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SS Cars

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S. S. Cars Limited

Founded	business 1922 owner 1934
Fate	Renamed Jaguar Cars Limited and continues as Jaguar Cars Limited
Headquarters	Coventry, England

SS Cars was an exceptionally successful British manufacturer of sports saloon cars from 1934 until wartime 1940, later of open 2-seater sports cars, with their SS model name — Jaguar. Its business founded in 1922 was run by and largely owned by William Lyons, initially with William Walmsley.

The company that owned the business, S. S. Cars Limited, was incorporated 26 October 1933^{[note 1]} and commenced business on 1 February 1934. S. S. Cars Limited bought the shares of Swallow Coachbuilding Limited as of 31 July 1934 and Swallow was liquidated before S. S. issued shares to the public in January 1935. This was the time when Walmsley finally sold his holding.^{[note 2]}

S. S. Cars Limited changed its name to Jaguar Cars Limited in March 1945.^[1]

S. S.

Swallow Coachbuilding's business grew out of the Swallow Sidecar Company. There is doubt about the source of the SS name. Sir John Black of Standard-Triumph when asked said SS stood for Standard Swallow. William Lyons when asked was noncommittal, but he was at the time in the company of suppliers of chassis for his run of the mill production bodies. He concurred after the use of Standard chassis became exclusive.^{[citation needed]}

Jaguar

On 23 March 1945 the shareholders in general meeting agreed to change the company's name to Jaguar Cars Limited. Said Chairman William Lyons "Unlike S.S. the name Jaguar is distinctive and cannot be connected or confused with any similar foreign name."^[1]

The Swallow Sidecar Company had developed from its 1922 start making stylish sidecars to become first a coachbuilder making bodies for other makers' chassis and running gear. It moved from BlackpooltoCoventry, in the heart of the British motor industry in 1928, then in October 1932 Swallow launched a car of its own, the SS 1.

Under the guidance of the chairman, William Lyons, the company survived the depression years by making a series of beautifully styled cars offering exceptional value for money although some enthusiasts criticised them at the time for being "more show than go". The engines and chassis were supplied by the Standard Motor Company with a large design input to the latter from SS with the bodywork being added in the Coventry works. In 1929 John Black (Standard Motor Company) and William Lyons realised a long standing dream and produced a one of a kind sports car, This "First" SS (standard Swallow) was a sleek Boat Tail Roadster, Its flowing design and streamlining, points to an obvious attempt at making a fast car, possibly with the intention of venturing into racing. This car is believed to have been shipped to Australia in the late 1940s.

SS 1 and SS 2

The first of the SS range of cars available to the public was the 1932 SS 1 with 2-litre or 2½-litre side-valve, six-cylinder engine and the SS 2 with a four-cylinder 1-litre side-valve engine. Initially available as coupé or tourer a saloon was added in 1934, when the chassis was modified to be 2 inches (50 mm) wider.

SS 90 and SS 100

The first of the sports cars came in 1935 with the SS 90, so called because of its 90 mph (140 km/h) top speed. This car used the 2½-litre side-valve, six-cylinder engine. Only 23 were made.

To counteract the "more show than go" criticism Lyons engaged William Heynes and Harry Weslake. Weslake was asked to redesign the 2½-litre 70 bhp side-valve engine to achieve 90 bhp. His answer was an overhead-valve design that produced 102 bhp and it was this engine that launched the new SS Jaguar sports and saloon cars in 1936.

The sports car carried the title: SS Jaguar 100. One of the finest looking cars of all time, only 198 of the 2½-litre and 116 of the 3½-litre models were made and with a 100 mph (160 km/h) top speed and 0-60 mph time of 11 seconds the survivors are highly sought after, rarely coming on the market.

Four-door sports saloons and drophead coupés

The SS Jaguar 2½-litre saloon with its 102 bhp six-cylinder Weslake-designed cross-flow ohv cylinder head on its Standard engine caused a sensation when it was launched to the press and dealers at the Mayfair Hotel, London.

The audience were asked to write down the UK price for which they thought the car would be sold: the average of their answers was £765.^[2] Even in that deflationary period, the actual price at just £395^[2] would have been a pleasant surprise for many customers. Also available was a similar looking but scaled-down version using a 1+1⁄2-litre four-cylinder side-valve engine.

In 1938 production moved from coachbuilt (wood framed) to all steel construction. A 3½-litre was also added to the range at this point. The 2½-litre and 3½-litre cars shared the same chassis and body design although it was necessary to use a wider radiator for the 3½-litre. The new 1½-litre for 1938 used the same body shell as the six-cylinder cars but on a shorter chassis. The engine was also increased to 1776 cc and had overhead valves.

Car production stopped in 1940. After the war SS Cars Ltd dropped their SS identity and adopted the Jaguar model name as the company name and when production restarted the saloons were simply named Jaguar 1½-litre, 2½-litre or 3½-litre. The model that followed these cars was called the Jaguar Mark V and so the immediate post war trio have become known unofficially as the Mark IV Jaguars. The sidecar making business along with the Swallow trademark was sold, the new company making the Swallow Doretti sports car.

Swallow Coachbuilding Co. (1935) Limited

This company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of S. S., was formed for the production of Swallow sidecars and began operating on 1 May 1935.^[3] In January 1946 the Helliwell Group, an aircraft maintenance firm, bought Swallow Coachbuilding Company (1935) Limited from Jaguar Cars Limited.^[4] Sidecars produced at Helliwells' Walsall Airport works were built in the same way as the originals and used the same patented trademark.^[5] They closed shop in the late 1950s.

Models

• 1932–36 SS 1 6-cylinder; Sixteen 2054 cc or Twenty 2552 cc

1932 fixed head coupé

1933 4-seater tourer

1933 4-seater saloon

1935 Airline saloon

1935 4-seater drophead coupé

• 1932–36 SS 2 4-cylinder; 1006 cc; then from 1934 either 1343 cc or 1608 cc

1932 fixed head coupé

1933 4-seater tourer

1933 4-seater saloon

From October 1935 SS Jaguar

Open cars:

• 1935-37 SSJaguar90 6-cylinder; Twenty 2663 cc

1935 open two-seater

1936 4-seater tourer

• 1938–40 SSJaguar 100 6-cylinder; 2663 cc or 3485 cc

1938 open two-seater

Four-door sports saloons and two-door drophead coupés

• 1935–40 SSJaguar 1½-litre 4-cylinder
• 1935–40 SSJaguar 2½-litre 6-cylinder
• 1938–40 SSJaguar 3½-litre 6-cylinder

for information only — postwar and not SS

1946–49 Jaguar 1½-litre 4-cylinder

1946–48 Jaguar 2½-litre 6-cylinder

1946–48 Jaguar 3½-litre 6-cylinder

See also

• List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom

Notes

References