1934 SS Cars SS1

Williams Lyons and William Walmsley co-founded the Swallow Sidecar Company in Blackpool, England in 1922, and would become Jaguar Cars Limited following World War II. Mr. Lyons was later to be knighted for his contribution to Britain's automotive heritage. The name, Swallow Sidecar & Coachbuilding Company, was shortened to 'SS' and its construction of motorcycle sidecars and automobile bodies was diversified into motor manufacture in 1926. The company's first major success was a sports saloon on the Austin Seven chassis. The design was courtesy of William Lyons, one of Britain's most gifted stylists. Following the relocation to Coventry, the Swallow range expanded to include models on Morris Cowley, Wolseley Hornet and Standard Sixteen chassis. Marque status arrived in October 1931 with the launch of the SS1, a close-coupled coupé.

The SS1 (SS One) was based on the Standard Ensign 16hp and featured an under-slung chassis designed by Lyons and supplied exclusively to Swallow by Standard Motor Company, the same company that supplied the 2.0- and 2.5-liter six-cylinder side-valve engine and four-speed gearbox.

The sporty styling of the SS1 was combined with higher-than-average specification at an attractive price. It had a long bonnet, helmet-type front wings, and minimal passenger area. Despite its small stature, it was very popular, eventually leading to the demise of production of the Swallow-bodied cars in 1933 and SS Cars Limited was formed, initially as a subsidiary of the Swallow sidecar-building business.

The early SS range of cars were powered by 2-liter or 2.5-liter side-valve, six-cylinder engines and the later cars (the SS 2) were fitted with a 1.0-liter four-cylinder, side-valve engine. In 1933, the six-cylinder engines gained alloy cylinder heads and improved manifolding, helping to boost the top speed to 75 mph. Displacement of the Standard engines grew to 2,143cc and 2,663cc in 1934.

The 2,054cc inline-6 with a single-sidedraft carburetor produced 48 horsepower at 3,600 RPM. The 2,143cc side-valve inline 6-cylinder engine breathed through a single carburetor and produced approximately 53 horsepower. The chassis was suspended by semi-elliptic leaf springs, stopping was by all-wheel drum brakes, and the transmission was a four-speed manual unit.

The Coupe and Open Four-Seater Sports Tourer body styles were joined by a saloon in 1934 when the chassis became two inches wider.

Production of the SS1 continued through 1936.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2022