1934 S.S. Cars Ltd. SS1 2.6-Litre Tourer

Forerunner of the 'Jaguar' marque, 'SS' originally stood for the Swallow Sidecar & Coachbuilding Company, which had been founded in Blackpool, England by William Walmsley in 1922. The company branched out into motor manufacture in 1926, its first major success being an attractive sports saloon on the Austin Seven chassis. The design was the work of Walmsley's business partner, William Lyons, whose future Jaguar creations would confirm his reputation as one of the British motor industry's most gifted stylists. The SS1, launched in 1932, is a close-coupled coupé based on the Standard Ensign 16hp. The chassis and body were designed by Lyons; a long bonnet, tiny passenger compartment and helmet-type front wings imply the ultimate in high performance of the time and this is what ultimately created a blueprint for Jaguars of the future, combining sporting good looks with a better-than-average specification. Indeed, so successful was Lyons' new venture that production of Swallow-bodied cars ceased altogether in 1933, and SS Cars Limited was formed, initially as a subsidiary of the Swallow sidecar-building business.

For 1934 the SS1 gained a new wide-track chassis and slightly enlarged Standard engines of 2,143cc and 2,663cc, while the body - now available in four different configurations - underwent yet another restyle. In this, its final form, the SS1 remained in production until 1936, by which time 2,503 examples of this ultimate version had been made.

The final assembly of this Swallow Sports One (SS1) Tourer on to its Standard Motor Company rolling chassis (#245816) was completed on the 17th December 1934 and, as a late 1934 Model, it benefited from a wider track and a synchromesh gearbox. Finished in Birch Grey with a green interior and a green soft top and powered by a 2,663cc 68bhp straight-six. It was despatched to Henlys, registered MG 3624 and onward to a, rather proud we imagine, Mr L Garton of Surrey.

Within the history file there is a ‘Buff’ logbook which lists a further four owners, the last one being a Mr Michael Roberts of Huddersfield, who appears to have written a running commentary on the maintenance of the car from 1981 until 1985. The car at this point was painted red, so presumably had been refinished between 1934 and his purchase.

There appears to be a small gap in the car’s history until 1994/5 when it was exported to Germany when its keeper is listed as Herr Frederick Rausch of Langscheid. There is a raft of invoices for works completed between then and c.2008 along with some photographs detailing what looks like an engine rebuild. At this point the car carried the registration plate MK 06333. The SS then returned to the UK and joined a large private Collection, where it remained until recently. We are unsure of exactly when the car’s current silver and silver grey two-tone finish was applied, but it still presents well today. The odometer is reading 8,692 miles which we assume is 108,692 but can’t warrant.

The lovely period interior is trimmed in Burgundy Leather with Art Deco ‘sunburst’ door cards and sports its original steering wheel and dashboard including the combined 100mph speedometer and 5,000rpm tach. Externally, the car is just what you would hope to find with decent silver/silver grey paintwork, running boards, chrome wire wheels wrapped in Firestone ‘whitewall’ tyres, a fold-down windscreen, big Lucas 165 headlamps and a chrome badge bar with an early AA badge.

The SS is supplied with a large A4 history file containing details of previous keepers, old MOTs etc. and, as mentioned earlier, a lot of information from Herr Rausch during his ownership. Having been in storage for several years, the car will require a certain amount of recommissioning and we invite and encourage interested parties to view this lovely 1930s Tourer and form their own opinion.