SS 1

The SS1 was a British sports car first built by the Swallow Sidecar Company in Coventry, England. It was first presented at the 1931 London Motor Show and was produced between 1932 and 1936. In 1933 the company changed its name to SS Cars Ltd and in 1945 to Jaguar Cars Ltd. The car used a six cylinder side valve Standard engine of 2054 cc 48 bhp (36 kW) or 2552 cc 62 bhp (46 kW) from 1932 until 1934 which was enlarged to 2143 cc 53 bhp (40 kW) or 2663 cc 68 bhp (51 kW) for the 1934 to 1936 models. The chassis was also made by Standard and changed to underslung suspension in 1933. The cars were remarkable for their styling and low cost rather than performance with 75 mph (121 km/h) the top speed. In 1932 the basic coupe cost £310. Just over 4200 cars were made. The car was initially only made in 4 seater coupé version. 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. In 1934 a saloon version and in 1935 an Airline coupe and Drophead coupe were added to the range. The car was 15 feet 6 inches (4.72 m) long and 5 feet 3.5 inches (1.613 m) wide (growing to 5 feet 51⁄2 inches in 1934) and weighed typically 2300 pounds (1043 kg).