The SS Jaguar 4 door Saloon was offeded in 1935 and was the first model to carry the Jaguar name. The car was available with the new 2-1/2 Litre OHV 6 cyl engine developed by the newly recruited William Heynes or with the Standard 12 4cyl side valve engine with a solex carburetter.
The 1937 model was the last of the steel panel over ash framework bodies. The body had flared-in sidelights, a sunroof, a full tool kit laid out in its own compartment in the trunk lid, and now wore the large P-100 headlamps in place of the smaller QK596s. The 2-1/2 Litre engine under the bonnet had a chromium-iron block with seven white metal bearings and the new OHV head just developed by William Heynes. It breathed thru a pair of 1.25 inch SUs and was tied to a 4 speed gearbox with no synchro in first gear.
The body rode on heavy duty Luvax shocks and was stopped by girling rod operated brakes attatched to 13 inch drums on all four wheels. The interior was all leather with sunburst pattern door panels and the usual walnet veneered dash and door caps. The floor coverings were made of the finest Wilton Wool with jute underfelts. The headliner was also done in wool and the rear window had a roll-up shade for privacy.
The cars performance topped off the package. The new 6 cyl engine generated 103 BHP and gave a top speed of 89 MPH and would do 0 to 60 in just 16.5 seconds. This was quite impressive in those days, especially for a car that sold for only 395 pounds. The car became so popular that Lady Lyons herself drove a 1937 model which can still be seen at the Daimler Heritage Trust museum in England today.
Back in October 1995 when Diane and I took over editorship of the Cat's Meow our SS 21/2 liter became the first car to be showcased in the Member Showcase feature. Not much was said about the car. The article was more of an introduction of myself and this new feature to the Newsletter. So, here is some of the history of my SS.
The SS was purchased back in 1980 in Ohio. A fellow pharmacist noticed an ad in a small local newspaper from Mt Vernon, Ohio. When he told me about it, I immediately called but to my dismay found out that the car had already been sold. I decided to leave my name and number with the seller just incase a miracle would happen and the buyer would want to sell it. Well, that is exactly what happened and the car became mine. It has gone through various stages of restoration including paint and a new interior.
The SS even made it to one of our concours back in the early 90s. Although I had to trailer it, it still won most popular of show. This was when our concours was held at the Holiday Inn. Yes, the same Holiday Inn where we used to hold our monthly meetings. I still have this rare beauty stashed away in my garage and it deserves some attention. Because of how magnificent this car is, I have gotten the bug to finish it and am ashamed of myself for letting it go for so long. So I can honestly say " Maybe next year".
Rick Hartwell