SS Jaguar 100
SS Jaguar 100 | |
---|---|
SS Cars Ltd | |
Also called | SS Jaguar 2½ Litre 100 Model[1] |
Production | 1936–1939 |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Sports car |
Body style |
|
Powertrain | |
Engine | 2663 cc (3485 cc from 1938) straight-6 overhead valve[3] |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 104 in (2,642 mm)[3] |
Length | 153 in (3,886 mm)[3] |
Width | 63 in (1,600 mm)[3] |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | SS 90 |
Successor | Jaguar XK120 |
The SS Jaguar 100 is a British 2-seat sports car built between 1936 and 1939 by
In common with many products of the thirties, the adoption of an animal name was deemed appropriate[citation needed] and the model name "Jaguar" was given to a new SS saloon car in 1935, and then to all new SS models. The '100' was for the theoretical 100 mph maximum speed of the vehicle.[6]
Construction
The
On test by the
In 1937 the 2½-litre car cost £395 and in 1938 the 3½-litre £445.[8] The fixed head coupé, of which only one was made,[9] was listed at £595. A few examples were supplied as chassis-only to external coachbuilders.
Legacy
Widely considered one of the most aesthetically pleasing sporting cars of the 1930s the SS100 is also very rare, with only 198 2½-litre and 116 3½-litre models made. While most stayed on the home market, 49 were exported. Cars in good condition will now regularly fetch in excess of £300,000. A near concours example was auctioned by Bonhams at the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed for £199,500. Due largely to its rarity, auction prices for the SS100 have since risen strongly.
More recently a beautifully restored former Pebble Beach concours winning 1937 S.S. Jaguar 100 3½ Litre Roadster - was sold by Gooding & Co. at their August 2010 Pebble Beach auction. It fetched a noteworthy £666,270 ($1,045,000).[10]
It was on an SS100 that the famous Jaguar 'leaper', the marque's signature feline
The unnamed owner of the Belgravia vintage car dealer in James Leasor's 'Aristo Autos' novels, 'They Don't Make Them Like That Any More', 'Never Had a Spanner on Her' and 'Host of Extras', drives an SS100, and the car features prominently in the books.
The late Alan Clark (1928-1999) MP owned an SS Jaguar 100, and during his time in Margaret Thatcher's government was often to be seen piloting his SS100 away from the House of Commons after late Parliamentary sittings.
Of the 49 exported models, one notable example, CNP 947, was driven and raced by pioneering American television host Dave Garroway. His white 3 1/2 Litre car still bears the alligator hide trim on its instrument panel, seat surfaces and steering wheel from his ownership. Jaguar Motorcars provided Garroway the first XK 3.8 litre engine sold privately, a race prepared unit which remains with the car. At Gooding's January 2017 auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Garroway SS100, with both the XK engine and a correct 3 1/2 litre Standard engine, sold for £493,000.
Replicas and recreations
A number of Jaguar SS100 replicas and recreations of varying material quality and execution have been manufactured since the 1960s. Significant makers include the Birchfield Motor Company, the Steadman Motor Company, Suffolk Sportscars and the Finch Motor Company. In recent years, even these replicas regularly bring in excess of £50,000.
Birchfield Sports[11] | Steadman TS100[12] | Suffolk SS100[13] | Finch SS100[14] | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Production Years | 1982 - 2004 | late 1980s to late 1990s | 1990–2020 [15] | 1992–present |
Chassis | In-house design to suit donor XJ6 | In-house design to suit donor XJ6 | In-house design to suit donor XJ6 | Original 1939 SS100 design |
Body | Alloy cladding on steel-tube frame | Alloy cladding on steel-tube frame | Glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) | Alloy cladding on timber frame |
Engine | XK 4.2-litre | XK 2.8, 3.8 or 4.2 litre | XJ6 3.4 or 4.2 litre | Mk IV or SS 2½ or 3½ litre |
Gearbox | XJ6 automatic gearbox | 4 speed manual or 3 speed automatic XJ6 | 4 or 5 speed manual XJ6 Short Compact Box | 4 speed manual Moss Box |
Birchfield Motor Company
In 1982, the first Birchfield Sports was produced but it was only intended to be a one-off. A company called Shapecraft in Northampton, UK, then developed the concept further as a (small) production-run vehicle using Jaguar XJ6 mechanicals, with the looks of the SS Jaguar.[11]
Due to the complexity of the design, and the advanced degree of engineering knowledge needed to deal with the Jaguar parts, the car was not very successful as a kit car.[11] For this reason, only 18 were ever produced in the UK.[16]
After production ceased in the UK, a Shapecraft employee emigrated to Australia taking with him the Birchfield drawings and the last production car (#18) to use as a pattern.[16] By 2004, at least two cars had been completed in Australia and two more were in production.[17]
Steadman Motor Company
The Steadman TS100 manufactured during the late 1980s and early 1990s by Ottercraft Ltd in Hayle, Cornwall, United Kingdom, is described as a 'reproduction' of the SS100.[18]
The actual build numbers for this car are unknown, but it is thought that a maximum of twenty-eight of these vehicles were assembled, and were also referred to as the Jaguar Steadman TS100. The Steadman TS100 was never intended to be a replica of the SS100 of the 1930s, but was designed to be a sports car in its own right.[12]
With a hand-built aluminium body, the Steadman TS100 used unadapted Jaguar XJ6 running gear and was sold as a high quality, more modern version of the SS Jaguar 100. Dimensionally and visually, the Steadman TS100 was quite different from the original SS Jaguar 100. These differences occurred because the manufacturers were forced to change the original proportions to both accommodate the wider track of the donor car and allow the use of more readily available smaller, wider wheels. Attention was paid to styling detail during design (such as the use of appropriately large headlights) and at the time of production, the Steadman TS100 was regarded as more successful than most other evocations.[19] With an unknown number surviving, this re-creation is a rare sight at classic car events.
