Published on Monterey Car Week (SS 100 Jaguar)

Editor’s Note: Our thanks go out to RM Auctions for permitting us to publish these photos and the article on one of our favorite vintage sports cars, the SS 100 Jaguar.

Photo Credit: Tim Scott ©2014 Courtesy of RM Auctions

SS 100 Jaguar 102 bhp, 2,663 cc overhead-valve inline six-cylinder engine with dual SU carburettors, four-speed manual transmission, independent front and solid axle rear suspension with semi-elliptic leaf springs and friction shock absorbers, and four-wheel mechanical drum brakes. Wheelbase: 2,641 mm

• One of the most desirable 1930s sports cars
• A well-maintained, award-winning restoration
• Documented by its JDHT Certificate

SS 100 Jaguar

The first true performance car from SS, the SS Jaguar 100, breathed new life into the gorgeous design of its predecessor, the SS 90, with a revised radiator, new headlamps, and a sporty Le Mans-type fuel tank. Under the bonnet was markedly improved performance, with a new 102-horsepower, overhead-valve six-cylinder engine with a new cylinder head and dual SU carburettors. The model was named for the top speed that it could reach, 100 mph, and it quickly became popular with enthusiasts. That enthusiasm has never waned.

SS 100 Jaguar marketing literature described it as having been “designed primarily for competition work…[but] equally suitable for ordinary road use, for despite the virility of its performance, it is sufficiently tractable for use as a fast touring car without modification”. Many owners took this to heart and used their cars both as primary transportation and in many forms of motorsport, including hill climbs, rallies, and road races. As a result, an SS 100 was a common sight at such circuits as Donington Park and RAC rallies. It is believed that this example was no exception, although its specific racing history is currently unknown.

The 2½-Litre Roadster shown here is recorded in its Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust Certificate, a copy of which accompanies the car, as having been manufactured around 1 July 1936. It was delivered 10 days later, on 11 July 1936, by Nottingham distributor C.H. Truman to the original owner, P.G. Allen. The SS 100 also retains its original engine, number 250864, as noted on the JDHT Certificate and on a copy of the Jaguar factory records, which are included on file. Interestingly, the documentation records the original colour scheme as having been Suede Green with a matching interior, which is a seductive, rarely seen combination.

The car was meticulously restored in its present sporting colours between 1993 and 1996, and reportedly, it scored 99.96, 99.96, 99.98, and finally 100 points in Jaguar Club of North America concours competition. It was formerly part of the respected collection of St. Thomas residents Dick and Lana Vento, who displayed it to award-winning results at the 2012 Marin Concours d’Elegance in California. As evidenced by that recent concours victory, the restoration has been well maintained over passing years, and it is still in superb condition. It is equipped with like-new full weather equipment, including a soft-top, side curtains, and top boot, as well as both standard and sporting fold-down Brooklands windscreens, Lucas auxiliary driving lamps, and a desirable “owl’s eye” rear lamp.

There are few more exhilarating and simply gorgeous road cars of this era than this dapper cat.