Rob Reilly

SS and Jaguar Mark 4 and 5 Spotter's Guide
A brief description of external differences between the SS1, SS2, SS90,
SS100, SS Jaguar, Mark 4 and Mark 5 models.

SS-1
Produced 1931-1935

The radiator shell is canted back at a noticeable angle, and has a sculpted sweeping shape at the top. The headlights are chrome pods, separate from the fenders, and on the early SS1 are connected to each other by a crossbar. On later SS1 the headlights are on posts, no crossbar. The engine was a
side-valve six cylinder made for SS Cars by the Standard Motor Company of 2054 or 2552 cc's in early cars, 2143 or 2663 cc's in later cars.
The early coupe had helmet style front fenders (wings) with no running boards, rather cramped rear seats, a leather covered roof with non-functional landau bars (pram irons) on the sides thus no side windows for the rear seat passengers, and an optional rumble seat (dickey seat). Hmm, would that make it a six-seater sports car?
Later the coupe was lengthened to give more rear seat room and acquired running boards.
The saloon version had additional side windows, so the landau bars and dickey seat option were eliminated.
Other bodies available included a four-seat tourer with side curtains, a four-seater drop-head coupe (with functional landau bars), and the Airline saloon with the long sloping backend. The Airline was the only one of his creations about which William Lyons was ever heard to openly express dislike,
but it sold well.

SS-2
Produced 1933-35

This model had a Standard 4 cylinder sidevalve (flathead) engine of 1006, 1343, or 1608 cc's. Noticeably smaller and stubbier than the more popular SS-1, it was an entry level or economy variant of similar styling, and was produced in coupe, saloon, and tourer versions.

SS-90

The front fenders (wings) are the clamshell style, with integral running board to the rear fender. The headlights are supported by a cross bar, with two more support bars angled up from the frame rails to the center and a cast "90" in the center. Separate chrome sidelights are attached to the tops of the front fenders. The radiator shell has a wire mesh screen, not vertical bars. The prototype had a rounded tailend with a spare tire mounted nearly horizontal on the tail. The production cars had a nearly vertical rear mounted spare, and the rear fenders sweep down under a squareish fuel tank.
The correct engine is a sidevalve (flathead) 6 cylinder of 2663 cc's.

SS Jaguar 100

The front fenders (wings) are the clamshell style, with integral running board to the rear fender. Cycle fenders and pontoon fenders have been seen on a few cars. The headlights are supported by a cross bar, with two more support bars angled up from the frame rails to the center and a cast "100" in the center. The radiator shell has the same wire mesh screen as the SS-90.
Separate chrome sidelights are attached to the tops of the front fenders. There is a slab fuel tank on the rear, with one or two spare tires mounted on the tank at an angle. The correct engines are the 2-1/2 liter and 3-1/2 liter OHV pushrod engines made for SS Cars by the Standard Motor Co. There were a few special bodies done by various other coachbuilders, and one coupe done by the factory for the 1938 Earl's Court show.

SS Jaguar 1-1/2 liter, 2-1/2 liter and 3-1/2 liter saloons

These were produced as a four-door saloon and as a drop-head coupe, both seating five. The 1-1/2 liter cars are somewhat smaller than the 2-1/2 and 3-1/2 liter cars.
The early 1-1/2 liter engine was a side-valve four, later an OHV four replaced it. The 2-1/2 and 3-1/2 were the same OHV sixes as used in the SS-100.
The 1935-37 models had a single fender mounted spare tire, the 1938-40 models had the tire under the boot in a compartment. The radiator shell has vertical chrome bars. The front sidelights on early
cars are a separate chrome unit, but on later cars were done by welding a pod onto the fender and blending in with lead. Horns are generally visible, mounted on the bumper or under the headlights. Some cars have foglights.
The door handles are below the chrome side trim on early cars, but in line with the trim on later cars.
The tires are 18" rim diameter with wire spoke wheels, with the chromed knock-off hub having the SS logo. The optional Ace discs covered the spokes to give the appearance of disc wheels There were a few special bodies done by various other coachbuilders including Graber, Saoutchik, Beuttler, Van den Plas, and a Mulliner divided limosine for Standard's director Sir John Black.

Jaguar Mark 4

Bearing in mind that the name Mark IV was never an official factory designation for the 1945-48 cars, but has been unofficially hung on these by the afficianados ever since probably the early '50's, we will use it anyway. Mechanically these are the same as the pre-war saloon range and were produced in saloon and DHC form. The 2.5 and 3.5 engines were now produced by Jaguar,
Lyons having bought the tooling from Standards, who continued to supply the 1.5 engine, making it the last Jaguar to be built with an outsider engine. Visual differences between these and the pre-war SS Jaguar saloons are very minor. The radiator badge reads "Jaguar" with the engine size, the SS logo having been eliminated. The badge in the center of the rear bumper is a "J", replacing the "SS". The tires are 18" rim diameter with wire spoke wheels, and optional Ace discs covered the spokes to give the appearance of disc wheels. The wheel knock-off hubs also say Jaguar rather than SS.

Jaguar Mark 5 saloon

Produced 1948-51 as a 4 dr. saloon and a 2 dr. Drop Head Coupe with the same 2.5 and 3.5 engines as the previous model.
The Mark V is sort of a first and last car. It is the first new post-war body design, first use of pushbutton door handles (saloon) and standard sealed beam headlights (U.S. spec), first with independent front suspension and hydraulic brakes, and the last to use the pushrod engines. It is the only model to have the biplane bumpers, so called because they look like the leading edge of the wings of a biplane. These bumpers are made of seven chromed pieces each, plus supporting steel bars and top covering aprons.

Saloon: The front doors are hinged at the rear but the rear doors are hinged at the front. The exterior door handles are the push button type and are in line with the chrome trim.

Drop-Head Coupe: The top is a three-position like the previous models. The doors are wood framed. The exterior door handles are the umbrella handle type. The headlights are standard 7 inch sealed beam units for America, or 7.7 inch flat lens tribar units for all other countries. The headlight pods are welded to the front fenders and filled in with lead. Almost all Mark V's have a pair of chromed fog lights also mounted to the front fenders, lower and closer together than the headlights. The horns are not visible. The bootlid is hinged at the bottom, and the toolkit is in the bootlid. The spare tire is in a separate compartment below the center section of the rear bumper. The tires are 16" rim diameter with steel disc wheels painted body color and fender skirts (spats) on the rear being standard equipment.