1939 Jaguar SS 100 2½-Litre with Van den Plas (Belgian) coachwork
- Engine
- 2.663L OHV inline-six, dual SU carburetors, 102 bhp
- Colour
- Scarlet with ebony accents
A 1939 SS 100 Jaguar 2½-Litre chassis, bodied by the Belgian coachbuilder Carrosserie Van den Plas of Antwerp rather than the British firm of the same name, this car was acquired as the basis for a bespoke body before the Second World War but completed only afterward. Exhibited at the 1948 Brussels Motor Show as a flagship creation intended to signal a potential Jaguar–Van den Plas manufacturing partnership, it features deeply skirted Figoni-inspired coachwork over the original SS 100 radiator shell and headlamps. Restored in the early 1990s by California restorer Mike Fennel, it was shown at Pebble Beach in 1991.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$1,402,500
- 1939 →Factory deliveryCarrosserie Van den Plaspartial documentation
Chassis acquired before WWII as the basis for a custom body; the war halted the project but the chassis survived, later becoming the coachbuilder's first post-war show car displayed at the 1948 Brussels Motor Show.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownMr. S. Falisepartial documentation
Brussels-based owner listed in the SS 100 Register; ownership confirmed through at least part of the 1980s and for some unspecified earlier period.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownFrans van den Heuvelpartial documentation
Held the car for roughly three to four years; period photographs show the car appearing largely original though the body had been repainted in two tones by this stage. The car subsequently moved to the United States.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownLong-term US ownerpartial documentation
Commissioned a full restoration by California restorer Mike Fennel in the early 1990s; the car has since been kept in a climate-controlled storage facility.
Competition
- 19481948 Brussels Motor Show
Exhibited by Carrosserie Van den Plas as a flagship show car intended to signal a potential partnership with Jaguar; coverage appeared in both Autocar and The Motor in February 1948.
- 19911991 Pebble Beach Concours d'EleganceExhibition-only entry
Entered on a non-competitive exhibition basis following its restoration; believed to be the car's most recent show appearance.
- —Post-war concours d'elegance
Believed to have been shown at least once at a post-war concours, likely held in France; a surviving photograph shows an entry number affixed to the front bumper.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1991RestorationMike Fennel
A full restoration was carried out in the early 1990s by California-based restorer Mike Fennel, resulting in the current scarlet and black livery with red leather interior and black cloth hood.
Fennel was described as a well-regarded and now-deceased California restorer; the work was completed in time for the 1991 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance exhibition.
- —Bodywork
The body was repainted in a two-tone scheme at some point during Belgian ownership, likely to accentuate the dramatic coachwork styling.
Documented by photographs taken while the car was still in Belgium, prior to US export.
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