1. Standard Swallow (SS) SS1 open tourer.
Firstly, a look at some vintage images of an SS1 tourer. At first glance I assumed I was looking at an SS100, but the shape of the bodywork, and the triple door hinge arrangement, soon confirmed that the car shown in these old photos is in fact a Standard Swallow SS1, of the mid-1930s. This car pre-dated SS' use of the Jaguar name, a name used initially as a model identifier only, before replacing "SS" as the marque's name altogether.
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The first photograph shows the owner with his SS1 tourer, parked near an old building, with a rocky outcrop and the sea forming a backdrop. A close look reveals that the car wore Dunlop 90 tyres - even on the spare rim visible in the second picture. At the time it wasn't unusual to see different brands of tyre on every corner of a car, often bereft of tread and with more than a hint of canvas showing. This suggests that the car was either quite new when the photo was taken, or the owner was sufficiently well-healed to keep his SS in tip-top condition.
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This particular SS was registered AOY 68, a London series first used in December 1934, dating the car to either late 1934 or more likely 1935.The SS badge can just be made out on the knock-on wheel spinners, and in the centre of the rear bumper (another SS1 identifying feature, as SS100s didn't sport this feature). The wall of the front tyre looks much more scrubbed than that at the rear - maybe the driver was one of the press-on types, ill-at-ease toddling along behind the Model Y Fords and wheezing lorries of the day, happiest when going full chat with only the open road for a view ahead?
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Photograph #2 shows the same SS1, this time from the rear and parked on a smart sweeping driveway with well-tended lawns to the side. A close look at the reflection in the rear bumper, shows what looks like a substantial detached residence, a perfect match for such a swish machine. The hood is folded, the cover secured by two leather straps, while a tonneau cover protects the SS1's interior from any pigeons that may be roosting in overhead branches..
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A look at the DVLA site shows no record of this SS1 sadly - did it survive the war I wonder? being in the London area put it slap bang in the middle of the Luftwaffe's bombsights, so there's every chance that it never made it to 1945. Do any records survive for this car, perhaps documenting who owned it and what became of it?
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2. The SS1 2dr Coupe.
Now to an image of a fixed-head SS1 car, or a coupe to be specific. The photograph shows a chap called Wilf Bland, stood alongside his circa 1934 SS1 2dr coupe (photos of Wilf's BSA Scout also appear in the vintage photos section of OCC). The car's registration number was HN 9676, a Darlington series used from 1921 right through until 1934. Unlike the SS1 saloons, the coupe doesn't have front door quarterlights.
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Return to Old Car Photos Page No. 9.
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Vintage photos of the smaller SS2 (including an SS-based racing car at Brooklands) can be seen here on the site, plus an owner's account of a later SS 2.5 Litre can be read on this page. An airbrushed factory image of the SS Jaguar 1.5 litre saloon can be seen on this page, again within this vintage photo section of the website.
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