1937 SS Jaguar 100

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION

With its low, underslung chassis and flowing, rakish bodywork, the SS Jaguar 100 is undoubtedly one of the best-looking sports cars of the 1930s. It also offered an intoxicatingblend of style and performance at a price that was significantly lower than its rivals – a recipe that the company would repeat with post-war models such as the XK 120 and E-type.

Chassis number 49002 is one of only 198 2½-litre SS100s to leave the Coventry factory between 1936 and 1939, and it was first registered on 9 December 1937.

Cream was one of seven standard colours that were offered for the SS100, and it perfectly suits the car’s handsome lines. The logbook traces its post-war history, with Robert Cutler of Arundel owning it for a few months in mid-1952. 

Between 1954 and 1956, the SS100 was owned by Basil Fox. A charming hand-written letter from him explains that he’d previously owned an SS1 open tourer and was told about the SS Jaguar 100 by none other than marque founder William Lyons himself. Fox duly bought ‘ELK 4’ for £222, after which his brother-in-law carried out an engine overhaul. 

In 1957, the car was sold to Jack Lipman, who was based in Middlesex and London, and period photographs show that he ran it in a 1960 sprint at Brands Hatch. The SS100 also twice appeared on the cover of The Jaguar Driver – the magazine of the Jaguar Drivers’ Club – during the early 1960s.

After a spell in the US, the car was sold via a specialist in Richmond, Virginia, and brought back to the UK in 1987. It then remained with the same enthusiast owner until 2015.

This wonderfully original SS100 is well known to the Classic Motor Hub and has been sold by us before. It comes with an extensive history file that includes a collection of incredibly stylish period promotional material, plus photographs, service guides, an SS Car Club badgeand even a visitor’s factory pass from 1942. It drives extremely well, delivering good performance with impressively direct steering – all of which is complemented by a wonderful view along the long bonnet and wings to the Lucas headlamps that lead the way.

Rare, beautiful and a landmark model in the company’s long history, it’s no wonder that the SS100 has become such a sought-after choice of pre-war sports car, ideal for everything from spirited touring to prestigious events such as the Flying Scotsman.

MODEL HISTORY

William Lyons founded Swallow Sidecars in Blackpool in 1922, and soon graduated from building sidecars to producing coachwork for the Austin Seven and other small cars. 

Then, in 1931, the company introduced its own cars. The six-cylinder SS1 and four-cylinder SS2 both used running gear from the Standard Motor Company, and by 1934 Lyons had established SS Cars Ltd.

The following year, he unveiled the SS90 – an open two-seater that was based on a shortened SS1 chassis and shared its 2663cc, six-cylinder, sidevalve engine. Only 23 were built, however, before the SS Jaguar 100 was introduced in September 1935. Along with its 2½-litre saloon sibling, it marked the company’s first use of the ‘Jaguar’ name. 

The updated model addressed criticism of the SS90’s limited performance thanks to its Harry Weslake-designed overhead-valve cylinder head, which boosted power to 100bhp. Talented engineer Bill Heynes worked on improving the chassis, and the four-speed gearbox featuredsynchromesh on the top three ratios.

The Motor reported that the SS Jaguar 100 was good for almost 100mph, while noting that 75mph cruising was ‘very pleasant’. The model enjoyed considerable competition success on events such as the Alpine Trial, and a squad of 2½-litre SS100s won the Manufacturers’ Team Prize in the 1937 RAC Rally. 

‘Few cars have received such high praise from owners and press as the 1937 Jaguars,’ said the company’s promotional literature. ‘With its distinguished appearance and beautiful lines, the Jaguar has long been established as the handsomest car on the road, with a performance that has drawn praise from the most hardened critics.’

Following the war, Lyons changed his company’s name from SS Cars to Jaguar – and the rest is history.