SS and JAGUAR Cars Continuation Page 3 keywords = Jaguar SS history car auto Standard Swallow Sidecar Coventry XK XJ Supermarine S6b saloon drophead Earl's Court one off
Updated: 22 May 2006, 00:50 ET
(Created 30 Jan 2001)
{Many images restored 18 Sep 03}
[Ref: This is ssjags-3.html (URL http://home.att.net/~Berliner-Ultrasonics/ssjags-3.html )]
{also accessible as http://berliner-ultrasonics.home.att.net/ssjags-3.html}

S. Berliner, III's

SS and Jaguar Cars

Continuation Page 3

Consultant in Ultrasonic Processing
"changing materials with high-intensity sound"
Technical and Historical Writer, Oral Historian
Popularizer of Science and Technology
Rail, Auto, Air, Ordnance, and Model Enthusiast
Light-weight Linguist, Lay Minister, and Putative Philosopher

SS1 Alpine Sports Tourer
WS 5777 had just come available in England
(as of 11 Jan 04) and sold instantly!

(cropped from Jan 04 photo by owner's agent - all right reserved)
[Thumbnail image - click on picture for much larger image.]

(Click HERE for more information)

Wild '34 SS One Custom Classic Cat has just come available:

34SSOneOff
(photo courtesy of present owner - all rights reserved)

SS and JAGUAR - Continued

The first page was originally "jaguar.html".

1933 SS1 Coupé Hood Ornament
(photo from Switzerland by permission - all rights reserved to source)

1935 SS1 CMA 490 badge
(cropped from 1935 SS1 CMA 490 photo from Japan by permission - all rights reserved to source)

SS100 F. H. Coupé Badge
(photo by and © 1961 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)

Jag Mk IV DHC Gilmore
(cropped and silhouetted from Aug 2004 photo by K. Parker - all rights reserved)

JagCat1Mascot JagCat2Badge
(18 Feb 04 photos by and © 2004 S. Berliner, III - all right reserved)

This site has now been visited times since the counter was installed.

NOTE: Page size is limited by HTML to some 30kB; thus, I've been forced to add this Continuation Page.
You may also wish to visit the preceding SS and Jaguar Cars, Continuation Page 1, and Continuation Page 2 pages, and Continuation Page 4, as well.

INDEX

Main SS and Jaguar Cars Page:
Nomenclature - S.S. vs. SS, Mark IV, etc.
SS and Jaguar Miscellany.

SS and Jaguar Cars Continuation Page 1:
SS and Jaguar Museums (moved here 29 Apr 02).
Jaguar Cars, Limited - the Company (moved here 29 Apr 02).
Brief History of the SS1 (moved here 29 Apr 02).
SS and Jaguar Miscellany - continued.
Old Photos. SS and Jaguar Cars Continuation Page 2:
More SS and Jaguar Apocrypha.
SS and Jaguar Bibliography.
SS & JAG NEWS.

This Continuation Page 3: [Original SS Alpine Tourer moved to page 5 on 06 Feb 04.]
More SS and Jaguar Material.
Dick Strever's SS and Jaguar Cars.
HELP! - please see requests (and offers) which I, at my sole discretion,

may choose to append at the bottom of this page. SS and Jaguar Cars Continuation Page 4:
[The SS One "Alpine" Controversy moved to page 5 on 06 Feb 04.]
1936 SS One DHC DPA 342

SS and Jaguar Cars Continuation Page 4:
Original SS Alpine Tourer (moved from page 3 on 06 Feb 04).
The SS One "Alpine" Controversy. (moved from page 3 on 06 Feb 04).

Jaguar Page:
XK-120 and Mk. VII and later Jaguar (not SS) cars.

Original SS One Tourer

All material moved to SS Jaguar page 5 and combined with The SS One "Alpine" Controversy on 06 Feb 04.

