What is jaguar oldest car?

Answer 1

The worlds oldest Jaguar is a 1929 Standard Swallow Boat Tailed Roadster SS prototype. It still wears it's winged SS grill badge to this day, that says the words "Standard Swallow" and also has large "SS" in the centre, proving that "SS" stands for Standard Swallow. John Black from Standard Motor Co. supplied the chassis, while William Lyons's Swallow Sidecars and Coachbuilding Company built the body and Harry Weslake modified the Standard Big Nine engine. The performance mods included a Weslake cast alloy cylinder head and special SS alloy gearbox, that was later used in the SS customer cars, that went on sale in the early 1930's. It had been a lifelong dream of Lyons to build a sportscar, but it took a relocation to a new premises in Coventry, the hub of auto manufacture and industry in late 1928 to finally realize it in 1929. The body of the car was built on a completed 1929 Standard Big Nine chassis, at Lyons new secret "special projects" workshop, which was seperate from his main car manufacturing workshop and at that stage, employed 2 of his most trusted coach builders. This workshop also started in 1929 and was used for prototypes for many years. I have a much later photograph of inside this workshop, showing it very cramped with his prototypes and design ideas over many years. However, when Lyons inspected the new, sleek, boat tailed roadster, he was quoted as saying he loved the car's style but thought the top of the radiator grill shell looked a little too much like the way Standard did there's (at that time). The car's lines and style are very much like that of a 1920's Bugati Sports Car, but the unique tall and slim radiator grill style, gives it an impressive character all it's own. It has no running boards, but 4 cycle type wings, that are typical Swallow style and are almost identical to those used on there sidecars during the same period. It mostly remained in the relatively empty (at that stage), Special Projects shop and was once fitted with a supercharger by Weslake only to blow the worm drive diff. The SS name was changed to Jaguar, during the Second World War, as it was not faverable, from a marketing perspective, to name your product after a ruthless division of an enemy, that was constantly bombing the heck out of your own country. After surviving the war unscathed, the car was shipped to Australia in the 1940's and was in the posession of the late Doug Bright, the well known Brisbane based collecter, racer and founder of the vintage car club. Doug was also well known to many international race drivers, that went out to Australia for the Tasman cup series. After competing at the Lakeside round of the championship many would end up at doug's place till all hours. The cars first Australian registration "Q" style number plate, is still fitted (they only had one on the rear over there in those days) and the vehicleis is in remarkable, unrestored condition to this day, showing that it was painted in metalic maroon. The unusal metalic effect was created by grinding fish scales and adding to the paint, creating a hue that can't be matched with modern paints. Interesting to note, Swallow displayed production cars on the stand at Olympia in 1929 with the same "gay", (their words) paint sceme. It's current owner, is a well known Brisbane based collector, restorer and motor engineer, who's family is famous for building the factory Jaguar race engines (and others), during the 1950's, resulting in Jaguar Le Mans victories. Many "self appointed" Jaguar and SS historian "experts", incorrectly forget to acknowledge the 1929 car and the other 2 prototype SS's. They can only quote the production car figures as being the first. Unfortunatly many invested money and pride, by publishing books on their version of events and to remind these "experts", that the first prototype SS is really the worlds oldest Jaguar, oftern brings embaresment and argument, as they forgot to mention that fact, in the book they invested so heavily in. Lyons went to the trouble of making a new SS badge for the 1929 prototype car and fitted it, making it, by William Lyons own hand, the first SS Sportscar, or the worlds first and oldest Jaguar. Lyons wanted to keep his lifelong dream, his baby, a secret, until it was ready for production, so never advertised what he was up to, until a few months before the public release. This wise marketing move by Lyons, had the public baited and eager for the arival. There only criticism of this beautifull new car was that it was powerd by a Standard engine, a name never before heard in the same sentence as sportscar. The practice of prototyping, was not only common in most industries then, but still is today, only now of corse, the cars styling, would be done with computer aid design. Back then, they had to hand build it from a rough sketch, then stood back and had a look. It's well documented, Lyons was a perfectionist, an excellent buisness man and very proud of his product. He wanted this new sports car to change the direction of his company, so, in typical Lyons style, wasn't going to release his baby to the public until he was happy with it. In 1929, Lyons had a lot of publicity photo's taken of his new, main production shop only, to show potential clients how cutting edge Swallow was and these photo's are easily found on the internet, showing production Swallows, Austin Swallow's, Fiat Swallow's and even Sidecar manufacture. But he never allowed photo's of his Prototypes or displayed prototype cars at Olympia, for obvious reseans. The only exception i can find, would be the photo i have showing the previously mentioned Special Projects workshop, full of old prototypes, taken decades later. The second Prototype SS, was made in 1930, this time, with Lyons own input into the grill design. Interestingly enough this new grill design largely carried over into the third and final design that was built in 1931, that become the customer car SS. This writer has personally seen the stunning, unrestored 1929 prototype SS, at it's current location in Australia. Still has it's correct commision number, SS radiator badge, SS alloy gearbox, Weslake alloy sidevalve cylinder head and original Australian registration plate. It would be fair to say, it is one of the most unique and desireable cars i have ever seen and is truly, the worlds oldest Jaguar.