable to move it, the owner decided to wall it in and build a concrete masonry wall to hide it
1958 Jaguar XK150 in Augsburg, Germany on September 29, 2019 (file photo)
The dusty interior of the vehicle
The original documents of the vehicle
Despite being covered in rust and dirt, with torn seats, a torn fabric roof and peeling paint, it is still worth £40,000 in the condition in which it was found.
The two-seater sports car retains its original features, including chassis and engine, and is highly sought after by collectors.
Only 2,672 Jaguar XK150 Drophead Coupes were manufactured by the British brand, making this example a rare find.
Once restored to its former glory, the engine will be worth over £100,000.
It is being sold by Humbert & Ellis Auctioneers of Daventry, Northants.
The rusted chassis of the car
The steering wheel of the car
The engine of the car
The speedometer
A view of the back of the car after it was removed from the barn
Auctioneer Jonathan Humbert said: “It’s a matching numbers car that is in original, unrestored, untouched condition. “There aren’t many of these around.
“Our salesman is a car enthusiast and heard this about this Jaguar.” But even then, he had no idea it had been hidden behind a wall in a barn for 25 years.
“The previous owner had pushed it to the end of a farm barn. Chickens had bred in it before the owner decided to wall it up.
“When our salesman showed up he had to ask where it was and they had to tear down the wall to get there.” He bought it there and then.
“We had a lot of interest in it because it’s ripe for restoration.”
The jaguar in its new surroundings
The jaguar in the barn
The engine of the car
Information about the individual parts of the vehicle has been preserved
The car’s speedometer
The Jaguar’s headlights
The license plate of the car
The Jaguar logo from the car
He added: “This car is reminiscent of a time when British engineering was at its best and Jaguar cars were at the forefront.”
“Once this car is restored it will be worth at least £100,000.”
The Jaguar has a 3,442 cc petrol engine and has a top speed of 240 km/h. It was originally white with red leather seats and chrome bumpers and wheels.
It goes on sale on Monday.