1939 Jaguar SS 100 2.5 Litre Roadster by Van den Plas

1939 SS Jaguar 100 2.5 Litre Roadster by Van den Plas

102 bhp, 2,663 cc OHV inline six-cylinder engine with dual SU carburetors, four-speed manual transmission, independent front and solid-axle rear suspension with semi-elliptical leaf springs and friction shock absorbers, and four-wheel mechanical drum brakes. Wheelbase: 104 in.

Believed to be the final 1939 SS 100 2.5-Liter chassis built One-off Figoni-inspired bodywork by Belgium's finest coachbuilder Displayed at the 1948 Brussels Motor Show Offered from long-term ownership A unique coachbuilt SS 100 of considerable flair!

The name Vanden Plas is most frequently seen in Bentleys and, yes, Jaguars, but the Jaguar offered here is a "Vanden Plas" of another country. It was bodied by the famous British coachbuilder but by its Belgian ancestor, Van den Plas of Antwerp bodywork, originally established in 1870 to build carriage axles and wheels. Eventually, the firm had progressed to the building of all the carriages and, by the 1930s, was reigning supreme as Belgium's foremost builder of custom automobile bodies that, in the words of The Times of London, "had an air of distinction lacking in many of the products around them. "

One of the rarest and most valuable Jaguars in the world has just arrived here at British Sports Cars for repair and restoration work. This is an SS 100 Jaguar with coach work by the Belgium company Van den Plas. This car was sold to Van den Plas in 1939 and was to be used to show Jaguar what they could do. Unfortunately, due to World War II, the project stalled out and was not completed until 1948.

This is one of the most elegant Jaguars every built, with its gorgeous body very similar to what you would find designed by Figoni et Falaschi. Everywhere you look on this car you find something wonderfully designed and nothing less than gorgeous. It also has those very similar swooping lines that you find on Jaguar XK120s and MK VIIs, leaving us to wonder if Sir William Lyons used some of the styling cues in his designs.

This car is a 1939 SS100 2.5 Litre Jaguar, and was the last SS100 2.5 Litre chassis to be sold. What’s interesting is that this car doesn’t have any SS badging on it at all, which we assume is because it was completed after World War II—after SS Cars Limited changed the company name to Jaguar.

Descriptions & pictures by conceptcarz & britishsportscars & flickr & car-revs-daily & alaintruong