The SS 1 (the top of its radiator says 'SS One') is a British two-door sports saloon and tourer built by Swallow Coachbuilding Company in

Foleshill Foleshill is a suburb in the north of Coventry in the West Midlands of England. Longford, Courthouse Green and Rowley Green are to its north and Keresley is to its west. The population of the Ward at the 2011 census was 19,943. History Fo ...

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed ...

, England. It was first presented to the public at the 1931 London Motor Show. In slightly modified form it went on to be manufactured between 1932 and 1936, Cliff Chambers/ Ellen Dewar: SS1 Saloon Review
08.10.2017 ''www.tradeuniquecars.com.au'',, accessed 5 October 2019 during which time 148 cars were built.

The Company

Walmsley Lyons and Co, as SS Cars Limited, purchased Swallow at the end of July 1934. In 1945 SS Cars changed its name to Jaguar Cars Limited.

The Car

The SS 1 was noted for its apparent value-for-money and its attractive appearance, rather than its performance. From 1932 until 1934 it used either a 15 HP six-cylinder side-valve Standard engine of 2,054 cc with or a 20HP, 2,552 cc version. The two engines were enlarged to 2,143 cc and or 2,663 cc and respectively for the 1934 to 1936 models. The chassis was also made by Standard and was changed to underslung suspension in 1933. With a top speed of , the cars were remarkable for their styling and low cost rather than their performance. In 1932 the basic coupé cost £310. Just over 4,200 cars were made.

Developments

The car was initially supplied as a four-seater fixed head coupé. In 1933 a tourer was launched. For 1934 the chassis was modified to give a wider track and better front footwells. The gearbox also gained

synchromesh A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission (mechanics), transmission ...

. In 1934 a saloon version and in 1935 an Airline coupé and drophead coupé were added to the range.

Specifications

The car was long and wide (growing to 5 feet 5 inches in 1934) and typically weighed around .

Pictures

SS 1 coupé 1933 (5445279635).jpg, Radiator badge Dashboard - Jaguar - SS One - 1936 - 26 hp - 6 cyl - Kolkata 2013-01-13 3098.JPG, Instrument panel of a 1936 tourer 1933 SS 1 16HP Fixed Head Coupe Front.jpg, 1933 four-seater fixed head coupé SS I 16 HP Saloon 1934.jpg, 1933 four-seater sports saloon SS 1 16hp Tourer 1933.jpg, 1933 16hp Tourer 1935 SS1 Airline 2.7.jpg, 1935 ''Airline'' sports saloon Jaguar - SS One - 1936 - 26 hp - 6 cyl - Kolkata 2013-01-13 3178.JPG, 1936 Tourer Jaguar - SS One - 1936 - 6 cyl - Kolkata 2013-01-13 3184.JPG, 1936 Tourer (rear)

References

External links

SS 1 fixed head coupé sales brochure

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ss 1 1 First car made by manufacturer Cars of England Cars introduced in 1932 Coupés Sports sedans Rear-wheel-drive vehicles