To
Be
OFFERED
AT
AUCTION
at
RM
Sothebys'
Arizona
event,
22
January
2021.
Estimate:$500,000
-
$600,000
Rare
and
significant;
the
quintessential
pre-war
British
sports
carOne
of
118
3
½-Litre
examples
producedFormerly
owned
by
the
Keno
family
for
over
40
yearsGunmetal
over
a
red
interior;
black
convertible
topEarned
a
100-point
result
at
the
May
2014
JCNA
Concours
following
a
meticulous
restorationAccompanied
by
JDHT
certificate
and
top
boot
Introduced
in
1938,
the
SS
Jaguar
100
3
½-Litre
represented
the
pinnacle
of
pre-war
performance
from
the
marque
that
would
later
become
Jaguar
Cars.
It
was
also
a
notable
achievement
for
the
company
originally
established
in
1922
as
Swallow
Sidecar;
the
firm
was
founded
by
William
Lyons
and
William
Walmsley
to
build
motorcycle
sidecars
and,
later,
stylish
bodies
for
affordable
cars
such
as
the
Standard
9
and
Austin
Seven.
Yet
Lyon's
ultimate
goal
was
to
build
elegant
cars
of
his
own
design.
By
1935,
this
had
resulted
in
a
series
of
saloons
and
drophead
coupes
and-on
the
sporting
front-the
SS
100
2½-Litre
Roadster.
Itself
the
successor
to
the
SS
90,
the
SS
100
packed
a
105-horsepower,
2.5-liter
inline-six
engine.
Supplied
by
the
Standard
Motor
Company,
this
engine
was
upgraded
with
an
OHV
cylinder
head
developed
by
famed
engineer
Harry
Weslake.
To
power
the
marque's
larger,
heavier
offerings,
an
enlarged
and
improved
version
of
the
2.5-liter
engine
was
soon
developed.
Featuring
the
Weslake
OHV
head,
improved
oiling
and
durability,
twin
SU
carburetion,
and
low-restriction
exhaust
manifolds,
this
125-horsepower,
3.5-liter
saloon
engine
was,
fortuitously,
offered
as
an
option
in
the
Roadster
as
well.
In
the
SS
100
3
½-Litre,
the
classic
muscle
car
combination
of
a
sedan
engine
in
a
roadster
that
was,
at
2,610
pounds,
1,000
pounds
lighter-not
to
mention
one
costing
only
£445-made
it
an
instant
sensation.
Performance
was
breathtaking:
The
model's
name
hinted
at
its
theoretical
100
mph
top
speed,
while
the
powerful
engine
afforded
the
car
a
brisk
10-second
zero-to-60
mph
acceleration
time.
The
outbreak
of
World
War
II
abbreviated
the
model's
run,
but
while
only
118
examples
were
produced
between
1938
and
1940,
that
figure
belies
the
3
½-Litre's
impact
and
significance.
CHASSIS
NUMBER
39032Manufactured
18
January
1938,
this
chassis,
originally
Gunmetal
over
a
silver-black
interior,
was
dispatched
later
that
month
to
Parker's
of
Bolton
in
greater
Manchester,
England.
It
received
a
replacement
3.5-liter
engine
from
an
SS
Jaguar
saloon,
number
M
499
E,
at
some
point
in
its
early
life.
It
remained
the
United
Kingdom
until
1962,
when
it
was
imported
into
the
United
States
and
acquired
by
Eugene
Faust.
Mr.
Faust
restored
the
car
for
the
first
time
in
the
mid-1960s,
replacing
the
original
fenders
in
the
process.
Then,
in
1969,
he
sold
it
to
Mohawk,
New
York-based
antiques
dealer
and
art
teacher
Ronald
Keno.
For
the
next
40
years,
chassis
number
39032
would
be
the
Keno
family's
constant
companion.
Ron
and
Norma
had
three
young
children
at
the
time,
twins,
Leigh
and
Leslie,
age
12,
and
their
older
brother
Mitchell,
then
16,
all
of
whom
followed
their
parents
into
the
antiques
business.
Leigh
and
Leslie
Keno
became
well
known
through
their
antiques
business
and
have
even
appeared
on
Antiques
Roadshow
and
experienced
Pebble
Beach
Concours
judging.
They
would
eventually
take
the
family
Roadster
far
beyond
New
York's
Hudson
Valley
and
their
high-school
prom,
including
on
a
1,000-mile
tour
of
China
during
the
1998
Louis
Vuitton
China
Run.
"We
grew
up
in
this
car,"
said
Leigh,
but
by
2009,
the
Kenos
felt
they
were
no
longer
able
to
use
it
appropriately
and
passed
it
to
a
new
owner.Still
impressive
yet
somewhat
worn
from
over
40
years
of
regular
use,
the
SS
Jaguar
100
3
½-Litre
was
due
for
a
modern
restoration.
Two
years
of
work
ensued,
during
which
time
it
was
refinished
to
the
highest
show
standards
in
its
original
Gunmetal,
now
paired
with
a
striking
red
interior
and
fabric
black
top
with
matching
boot.
The
quality
of
the
work
performed
was
such
that,
shortly
after
the
restoration's
completion
in
spring
2014,
the
car
received
a
perfect
JCNA
100-point
score
at
the
May
2014
Jaguar
Owners
Club
of
Los
Angeles
Annual
Concours
d'Elegance.If
any
single
car
represents
the
epitome
of
pre-war
British
motoring,
it
is
the
3½-Litre
SS
100
Jaguar.
As
the
first
full
flowering
of
Williams
Lyons'
vision
for
what
Jaguar
could
be,
its
engineering
and
styling
set
a
benchmark
for
sports
cars
of
the
era-and
a
discerning
eye
will
detect
echoes
of
its
proportions
and
performance
in
Jaguar's
post-war
offerings,
the
E-Type
among
them.
Accompanied
by
a
Jaguar
Daimler
Heritage
Trust
certificate,
chassis
number
39032
is
worthy
of
inclusion
in
any
collection
of
significant
sports
cars.
To
view
this
car
and
others
currently
consigned
to
this
auction,
please
visit
the
RM
website
at