The SS100 has taken its place among the greatest automotive designs in history. The long hood and low stance; the sweeping fenders with their inimitable inward slope toward the body; the large, closely spaced headlamps; cut-down doors; folding windshield; short wheelbase; and large wire wheels work together to create an amazingly sporting and exciting overall design. With its low curb weight and 125 bhp, a 100 mph top speed was achieved, giving the model its name. For many enthusiasts and devotees of the Jaguar marque, it has been a dream car since it was first built over 80 years ago.

This strikingly presented SS100 was dispatched from the Coventry factory on January 21, 1939, to the Birmingham Jaguar retailer P.J. Evans. It was sold to its first owner, Norman Terry, finished in Gunmetal Gray and registered as CUY 915, the number plate it still wears today. The Jaguar’s accompanying registration card records a number of owners over its next 50 years, all based in the immediate Birmingham area.

The SS100’s one major excursion in its first half century took place in 1954, when then-owner Colin Fine-Thompson had it shipped to Curaçao, to participate in the Newport Hillclimb event that November. Mr. Fine-Thompson enjoyed the Jaguar on the island before it was shipped back to his home, and soon acquired by Howard Dawes of Birmingham. The SS100 would remain in his family’s care for at least 25 years and, by 1987, it was owned by collector Brian Dignan of Cheshire.

In 2000, the SS100 was acquired by its current owners. Longtime enthusiasts of the Jaguar marque, the car joined their collection, which included a C-Type and XKSS. After nearly a decade of ownership, the couple embarked on a restoration of the SS100 in which it was refinished in its original Gunmetal Gray, perfectly complemented by a black leather interior. Once complete, the Jaguar was exhibited at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® in 2011, and the Windsor Castle Concours d’Elegance the following year.

Today, the SS100 shows the benefits of the care it has received since the consignors acquired it 22 years ago, and is beautifully presented throughout. Its incomparable design, coupled with its light weight and straight-six power, make it one of the most coveted sport cars of the Classic Era. The surviving examples make ideal prewar entries on the most popular historic tours and rallies, and they never fail to draw a crowd while on display. This late-production SS100 stands ready to thrill its next caretaker on nearly any road or show field.