***Vendor supplied images***

Highlights

1934 SS / Jaguar SS2 rhd
Comprehensively restored
ASI (Historic Automotoclub of Italy) Golden Plate registration
Coming with its original plates
Efficient and scrupulously maintained
A stunning, very elegant, comprehensively restored and well maintained Jaguar forebear

The Appeal

The company which later became famous as Jaguar was founded in 1921 by William Lyons and William Walmsley as the Swallow Sidecar Company to build motorcycle sidecars and, after a few years, car bodyworks with a sporty and refined design, mostly on the Austin Seven's chassis.

Due to the great success of the Austin Seven Swallow, the company changed its name to SS Cars Ltd. and focused on the production of car bodyworks, launching its first car in 1931, the very elegant six-cylinder SS1 with Standard mechanics, which offered a refined design comparable to that of the most admired grand tourers of the time at a relatively low price.

The SS2 of 1932 proposed the same successful formula with smaller dimensions and smaller displacement engines, presenting highly elegant bodyworks and well-finished cockpits using Standard chassis and four-cylinder engines.

This beautiful SS2 from 1934 is equipped with the most powerful engine available for this model, the 1,6 litres, 40 hp Standard four-cylinder.

Following a complete professional restoration in 2006, during which the car was totally disassembled and each component received scrupulous attention, it features a bodywork in admirable condition, repainted in the striking original green and black, a beautiful interior reupholstered in light green artificial leather and very good mechanics, having only traveled less than 3,000 kms since the restoration.

Coming with its original British plates, this rare car is registered with Asi (Historic Automotoclub of Italy), which assigned it a Golden Plate for its excellent state of conservation and has received numerous awards and recognitions.

Elegant, rare, fascinating and of great historical and collectible value, this SS2, ready to bring fun and great satisfaction to its next owner, represents a unique opportunity to get behind the wheel of a truly special car.

The History and Paperwork

Sold new in Great Britain
Registered in Italy
Accompanied by its original English license plates
ASI (Italian Historic Automotoclub) registered
ASI Golden Plate

Equipped with Italian registration documents, this car was completely restored in 2006 and seldom used thereafter but always scrupulously maintained.

The original English plates have been preserved, in addition to the recent Italian license plates.

This SS 2 has been registered with the ASI since 2011 and has been awarded an ASI Golden Plate which certifies its compliance with its original specifications and its excellent state of conservation.

The engine was replaced in 1952 with an identical unit, as reported on the ASI registration certificate.

The Interior

Restored cabin in very good overall condition
Artificial leather seats and door panels
Wooden dashboard
Intact and efficient instruments
Flawless brightwork
Very good carpeting

The refinement and great quality of the interior have always been among the main distinctive elements of the Swallow and SS cars and have largely contributed to their success.

Finished to a level comparable to that of much more expensive custom-built cars of the time, the passenger compartment is not only trimmed with high-quality materials but also designed with extreme taste and refinement.

In the completely restored cabin of this SS2, the front seats and rear bench have been re-upholstered in correct green artificial leather matching the hue of the bodywork.

The gracefully sculpted wooden dashboard houses an extensive instrument panel featuring six gauges with peculiar and exquisite hexagonal frames, and the complex four-spoke steering wheel is a masterpiece on its own.

All controls and services are in excellent working order with the exception of the advance lever.

The unique gear lever and the complex handbrake linkage, the refined wood moldings on the door caps and the shiny brightwork further enrich the passenger compartment, making it precious and unique.

The carpeting is in very good condition as is the headliner, enhanced by an elegant octagonal dome light.

The excellent general conditions and the high quality of the restoration allow us to better appreciate this interior full of suggestions and great charm.

Welcoming and luxuriously finished, it allows us to appreciate the high quality of the craftsmanship with which these cars were built and to appreciate the tastes, aspirations and values of the great artists who conceived them.

The Exterior

In very good restored condition
Knock-off wire wheels
No visible dents or scratches
Undamaged bumpers, headlights, taillights and side markers
Brightwork in fine condition
Clean underbody

With a design reminiscent of the most exclusive coachbuilt two-door Bentleys of the time and bound to have a crucial influence on the iconic Jaguar SS 100, this SS 2 is characterized by a bodywork of great elegance, with a long bonnet, a compact passenger compartment penned with rigorous lines and a very impressive rear, with narrow fenders with a dramatically arched and dynamic shape, enriched by the exquisite boot recalling the old-style removable luggage trunks and by the spare wheel.

The front view is evocative and once again brings to mind the most sought-after grand tourers of the time, albeit on a smaller scale, with an imposing chrome grille, large headlights and wide fenders which gradually narrow towards the passenger compartment, with thin running boards.

The scrupulously restored bodywork shines in its handsome combination of green and black, revealing flawless surfaces, spotless brightwork and many fascinating details, such as the graceful window deflectors, the trafficators, the beautiful body-colour knock-off wire wheels and the original English plates preserved together with the recent Italian ones.

The Mechanics

1.6 liter inline four-cylinder engine with 40 hp
Four-speed gearbox
Overhauled mechanics
Always maintained with the utmost care

The extremely clean and tidy engine compartment houses a robust 1.6-litre Standard four-cylinder side-valve engine, the largest and most powerful offered for this model, with around 40 hp, sufficient to give interesting performance to this light and agile car.

In 2006, the car was completely disassembled and every detail of the bodywork, mechanics and interior was professionally restored.

All the mechanics of this car are in very good condition, having always been maintained with great care and having only racked up around 3,000 kilometers after the restoration.

The engine is not the original one, but was replaced in 1952 with an identical unit, as reported on the ASI registration certificate.

The seller ensures that all mechanical components are in perfect working order and that the car is ready to be driven.

Summary

The great historical importance of the first, rare and always highly sought after SS Cars cars lies not only in their pioneering role in the birth of Jaguar, one of the most distinguished car brands in the world, but also in their very high intrinsic qualities and in the great intelligence of the idea which led to their creation, that of offering the charm and elegance of highly coveted luxury cars at a lower price, adopting widespread mechanical bases and reproducing highly fashionable designs on a smaller scale.

Even though SS and Jaguar presented increasingly luxurious, powerful and ambitious models in the following years, the desire to offer cars with a good quality-price ratio always remained a fixed point for William Lyons.

This beautiful and exceedingly rare SS2, with a very charming design, a precious high quality interior and efficient mechanics, is a highly valuable example of a rare and significant model, destined to give great satisfaction to its next owner and to receive admiration and recognition in any event.

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