Replicas and Recreations
A number of replica and re-creations of the Jaguar SS100 have also been manufactured since the 1960s.
The Suffolk Sportscars replicas/re-creations of the SS100 have been described as being the most visually and dimensionally accurate of the genre, with painstaking attention to detail. Acceptance of the Suffolk SS100 vehicles by both Jaguar clubs and specialist classic car registers gives some credence to the description. Suffolk Sportscars are based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, United Kingdom, and the SS100 may be ordered and individually built by hand at the factory to the customers own specifications or alternatively may be ordered in component form for skilled home assembly.
The Suffolk SS100 uses the Jaguar XK6 engine, and commonly the 4-speed Jaguar 'Short Compact' gearbox as the drivetrain, and is still in limited production today with 8-12 cars being produced each year. With exports to a number of countries worldwide which include the USA, several European nations, Australia and New Zealand, the Suffolk Sportscars SS100 is probably the most prolific replica of the Jaguar SS100. The Suffolk SS100 was designed from the outset to create an exacting 'visual facsimile' of the genuine car. The accurate dimensions and such features as the original Lucas QK596 headlamps, dummy Andre Hartford friction dampers, the original design windscreens and fly screens mean that it takes a real enthusiast to spot the differences in a passing car. Because of the increasing rarity and high value that a genuine Jaguar SS100 can command, a small number of owners with these cars have commissioned the building of identical Suffolk SS100's, allowing the owners the use of an almost identical vehicle without risking damage to the original. Suffolk Sportscars also manufacture a replica of the famous C-Type Jaguar that is similarly designed to be visually and dimensionally accurate, and uses the original 'live axle' setup of the original car for authenticity.
The Steadman TS100 is described as a 'reproduction' of the SS100 manufactured by Ottercraft Ltd in Hayle, Cornwall, United Kingdom, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The actual build numbers for this car is unknown, but it is thought that a maximum of twenty-eight of these vehicles were assembled, and were also referred to as the Jaguar Steadman TS100. The Steadman TS100 was never intended to be a replica of the SS100 of the 1930s, but was designed to be a sports car in its own right.
With a hand-built aluminium body, the Steadman TS100 used unadapted Jaguar XJ6 running gear and was sold as a high quality, more modern version of the Jaguar SS100. Dimensionally and visually, the Steadman TS100 was quite different from the original Jaguar SS100. These differences occurred because the manufacturers were forced to change the original proportions to both accommodate the wider track of the donor car and allow the use of more readily available smaller, wider wheels. Attention was paid to styling detail during design (such as the use of appropriately large headlights) and at the time of production, the Steadman TS100 was regarded as more successful than most other evocations. With an unknown number surviving, this re-creation is a rare sight at classic car events.
The Steadman TS100 Enthusiasts Club was established in 2011 to maintain the vehicles marque and to bring together owners from around the world.
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