In the Exceptional Cars series, with the publication of Jaguar SS100 – The remarkable story of 18008, we are already at the eleventh book of this series.
The book
Launched in 1935, the sleek SS100 was a milestone for the company William Lyons had founded as Swallow Sidecars, which would later evolve into Jaguar. As the first true competition car to bear the Jaguar name, it quickly attracted the attention of drivers who saw its competition potential – and chassis number 18008 would become perhaps the most famous SS100 of all.
BKW 77
It was best known by its registration number BWK 77, or simply as ‘Old Number 8’. The car was sold new to Sammy Newsome before being bought back by the SS Cars factory. It would become the factory’s development car and made headlines when couple Tommy and Elsie Wisdom set a penalty-free race at the International Alpine Trial in 1936.
Conversion
The BWK 77 was converted into a lightweight 3.5-litre and raced at prestigious venues such as Brooklands and Shelsley Walsh. It was eventually sold to private owners after World War II. However, its competition history did not end there. Its later owners continued to use this respected SS100 in the way it had become accustomed to, and this 11th book in Porter Press International’s Exceptional Cars series brings its remarkable story to the present day.
Key points from the book
The full story of 18008’s career as a factory car, including its penalty-free race in the 1936 International Alpine Trial owned by Tommy and Elsie Wisdom.
Revealing profiles of each private owner and their competitive achievements with this unique SS100.
Stunning photographs of the car’s entire sporting history – from the 1936 Scottish Rally to the 2022 Six Hours Historic Meeting at Spa.
The evolution of BWK 77 – from factory form to lightweight racer and its restoration in the late 1960s.
A stunning series of studio images of ‘Old Number 8’, as photographed by John Colley.
Something about the author
Chas Parker traded a career in astronomy, during which he was press officer for the Royal Greenwich Observatory, based at Herstmonceux in East Sussex, for writing about his other major interest, motorsport. He worked for seven years as a sub-editor at Motorsport News, where he often reported on events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Goodwood Revival and Silverstone Classic.
He has written 13 books, including histories of Brands Hatch and Silverstone, along with Haynes manuals on the Jaguar D-type, Bugatti Type 35 and Lola T70. He has also written books in Porter Press International’s Great Cars and Exceptional Cars series on the Jaguar XK 120, C-type and D-type, as well as Ford Model T: An Enthusiast’s Guide and The Michael Turner Collection. Along with co-author Philip Porter, he was shortlisted for the 2017 RAC Motoring Book of the Year Award for the title Great Cars Jaguar C-type – The Autobiography of XKC 051. He lives in East Sussex with his wife Diane.
The book can be ordered from better bookstores or from Porter Press under ISBN number: 978-1-913089-60-3