SS Cars (Pre Jaguar marque) (1933 to 1949)

The SS cars were the forerunners of the Jaguar marque. Before the SS Cars Ltd company changed its name to Jaguar Cars Limited in 1945, it produced a series of automobiles that epitomized its soon-to-be slogan "Grace, Space, Pace". The company's first success was a 1927 sports saloon built on the Austin Seven chassis with different options available for running gear. In 1929, the company teamed up with the Standard Motor Company and produced the first SS, a sleek, boat-tail open 2 seater. Nevertheless, it would take up to two years after that initial build for the first SS car to officially appear and in 1931 the SS1 (or SS One, as it says on top of its radiator) made its debut. It was then produced between 1932 and 1936 alongside the SS2 which featured a smaller four-cylinder 1-liter engine. These were produced as fixed-head coupes, 4-seater tourers, saloons, and then in 1935 as drophead coupes. Later on, in 1935 came the first of the open two-seater sports cars known as Jaguar: the SS Jaguar 90, labeled as such for its claimed 90 mph top speed and produced between 1935 and 1937. Shortly after the SS 90 was launched, the iconic SS100 open tourer appeared in 1936, almost at the same time that the SS Jaguar (later re-named as the Jaguar Mark IV) was launched. This last SS labeled car was offered as the SS 1½ liter, the SS 2½ liter, and the SS 3½ liter which were produced between 1935 and 1949 (interrupted by WWII). Thes cars were the basis for the future success of the Jaguar marque from 1949 onwards.