More SS and Jaguar Material

{I will restore these photos as I get time.}

The 1938 SS-100 Earl's Court FHC, EHP 111, #39088,appears on the preceding page (my own photos); here are two more-recent pix of that one-off beauty:

(photos from Switzerland by permission - all rights reserved to source)
[Thumbnail images (except the last) - click on the pictures to bring up the full image.] (photo provenance uncertain*)

* - it now appears that these photos may have been copied from Tony Bailey on the Jag-lovers site (see below).

The car was allowed to deteriorate badly after I saw and drove it in '61; Dick Strever sent me (25 Nov 01) this photo of the car during major restoration by David Barber ca. 1991:

Tony Bailey has a letter posted on Jag-lovers (see below) from "C. S. LEAVER, SERVICE DIVISION, JAGUAR CARS LIMITED", dated "14th September, 1961", to "Gordon A. Shapiro, Esq.", in which Leaver states that he "can confirm the original colour scheme" of the car, which he describes in the reference as "1939 3½ LITRE SS.100.CHASSIS NO. 39088.", "was gunmetal (that is metallic silver grey) and silver". Note that he says it is a 1939 model, and he repeats this in the text, "1939 3½ litre SS.100". So, although it was shown at the 1938 Earl's Court show, it may well have been a 1939 model, as Gordon told me and I always thought it was. Tony Bailey also posts pages of the original logbook in which the first entry is for "Mr. LEO.THOMAS.MARCH" of Coventry, stamped "1 MAY 1939".

Also on the preceding page, in the info. on CMA 490, I asked that you note "that the blurry image under the 'SS' reads 'ONE', something I'd never noticed before." Lest you think it an oddity, I asked my Swiss friend, he of the yellow tourer and burgundy coupé (two-door saloon), neither of which he has any longer, for more pictures of the bonnet mascot and badge (dry, this time). Being a very obliging sort, he did so when next he visited the tourer and here are some detailed shots from different angles:

Here's the front, with a bit of the grille, and a closeup (which I created from the original photo) of the badge:

(photos from Switzerland by permission - all rights reserved to source)
[Thumbnail images (except the last) - click on the pictures to bring up the full image.]

I think that this establishes quite conclusively that the first cars were "SS ONE", not SS1, SSI, SS-1, SS-I, etc.; not that anyone will change how they refer to the cars, anymore than anyone (including yours truly) will refrain from using the incorrect term "Mark IV" for the late '30s and mid-to-late-'40s Jaguar cars (as noted previously).

Here's yet another image [unfortunately, handsome as the car is, this view somehow makes it look like a little MG next to that tall gentleman (the Swiss former owner)!]:

(photo from Switzerland by permission - all rights reserved to source)
[Thumbnail image - click on the picture to bring up the full image.]

The gentleman who made the comments about Alpines, above ("@"), also notes that he did not find any reference to the name "SS-100" in factory sales literature. I haven't checked carefully but early motoring announcements and reviews note the 2½-litre "S.S. '90'" and "SS '90'" and, shortly thereafter, the 1936 2½-litre Jaguar "100". The new 3½-litre 1938 two-seater roadster is announced in an article as the "S.S Jaguar 100". However,. the 1939 car tested by "AUTOCAR" is described as an "S.S. 100"! Go figure!

Jaguar's Managing Director, in a 31 Oct 62 letter on Dick Strever's site (below) comments about the '39 Newsome/Avon DHC as an 'S.S. 3½ "100"' {spacing his}.

Here's a weird one; the drawings, and most photographs, of the new 1936 "Jaguar" saloons all show suicide doors (opening to the front), but two articles have photos clearly showing the rear door opening forward [hinged on the center(re) post]! In spite of that, all subsequent saloon photos show suicide doors! Mark V saloon doors were all hinged at the center(re) post.

SS1 HORROR STORY!

