Jaguar SS100 Classic 2 Seater British Sports Car

            Originally the Jaguar SS100 fine motorcar was known a variant of names over its life span. So as not to create confusion these include the SS100, SS90, SS100 2 2/2 liter as well as 3 ½ liter models early Jaguars built in the 1930’s era pre World War 2.
                The history of this landmark highly regarded vintage automobile is as follows.  William Lyons entered the motor industry in the 1920’s as both a designer and builder of special coachwork for the ordinary standard cars like the “Austin Seven” and the “Standard Nine” as well as for sidecars.  His “Swallow” designs, like his sidecars were soon launched in 1931 and built in Coventry.
                  The first SS sports car, the “SS90”, was a short-wheelbase-mechanical version of the 20 horse powered SS1 with a side-valve 2 ½ liter engine. The SS100, which was born in 1935 using the same SS1 type of chassis, but with suspensions and other details from the also-new SS-Jaguar saloon autos.  The engine was a Heynes-designed overhead-valve conversion of the original side valve 2,633 Standard six-cylinder engine unit.
                   The first SS100 was sensational enough, but the 3 and one half liter version, which was announced in 1937, was even much more so.  The 3,485 cc engine, although essentially keeping some Standard parentage was largely knew and exceedingly powerful and very very swift.  The car priced at a mere 445 British pounds Sterling in Britain, could achieve speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour and had the looks most often if not always associated with Italian-designed thoroughbreds.   The SS100 in 2 and one half liter format did much in the SS Company’s prestige that is up to the outbreak of hostilities with Germany in World War 2.
           The car made few concessions to comfort all in all it can be summarized.  Performance, more performance and greater acceleration were the salient selling points.  One has to remember and put into context that overall 100 miles per hour (equivalent to 160.93 kilometers per hour speeds) was more than rare in automotive products and even sports cars at that time period.
           On top of that the new engine was found to be very tuneable and tweak able indeed. To its great credit and fortitude a Jaguar development car eventually “lapped” the Brooklands oval at an amazing 125 miles per hour at 125 mph in speed tests.
             Yet only 23 of the SS90 side-valve cars were made, all in all.    However the previous 90 designation served as the stepping stone to promote the merits of Jaguar SS100s’s.   Fully 190 of the 2 ½ Liter and 118 of the 3 ½-liters Jaguar models were sold.
               Yet the line ended with the start of WW2.  Although there was still a lot of keen interest in the model only one vehicle was put up in the post-war years and that was essentially out of left over parts.  What a shame for the end of the lineage.

Maxwell B. Labby
Traffic Ticket Winnipeg
Chilliwack BC Auto Dealers