1938 Jaguar SS100 Coupe
The SS Jaguar SS100 is a British 2-seat sports car built between 1936 and 1939 by SS Cars Ltd of Coventry, England.
The manufacturer’s name ‘SS Cars’ used from 1934 maintained a link to the previous owner, Swallow Sidecar, founded in 1922 by Walmsley and Lyons to build motorcycle sidecars. In March 1945 the S. S. Cars shareholders agreed to change the name to Jaguar Cars Limited.
In common with many products of the thirties the adoption of an animal name was deemed appropriate and the model name “Jaguar” was given to a new SS saloon car in 1935, and then to all new SS models.
The 1938 Jaguar SS100 Coupé is an important car for several reasons. It is the only closed SS100 built by Jaguar, which makes it a complete one-off. Built for the 1938 Earls Court Motor Show, it was designed to impress. It did just that, selling on the stand. But, it’s the story of how it came to be that is the really important bit. William Lyons had always had a sharp eye for styling, making the leap from sidecars to motor cars with great success. SS was gaining a reputation for style, that had only been reinforced by the rakish SS1 and the pretty SS100 roadster. While others did the crafting, they did so under the beady eye of Lyons, often adjusting and correcting several times until he was happy. The key person in this part of the story is Cyril Holland, who joined SS in Blackpool in 1928. Holland was a master fabricator, but he could also design and sketch. It was his sketch for a rounded, boat-tail body that led to the designing of the first Austin Seven Swallow. As the Lyons/Holland relationship grew, so did the reputation of SS. Perhaps the ultimate pre-war demonstration of this relationship was the new saloon range of 1935. This was easily one of the most beautiful saloons of the era, yet it wasn’t the work of a specialist coachbuilder but the fruit of the Lyons/Holland relationship.
In 1936 they produced the first SS 100 Jaguar, its name relating to the fact it was a 100 mile per hour sports cars produced by the Swallow Sidecar Company. Its 6-cylinder, 3.5-litre engine capable of over 125 horsepower was a winner and its chassis clothed in a beautiful swept winged body which remains a classic to this day, often reproduced by British replicators. The 8’ 8″ wheel base assured maneuverability with both speed and reliability,. Only 116 of the 3.5 litre models were made between 1938 and 1940. At just 445 pounds, this model became popular among both sporting drivers and racers. A team of works cars was successful in a variety of national and international events such as the Alpine Trials, the Monte Carlo Rally and the RAC Rally (the premier rally event in Britain) during which they took the Manufacturers Team Prize.
Also, the car was built largely because Jaguar had no new cars to launch in 1938. Sports car would be a great way to generate attention must surely have affected the decision to build the XK120 show car, and that was a vehicle that definitely would not remain a one-off.
So, while this car would ultimately be seen as a dead-end, it certainly was not a wrong turning. This is one birthday girl who remains very special indeed.
In its day the SS 100 was an outstanding looking sports car with a very high standard of finish and had a powerful and deep gurgle that rose in tone very quickly in the most satisfying manner. Road holding was excellent. Sure, it slid on curves under power, but it was most controllable and had an excellent lock. When required, the tail could be made to slide by the sudden and hard application of the fly-off handbrake and this was the fastest way of getting around pylons…so long as you could approach with sufficient speed!
