SS 100 Jaguar 2½-Litre Roadster 1937 - World Of Classic Cars -

SS 100 Jaguar 2½-Litre Roadster 1937

The SS Jaguar 100 was the first true performance car from SS, and it breathed new life into the gorgeous design of its predecessor, the SS 90, with a revised radiator, new headlamps, and 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 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.

SS 100 Jaguar 2½-Litre Roadster 1937

The 2½-Litre Roadster shown here is recorded in The Forerunners of Jaguar, by Terry McGrawth, as having been delivered from the factory 23 July 1937, and then it was sold to L. Freeman. It is one of few survivors with period competition history, which includes such finishes as 3rd in the 25-mile Strathpine race at Brisbane in August 1946 and a 1st place finish in the same race in September 1947, driven by then-owner Walter Mathison. Continuing the car’s competition heritage, it was later owned by the late renowned builder and driver of racing Jaguars, Tom Walkinshaw, as part of his personal collection. It is important to note that the car’s rallying participation has been continued in recent decades, including participation in the 1988 Coppa D’Italia and more recently in the Mille Miglia.

SS 100 Jaguar 2½-Litre Roadster 1937

A total restoration was undertaken in the late 1990s, returning the car to period-correct specification. This SS 100 retains its original matching-numbers engine and drivetrain, and it has more recently been refinished in its original, extremely attractive factory colour of Suede Green, with dark green hides, green carpets, and a fawn bonnet. It runs on body-colour-coded wire wheels that are shod in Dunlop tyres.