SS Jaguar 100: the 100 mph sports car that gave Jaguar its name

The SS Jaguar 100 was a two-seat sports car built by SS Cars Ltd in Coventry between 1936 and 1939. Its name referred to the theoretical 100 mph top speed, its overhead-valve engine was a major step over the SS 90, and it was the first Jaguar to carry the leaper mascot.

SS Jaguar 100 at a glance

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the SS Jaguar 100.

History of the SS Jaguar 100

The SS Jaguar 100 was introduced in 1936 and built until 1939. Its name came from the theoretical 100 mph maximum speed, a bold claim for a car of its size and price. The Jaguar name itself had been given to a new SS saloon in 1935 and was then applied to all new SS models; in March 1945 the shareholders agreed to rename the company Jaguar Cars Limited. The 100 was the two-seat sports car of the range, while the saloons carried the SS Jaguar 1½, 2½ and 3½ litre names.

The chassis had a wheelbase of 2.64 m and was essentially a shortened version of the 2½-litre saloon chassis, a design first seen on the SS 90 of 1935. The engine was a development of the old 2½-litre Standard pushrod unit, converted from side valve to overhead valve with a new cylinder head designed by William Heynes and Harry Weslake. Power rose from 70 bhp to 100 bhp, and twin SU carburettors were bolted directly to the head. In 1938 the engine was enlarged to 3½ litres and 125 bhp. The four-speed gearbox had synchromesh on the top three ratios, brakes were by Girling, and the complete car weighed just over 1,150 kg. On test by Autocar in 1937 the 2½-litre reached 95 mph with the windscreen lowered and recorded 0–60 mph in 13.5 seconds; the 3½-litre reached 100 mph and 10.4 seconds. In 1937 the 2½-litre cost £395 and in 1938 the 3½-litre £445, while the single fixed-head coupé was listed at £595. A few cars were supplied as chassis only to external coachbuilders.

The model is rare: 198 2½-litre and 116 3½-litre cars were made, and 49 were exported. Good examples now change hands for well over £300,000, and a restored 1937 3½-litre roadster sold at Pebble Beach in 2010 for the equivalent of £666,270. It was on an SS 100 that the Jaguar leaper was first displayed; a later publicity photograph of the Model 100 registered CKV 250, taken outside the SS Cars offices in early 1937, shows the revised mascot that became the Jaguar trademark. CKV 250 had been ordered as a gift for King Mihai I of Romania, who called it his favourite car. The late MP Alan Clark also owned an SS Jaguar 100, and a number of replicas have been built since the 1960s.

Design and features

• Overhead-valve conversion: the Standard six gained a Heynes and Weslake cylinder head and rose from 70 to 100 bhp.
• 100 mph name: the model’s title advertised the theoretical top speed.
• First leaper: the Jaguar mascot was first displayed on an SS 100.
• Rarity and value: 314 cars built in total, with strong auction prices today.

SS Jaguar 100 versions

• 2½-litre (1936–1939): 100 bhp, 95 mph, £395 in 1937; 198 built.
• 3½-litre (1938–1939): 125 bhp, 100 mph, £445 in 1938; 116 built.
• Fixed-head coupé: a single example, listed at £595.
• Chassis-only cars: a few supplied to external coachbuilders.

The SS Jaguar 100 followed the SS 90 and shared its chassis ideas with the SS 1; the saloons of the same years became the SS Jaguar. More cars are in the S.S. collection.

Video: 1939 SS Jaguar starts after 20 years in bits

Video by Peter Scott on YouTube.

Sources

• SS Jaguar 100, English Wikipedia: chassis, engine, performance, prices, production and legacy