A rather dashing young Irishman named Foy married in Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland on 23rd January 1932 and, whilst on honeymoon, visited London. It is suspected that it was while they were in London that the gentleman saw the SS1 because a letter, dated 23rd February 1932, from Henlys Ltd. of London acknowledging receipt of his order the previous day "for an S.S.1." survives. It is not known when he took delivery of the SS1 but, while driving it in County Tipperary on 3rd September 1932, he suffered a fractured skull in a serious accident which led to his death the following day. The SS1 was undamaged and, indeed, it was unmarked. The registration number was GW-3747. A son was born three months later and it is he whose tale I am recounting here, nearly verbatim. He sent the following photo of his father changing a wheel of his SS1 during the short time he had it in 1932. The son has failed to trace the car - his mother sold it shortly after his father's death. Can anyone out there supply more history on this car?

(photo courtesy of B. Foy - all rights reserved to source)
["Thumbnailed" image - click on the picture to bring up larger image.] {image restored 03 Feb 04 courtesy B. Foy}

Is that off-side wing flattened a bit? It is quite unacceptable for an SS1 to be down; no wonder Mr. Foy appears to be looking disdainfully at the photographer over his shoulder, as if to say, "Well, don't just stand there, you bloody sod; come and help me!"

Mr. B. Foy (the son) was kind enough to allow me to reproduce the letter of 23rd Feb 1932 from H. G. Henly, Managing Director of Henlys, to Mr. H. B. Foy (the father) but expressed some concern over the privacy of the present residents of the (then) Foy house, so I have excised the house name):

(letter courtesy of B. Foy - all rights reserved to source)
[Thumbnailed image - click on the picture to bring up larger image.]

Dick Strever's SS and Jaguar Cars

On SS Jag page 2, I show Toby Nippel's magnificent rendition of the 1939 Jaguar SS 100 DHC by Newsome/Avon, owned by Dick Strever (turns out it wasn't registered until 1940); well, on 21 Nov 01, I heard from Dick, who just happens to be the President of the Classic Jaguar Association, and who just happens to have a major industrial sheet metal facility {gee - wonder how he does all that body work?} with a fantastic Website with the profusely-illustrated history of this car (and a folding-windscreen predecessor, the body of which he just happens to have also acquired), replete with full coverage of her progress toward the Nippel image, similar coverage of a truly-weird 1937 abortion, a saloon chopped 15" to SS-100 length to make a rather ungainly (if fascinating) FHC (fixed-head coupé) with side-mounts, no less, and all sorts of other goodies! If you have a strange wish to drool uncontrollably, turn to his Strevers Jaguar Farm page, but have a towel or bib handy (you can't say I didn't warn you!).

With Dick's permission, here are a few teasers (some cropped and enhanced); first the '37 coupé in transition towards a show car and the '39/40 SS-100 DHCs in various configurations leading up to the Nippel dream:

(photos from Switzerland by permission - all rights reserved to source)
[Thumbnail images (except the last) - click on the pictures to bring up the full image.]

{lost - to be replaced}

Good grief, Charley Brown, SS/Jag made some of the sexiest and, at the same time (and with a little help from outside) some of the most awkward, cars! Be sure to visit all of Dick Strever's pages; you won't regret the effort (except for the wet bib).

Dick's photo of that chopped '37 chassis (above, top right) shows the underslung suspension of SS and early Jag cars better than any other I recall. He was kind enough to doctor it for me to show how the chassis was cut; now you can botch up a perfectly good Mk. IV or older saloon the same way as whomever fiddled with the car Dick now has.

{To hell with John Galt - who is Ruth Brown (Mrs. C. Fred Brown - sixth picture down, on right)? See Dick's site to find out more.}

There's no end to this! In the wee hours of 25/26 Nov 01 comes this image (from Dick Strever) of the oldest SS chassis plate known, Commission No. 135183, Batch No. 2, Serial No. 81:

Ah, but is this from an SS car as we know it or just a Standard Special or Special Standard (how delightfully oxymoronic) chassis for custom work? Ha, ha! That is for me to ask and you to wonder (or know and tell)! Stay tuned to this station.

HELP!

I'd love to see the succeeding issue to the June 1961 NEWS & TECHNICAL BULLETIN of the Classic Jaguar Association for the continuation of Bill Summers's article on the history of the SS1.

