Imagine buying a car the same year World War II breaks out and still owning it when smartphones run the planet. That is not a thought experiment. A British illustrator actually did it, holding onto a single Jaguar for more than 7 decades before death finally separated them.
Why a pre-war Jaguar matters more than any modern collectible
The car in question is a 1939 SS Jaguar 100, built back when the company was still called SS Cars. Those initials carried no baggage before the war, but the company wisely pivoted to the Jaguar name it had already been using on individual models since 1935. The SS 100 was the first vehicle to wear the now-legendary leaping Jaguar hood mascot, making it a cornerstone of the brand’s entire identity.
The “100” referred to a projected top speed of 100 mph, which sounds modest today but was genuinely terrifying in 1939. The tires measured just 5.5 inches wide, the frame was built from ash wood, and the wheelbase stretched only 9 feet. Pushing triple digits in a wooden-framed convertible on pre-war rubber took a particular kind of courage.
At a glance
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Year / Model | 1939 SS Jaguar 100 (3.5-liter) |
| Engine | 3.5-liter straight-6, twin carburetors, 125 hp |
| Top speed (claimed) | 100 mph |
| Production run (3.5L) | Only 116 built |
| Ownership span | 1955 to 2026 — over 70 years |
| Auction price (2026) | £218,500 (approximately $300,000) |
| Sold by | Bonhams Cars |
Michael Turner treated this Jaguar like a daily driver, not a trophy
Michael Turner was a celebrated British illustrator known for motoring and aviation artwork. He picked up the SS 100 in 1955, right as the UK was shaking off the last economic hangover of the war. Churchill had just stepped down, unemployment was low, and Stirling Moss had become the first Brit to win the British Grand Prix. Turner’s purchase barely registered against that backdrop, but it would quietly become one of the longest single-owner stories in automotive history.
Here is the part I find remarkable. Turner did not park the car behind glass. He drove it daily for the first 5 years, commuting and running errands in a pre-war roadster while the rest of Britain moved on to sensible postwar sedans. He eventually swapped to an Austin A40 for everyday duties, but the Jaguar never left his possession. He raced it at Goodwood and other UK circuits, adapted it with cycle wings for better track performance, and kept showing it at motoring events decade after decade.
Only 116 exist and replicas have been chasing this car since the 1960s
The 3.5-liter SS 100 is breathtakingly rare. Jaguar built just 116 of them, alongside 198 of the earlier 2.5-liter versions. The car was marketed as a racer from day one, which means many originals were crashed, stripped, or simply used up. Survivors are genuine unicorns. The demand has been so intense that replica builders have been producing copies since the 1960s, and some of those early replicas now command serious money on their own.
Turner’s car went through a proper restoration in the late 1990s. The cycle wings he had fitted for racing were removed and the original long, flowing fenders were reinstalled. Fresh blue paint went on, and worn sections of the ash wood frame were replaced. The result was a car that looked period-correct while carrying 4 decades of documented racing and road history under its skin. That provenance is what separates a $300,000 sale from a $30,000 replica.
What the $300,000 auction price is really telling us
Turner passed away in December 2026 at the age of 91. His SS 100 went to Bonhams Cars, where it hammered at £218,500, just under $300,000. Some collectors might look at that figure and call it modest for a car this rare. I see it differently. The real value here was never about speculation or flipping. Turner held this car through every market cycle, every classic car bubble, and every crash for 70 years. He simply loved driving it.
The auction result reflects a car that was used hard and restored honestly, not a concours trailer queen with 12 miles on the odometer. Bonhams buyers understood they were purchasing a story as much as a machine. In a market increasingly obsessed with sealed-unit investments, that kind of authenticity stands out.
How it stacks up
| Model | Year | Power | Units built | Recent auction range | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS Jaguar 100 (3.5L) | 1939 | 125 hp | 116 | $250,000 – $400,000 | Rarest, first leaping Jaguar mascot |
| Jaguar XK120 | 1948-1954 | 160 hp | 12,055 | $80,000 – $180,000 | More powerful, far more common |
| MG TA/TB | 1936-1939 | 54 hp | ~3,400 | $30,000 – $70,000 | Affordable pre-war alternative |
| BMW 328 | 1936-1940 | 80 hp | 464 | $400,000 – $800,000 | Higher value, German rival |
Why this matters
- Single-owner provenance now commands a measurable premium at auction
- Pre-war British sports cars remain undervalued against German equivalents
- The SS 100 is the origin point of Jaguar’s entire brand identity
The verdict
Michael Turner’s 70-year relationship with this SS 100 is the kind of ownership story that simply cannot be manufactured or replicated. In a collector car world drowning in speculative flips and climate-controlled storage units, a car that was daily driven, raced, restored, and loved by one person for 7 decades carries a weight no dollar figure fully captures. The $300,000 hammer price was fair, but the next owner inherits something money alone could never buy. If you have a car you love sitting in your garage right now, drive it. Turner proved that is the whole point.
