Lyons Roar

Two motorcycle enthusiasts, William Lyons and William Walmsley, founded Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922. Shortly thereafter, Walmsley became tired of the business, so William Lyon raised funds to buy out Walmsley and expand into sports car production. In 1934, Lyon’s newly formed company S. S. Cars Ltd. began building “100mph” cars in Coventry, England. His first two pre-war S. S. Jaguar 100s were a saloon and an open car built on a 2.5 litre, straight-six engine, which didn’t quite meet the promise of 100 miles-per-hour advertised in the name of the car.

Jaguar’s mantra was “Grace, Space, and Pace”, and in the early years, the startup was able to build almost two hundred, 2.5 litre cars before 1940 when the company shifted over to producing 3.5 litre models. Only one Jaguar S. S. 100 3.5-litre Coupé Prototype was produced, and a few were sent out to external coachbuilders for customization, such as the venerable Saoutchik, which produced a body very similar to the one shown on this 1936 car. But that is another story.

For the 1938 Earls Court Motor Show in England, William Lyons commissioned a Coupe version prototype of the S. S. 100. This totally unique two seat coupe has a closed body, rounded wings and rear fender shirts. A hugely successful design, it deteriorated badly over the years before being restored to its former glory.