Don Somerville in the UK once had a competition XK120 and would like a tape of the glorious exhaust sound (or of a C- or D-type). Anyone out there who can supply same (current or old)? If so, contact Don directly at don@somervilles.freeserve.co.uk.

A fellow in New Zealand is restoring a '47 3½-litre Mark IV and needs some really critical stuff; can anyone help?

1. Starter - Lucas M45G.

2. Generator - C45ZV or C45PV type L.1.1.

3. Steering wheel hub insert assembly for horn/trafficators - complete.

4. Trafficators - complete.

5. Heater.

6. Two screw-on plastic knobs for electric switches

(switches intact - knobs missing).

7. Front Bumper {just little things, eh?}.

The bloke that's doing his body {the coachwork, dummy!} has started re-manufacturing a few items - laser cut tool insert tray, aluminium water manifold, various bushes and rubbers {no sniggers, Yanks!}; his speciality is rebuilding wire wheels {not that anyone outside NZ is likely to ship any in to him}.

Mark Mitchell e-mailed me 18 Jul 99 that he is selling an original alloy body for an SS100 roadster which was pulled off during restoration some years ago; it includes body tub, front and rear fenders, bonnet, fuel tank, dash, and doors. It was then in an auction on eBay; type in: Jaguar SS100 to find it. I peeked; it's from a '36 2½-litre car and there are good pictures.

This one's for me! Berliner Classic Motorcars, Inc. (no relation) lists (Jun 99) a 1954 Jaguar XK120SE Roadster. What in the name of all that's holy is an XK120SE? To the best of my knowledge and belief, they ain't no such animule, only the XK120 and XK120M (which I had)! If anyone knows better, please let me know.

[How dumb can I get? Anyone who knows XK120s knows that the U. S. export XK120M was termed an XK120SE in Blighty! They had high-lift camshafts to achieve 180bhp (vs. 160).

(12 Dec 04)

Our Swiss friend had his SS1 head decide it was a steam engine! Amazingly, he located a complete engine and transmission assembly locally from someone who only wanted the transmission! Thus, he had a rather complete set of 2,049cc (2 l.) SS1 engine parts available:

These parts have now gone to the buyer of the car itself, so do NOT ask how to obtain them.

The gentleman who commented about Alpines has a brother who needs mudguards (fenders) for a 1936 OHV version SS1 tourer but says the sidevalve ones could be adapted. Anyone?

DISASTER! - a paint shop LOST the left side upper front and rear door hinges for Bill Kellner's 1948 3½-litre saloon #630027! Can anyone please help Bill (CJA member #613)?

Can anyone carry forward the story of the SS1 in "HORROR STORY", above?

Go to 1936 SS One DHC DPA 342, please; we need to trace it.

MYSTERY CAR - I received a call from England 19 Oct 04 about a 1934 SS1 tourer which had been delivered new in England, shipped to the States in the early '50s {?}, stored casually until it was nearly destroyed, shipped back to England from Georgia, and fully restored. I await before-and-after photos and data and then will ask for any background anyone might have; stay tuned.

Re Nick Johannesen's Jag-lovers site, noted and linked on these pages, having overoaded the other pages, I will give a linked index to some of the more pertinent pages thereon:

Early Cats for Swallow and SS Cars - First Cats.
SS Cars.
'38 Earl's Court SS Jaguar "100" FHC, EHP 111, #39088, with documentation.
Mark IV.
Jag-Lovers brochures - Adverts Index.

Obligatory courtesy link to the
Classic Jaguar Association
(22 Nov 01 - sorry I'd omitted this).

Stay tuned!

You may also wish to visit the preceding SS and Jaguar Cars, Continuation Page 1, and Continuation Page 2 pages, and Continuation Page 4, as well.

Cyclops fans; see Cyclops on my Automotive page!

THUMBS UP!

THUMBS UP! - Support your local police, fire, and emergency personnel!

S. Berliner, III

To contact S. Berliner, III, please click here.

of this series of SS and Jaguar pages.

LEGACY

What happens to all this when I DIE or (heaven forfend!) lose interest?
See LEGACY.

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