Denis Foxley has owned his 1939 3½ Litre SS Jaguar saloon since 1968. What was an 18-year old doing with such a refined classic car? Well, Denis’s passion for Jaguars predates even this. On passing his test at 17, his first purchase was a 1½-litre version of the same car! In those days SS Jaguars were just old cars, and not the cult classics that they have become in more recent times.
Indeed, both of these cars could accurately be described as broken down wrecks at the time. The 3½-litre machine should, however, be considered as a step up in the day. After all, it may have cost him just £60, but Denis had to beat the seller down from £120. And then he could fill it up at four gallons for a pound. To save you from doing the maths, that is under 6 pence per litre, which is difficult to believe today with petrol hovering around the £1.50 mark!
Before we examine Denis’s car, it might be useful to relate the back story of how it was created. The Swallow Coachbuilding company transferred to Coventry from Blackpool in the winter of 1928/9, moving into premises in Holbrook Lane, Foleshill, that had previously been used for shell-filling in the first world war. The company's young MD, William Lyons, was
