1981 Suffolk Jaguar SS100

This Suffolk Jaguar was built in the mid 2000s using a few parts & identity from a 1981 Jaguar XJ6, this is a low-mileage-from-new example that looks about as good today as the day it was delivered. Only ever used sparingly, it has been pampered by Suffolk and a local classic car specialist, ensuring that it is fighting fit and ready for its new owner to enjoy.

The vendor bought the car for his wife when it was approximately five years old, and they have had it for ten. He reports it has been utterly reliable, and hasn’t needed anything other than routine maintenance.  

It has been used for travelling between Norfolk and Sussex on a couple of occasions, as well as one memorable journey is a snow storm. The owner reports that it was surprisingly warm and comfortable, the windscreen deflectors giving more protection than he was expecting!

We took it for a brief test drive when it first arrived, and then another to shoot the photographs you can see here. Both left us utterly smitten; the combination of vintage-style bodywork and XJ6 underpinnings is utterly beguiling. It drives beautifully and attracts flocks of attention wherever it goes and is not one for the shrinking violet!

Finished in an attractive deep red, the paintwork glistens as brightly now as it ever has. As you might expect with such a low-mileage example, the paintwork is still in very good condition, with only the very odd minor stonechip to distinguish it from a new example.

The side-hinged bonnet folds back to give superb access to the 4.2-litre straight-six Jaguar engine. The (albeit fairly rudimentary) black folding roof is in very good condition, being free of rips, tears and other damage.

The chromework – and there is a lot of it – is similarly smart; only a vintage car could carry off this amount of brightwork but it looks amazing and is utterly in keeping with the period it apes. 

The car comes with a wonderful rear luggage rack complete with period suitcase, making it as practical as it is beautiful.

The spoked wheels are painted rather than chromed, something the legendary motoring journalist LJK Setright would have approved of. They’re still tight and true and are shod with matching cross-ply tyres, all of which have good tread. 

Utterly delightful, we’d strongly encourage potential bidders to come and visit us here at The Market HQ to appreciate for themselves just how good-looking and well-maintained this stunning Jaguar SS100 evocation is.

The interior is as simple and elegant as the car deserves. So, you get a body-coloured dashboard, a huge wood-rimmed Mota-Lita steering wheel, and simple leather bucket seats - and little else. 

Two huge gauges (SS-branded, no less – the attention to detail on the car is stunning) for engine revolutions and speed, dominate the dashboard ahead of the driver. They’re supplemented by four further gauges for engine coolant temperature, battery charging, oil pressure and fuel level. There are a couple of other dashboard items that replicate the look of the original, but here, have absolutely no function whatsoever! In balance, out of sight, if you look under the dashboard you will find a proper indicator stalk, something that would have bemused owners of the original Jaguar SS100.

And that’s about it. But what there is is beautifully done and impeccably installed. The cockpit is a joy to behold and to use, and still in fabulous condition.

The 4235cc Jaguar straight-six engine breathes through twin SU carburettors and feeds its power to the rear axle via a manual five-speed gearbox. If you look from the front, the Suffolk Jaguar appears to be suspended via the world-renowned, and period-correct, Andre Hartford adjustable friction disc dampers. However this is just an illusion and hides independent strut front suspension with disc brakes; the car is as sprightly as you might imagine and handles even better. The power is more controllable than you might imagine, the spindly cross-ply tyres giving enough grip to be safe but little enough to be fun!

Regularly serviced and maintained regardless of cost, the owner isn’t aware of a single fault with the vehicle. Not a single fault. Try saying that with a vintage car in the garage…

The underside is as clean as the engine bay and the coachwork; it’s been neatly undersealed to protect it and so is solid and completely free of problems or damage. If we’re being pedantic (really pedantic), then a fussy owner might want to touch up the paint on the chassis because it’s worn off in a couple of places, but this is job is firmly in the nice-to-do category rather than must-do.

Really, all it needs is a full tank of fuel and a set of spare clothes in the boot-mounted suitcase – plus a loved one sitting beside you, of course.

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever (there haven’t been any advisories whatsoever in the past decade) and confirms the car’s low mileage. 

The car comes with a current MOT certificate, which expires in October 2019. It also comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it, along with the servicing checklists and PDI certificate from Suffolk itself.

It also comes with a valuation certificate from Suffolk Sportscars, along with a detailed specification sheet. It also comes with at least two sets of keys and a V5 registration document in the owner’s name.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to the very highest standard.

If you’ve ever wanted a vintage car in the garage but have been put off by the fact that it, well, that it’s a vintage car, then this is your chance to have the vintage-experience without the drawbacks. 

The equivalent of a modern-day Morgan but way, way cooler, this charming Suffolk Sports SS100 is the ideal introduction to pre-war motoring – only nicer.  

And easier to own. And better to drive. And cheaper. Need we go on?

As nice to polish as it is to drive, Suffolk valued the car at £55,000 in 2010, which is pretty much in line with the price dealers are still asking for good examples – and this is a very good example, make no mistake.

And yet, the owner is a sensible, understanding man who accepts the market has softened slightly since then, so he’s expecting it to sell for between £35,000 and £45,000, at which price the new owner would be practically stealing it from him. What will it sell for? We, and teh vendor, are genuinely happy to let the market decide... 

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at The Market HQ in Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.