The Steadman TS100 Enthusiasts Club was established in 2011 to maintain the vehicle's marque and to bring together owners from around the world.[12]
Suffolk Sportscars
Suffolk Sportscars were based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, United Kingdom and built glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) SS100 replicas. Upon receiving an order, the replica car was built individually by hand to the customer's own specifications. Alternatively, a replica could be ordered in component form for skilled home assembly.
The Suffolk SS100 used the
The Suffolk Sportscars SS100 was probably the most prolific replica of the SS Jaguar 100. As of 2017, Suffolk Sportscars Ltd. report that they have built over 315 examples of their Suffolk SS100, therefore outproducing the original SS100s production run of 314 vehicles.[citation needed]
However, Suffolk Sportscars went into liquidation in 2020.[15]
Finch Motor Company
The Finch Motor Company is based in Mount Barker, South Australia.
Finch's approach to the Finch SS100 is somewhat different to the other SS100 replica manufacturers. Finch endeavoured to recreate their Finch SS100 as faithfully as possible and do not use the XJ6 as the base donor car. Finch sourced original factory drawings and build their SS100 chassis to the original design. The bodies of the Finch SS100 are made from aluminium-shaped to fit the traditional wooden frames built by Finch. Finch SS100 mechanicals are sourced from 'deceased' MkIV and SS Jaguars to obtain contemporary components.[14]
A Finch SS100 won the Australian Concours d' Elegance.[14]
References
- ^ "Motor magazine insert for the 1936 SS Jaguar range". The Jag-lovers Web. Jag-lovers Ltd. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ^ "1938 show-stopper: William Lyons' Jaguar SS100 3.5-litre Coupé Prototype". Classic Driver. Classic Driver (Switzerland) AG. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-333-16689-5.
- ^ "First Cats: The predecessors of Jaguar Cars Ltd". The Jag-lovers Web. Jag-lovers Ltd. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ S.S. Cars Limited. The Times, Wednesday, 4 April 1945; pg. 10; Issue 50108
- ^ "1938 S.S. Jaguar 100 3½ Litre". Supercars.net. Supercars.net Publishing. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ISBN 0-85429-166-0.
- ISBN 978-1-870979-38-2.
- ISBN 1840136359.
- ^ "1937 SS Cars 100 SS auction sales and data". Conceptcarz.com. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ a b c "Birchfield Sports". Brightwells Auctioneers and Valuers. Brightwells Limited. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ a b c "Welcome to the Steadman Jaguar TS100 Club". Steadman Jaguar TS100 Enthusiasts Club. Steadman TS100 Enthusiasts Club. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ "Suffolk SS100". Suffolk Sportcars. Suffolk Jaguar. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ a b c "SS100 Replica". Finch Restorations. Finch Motor Company. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Suffolk Sportscars goes into liquidation after Jaguar legal threats". East Anglian Daily Times. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ a b "The Birchfield Story". Birchfield Motor Company. Archived from the original on 7 February 2004. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ "Buying a Birchfield". Birchfield Motor Company. Archived from the original on 17 December 2003. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ "THE STEADMAN TS 100". Steadman Jaguar TS100 Enthusiasts Club. Steadman TS100 Enthusiasts Club. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ISBN 978-1-870979-81-8. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
External links
Replicas
- Steadman Jaguar TS100 Enthusiasts Club
- Suffolk Sportscars SS100 Replica Archived 17 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- Finch Motor Company SS100 Replica
- Best Cars Web Site (in Portuguese)