2010-12-20 08:06:10 | Lofty writes:

Auctioned by RM Auctions:

www.rmauctions.com/CarDetails.cfm

Sports & Classics of Monterey
Thursday, August 12, 2010 - Saturday, August 14, 2010
SAT
1938 Jaguar SS100 3.5 Roadster

LOT: 373
Estimate:
$200,000-$250,000 US
Chassis No. 39058
AUCTION RESULTS: Lot was Sold at a price of $242,000

'125 bhp, 3,486 cc overhead valve inline six-cylinder engine, twin SU carburetors, four-speed manual gearbox, independent front suspension with semi-elliptic leaf springs and friction shocks absorbers, live axle rear suspension with semi-elliptic leaf springs and friction shock absorbers, four-wheel mechanical drum brakes. Wheelbase: 104"

- One of only 118 examples produced
- Untouched since 1965 – a true “barn find” example
- In the SS100 Registry since its inception in 1971
- Complete with a Jaguar Heritage Certificate
- Matching numbers chassis and body

The Jaguar SS100 was one of the first cars to carry the Jaguar name, although at the time it was just a nameplate; it wouldn’t become the corporation’s umbrella brand name until after World War II. But more important, it was the car that elevated the parent company from relative obscurity – just one of many small volume British carmakers struggling in near anonymity – to a purveyor of some of the most stirring sports cars of the pre-WWII era.

The SS100’s combination of rakish good looks and sports car responses made for instant popularity, and orders began piling up in the Coventry works. There was just one asterisk. Although the car’s performance credentials were impressive, there were those – Jaguar leaders William Lyons and Bill Heynes prominent among them – who thought a little more power would make the SS100’s pace measure up to its looks.

As was true of Jaguar’s great post-WWII sports cars – the XK 120, 140, and 150 – the numerical portion of the alphanumeric name was supposed to indicate the car’s top speed potential. Thus, the SS100 should have been capable of 100 mph or more. But it wasn’t. 95 mph was tops, and its 0-to-60 mph times were merely adequate at about 12 to 14 seconds.

Accordingly, Lyons, Heynes, and engineer Harry Weslake went back to work on the engine. When the redesign was complete, very little remained of the old Standard Six. The new cylinder bore was increased from 73 mm to 82 mm, and stroke was stretched from 106 mm to 110 mm, expanding displacement from 2,664 cc to 3,486. Valve diameters expanded, connecting rods were made from high-strength steel alloy, and the crankshaft turned in sturdier main bearings. Although the compression ratio was reduced from 7.6:1 to 7.2:1, and the engine’s peak output rpm diminished slightly, the gain in output was dramatic – 125 horsepower versus the 102 of the earlier engine (referred to as a 2.5-liter, although its displacement was actually higher). And of course, more power meant more speed. Allied with a new transmission, driveshaft, and differential, the 3.5-liter six was capable of propelling the 2,660 pound SS100 to 60 mph in just over 10 seconds – a contemporary road test by Autocar Magazine reported 10.4 seconds, very brisk for the day, and the car was finally capable of topping 100 mph.

The new engine was also offered in SS sedans, but it was the sports car that was the company’s star. Unveiled at the 1937 London Auto Show, the 3.5-liter SS100 quickly demonstrated its upgraded performance in a variety of competitive venues, including Brooklands, the Alpine Trials, and the Welsh, RAC, and Monte Carlo Rallies.

In all, 190 2.5 SS100s left the Coventry factory; 3.5-liter production reached 118 cars before the Coventry works was changed over to military work making aircraft components. There was also a handsome SS100 Coupe, created for the 1938 London Motor Show at Earls Court. It was one of the show’s stars but never went beyond prototype status.

The SS100 offered here, chassis number 39058, was delivered new to J. Martin and was then imported to the United States in 1958, where it was sold in 1962 to Frank Logreco of Malibu, California. A restoration of the car was started in 1965; the car was stripped to bare metal but never completed, and the car sat in storage… and sat, and sat some more, until it was found and sold two years ago by the Logreco family to the current owner.

A true “barn find” example, this SS100 Jaguar has been completely untouched since 1965 and was virtually unseen until the current owner took it to a British car show at Woodley Park in California a few months ago. Known to the SS100 registry since its inception in 1971, this car also comes complete with a Jaguar Heritage Certificate that indicates that it has a matching-numbers chassis and body with a correct 3.5-liter engine. Amazingly, a set of new left-side fenders were procured during the 1960s (believed to be factory NOS), as well as a set of side curtains, and both accompany the sale (FOB, California).

Sporting a truly magnificent patina, it is a very nearly complete car and offers a rare and remarkable opportunity to purchase and undertake the first restoration of a true “time warp” original example. Recently featured in Thoroughbred and Classic Cars Magazine as a true barn find, this Jaguar warrants further inspection from not only Jaguar collectors but any collector car enthusiast, as it is quite possibly unique as the only non-restored SS100 Jaguar known.
Addendum

This lot comes with a correct radiator surround and grille, which the vendor recently sourced in Germany. The item is currently undergoing clearance procedures at U.S Customs in Los Angeles. If it cannot be delivered by the time of the sale, bidders may expect that it will be provided to them as part of the purchase of this vehicle as soon as it becomes available."