SS 1

The SS 1 was a two-door sports saloon and tourer built in Foleshill, Coventry, first shown to the public at the 1931 London Motor Show and made in slightly modified form from 1932 to 1936. It began under the Swallow Coachbuilding Company and passed to SS Cars Limited when William Lyons and Co bought Swallow in 1934; that company took the name Jaguar Cars Limited in 1945, so the car belongs to the Jaguar line. It was valued for its low cost and attractive appearance more than for performance, with a top speed of about 75 mph from Standard six-cylinder side-valve engines of 15 and 20 horsepower fitted to a Standard-built chassis. The range grew from a four-seater fixed head coupe to include a tourer, a saloon, an Airline coupe and a drophead coupe.