PJ Publishing - The Forerunners of JAGUAR in Australasia

On sale later this year from Paul Skilleter Books - an important new publication on Britain's First F1 World Champion, Mike Hawthorn, to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of his death! Watch here for further details...

ECURIE ECOSSE - David Murray and the legendary Scottish motor racing team
Paul Skilleter is pleased to announce that this new book by Eric Dymock is now available! This is a large format (225 x 297mm), 250pp publication with over 500 illustrations.
AVAILABLE FOR ORDER AND DESPATCH NOW! See Ecurie Ecosse book

A MAJOR NEW PUBLICATION:
'The Forerunners of JAGUAR in Australasia and S.E. Asia'
by John Clucas and Terry McGrath
456 pages - Almost 1000 cars - More than 1000 never previously published photos - Only 500 copies printed

BOOK DETAILS

As its title implies, this new large-format, high-quality book tells the story of Swallow, SS and SS Jaguar products in Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia (Hong Kong, India and Singapore). Compiled by Terry McGrath and John Clucas over a 25-year period, and published by the authors, it is a monumental work that is entirely unique in its size, scope and depth.

Long-awaited by Swallow and SS enthusiasts in all countries, the book is the second in the series (and is in the same size and format) which began with the acclaimed Jaguar XK in Australia by John Elmgreen and Terry McGrath - long out of print and which now fetches many hundreds of pounds secondhand.

440 pages, hardback
Over 1,000 monochrome illustrations
Chapters on importation and sales, over 900 vehicle histories by model and country, cars in competition, production figures by model, international registers of S.S.1s, S.S.90s, SS 100 and SS Jaguar tourers, identification plates, grilles and badges, register of owners cross-referenced with registration numbers
Each copy individually numbered 1 to 500
Attractive slip-case
Size 34.5cm (13.25ins) x 25cm (9.75ins)
Weight 3.3kg (7lbs) approx

Only 500 copies of this edition will ever be printed, so early applications are advised, especially as the current price is under half that of similar quality specialist motoring books published elsewhere. Prices may be subject to alteration in the future.

Supplied with dust-jacket and bound in black Wibalin (cloth-type finish) with silver-gilt embossed titling on cover and spine, in slip-case. Price is UK£150. (LEATHER BOUND VERSION IS NOW SOLD OUT!!)

Interested? Please contact Paul Skilleter Books, PJ Publishing Ltd, PO Box 191, Lymington, Hants SO42 7GD, UK. Tel: 01590 624601, fax 624669, or to order please use our Order Form which contains full details and postage rates for various destinations

A REVIEW from Paul Skilleter

"Speaking to hundreds of Swallow, SS and early Jaguar owners from the 1940s, 50s and 60s, their three fondest memories of SS ownership were found to be (in order of priority) the top speed (always above 100mph), the major successes in courting the ladies, and the special improvisations carried out when wheel splines stripped." That's just one theme which emerges from the pages of this extraordinary book on the forerunners of Jaguar, and it sums up well not only the character of these early Lyons products but also their owners'. But there's much more than anecdotes in this massive tome of 450 big pages and over 1,000 illustrations, because thanks to research dating back some 30 years, hard facts and statistics abound too.

The book begins at the beginning, with documentation on the relatively few Swallows entering the regions covered - Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia. The S.S. 1 and 2 come next, followed by SS Jaguar and finally the post-war push-rod engined range, the so-called 'Mk IV' and the Mk V.

As the story unfolds, we learn how import tariffs made it very expensive for such as Swallows and S.S.s to be imported into Australia, resulting in some local bodies being made for rolling chassis. However, the book tells how, from small beginnings, a network of S.S. and later Jaguar importers and retailers was established, often with stories of their own to tell (indeed, the book's foreword is provided by Jack Bryson, whose father was one of the marque's earliest distributors in Australia).

The years of research included trawling through many hundreds of old magazines and newspaper archives. One jewel the authors found was extensive coverage of S.S. in, of all things, a fashionable ladies' magazine called Table Talk - the new marque clearly appealed to the fairer sex. In fact, the numerous magazine and newspaper clippings reproduced add a wonderful period flavour to the book, and give a telling period perspective on the products from Coventry.

Researching the archives of car registration departments proved immensely rewarding too, even if the Freedom of Information Act had to be invoked to persuade certain local authorities to give up their treasures! This information was then tallied with that obtained from hundreds of hours examining Jaguar's original sales records - and wherever possible, with interviews with previous and current owners of the cars. For the rarer models such as the S.S.1. S.S. 90 and SS 100, all this is

encapsulated in individual car histories which tell the life story of each vehicle - often in great detail. Competition activities provide a rich vein of interest too, the S.S. 1 tourer and 100 models having been particularly favoured by motor sport enthusiasts over the years.

Finally, there is much general information on Swallow and S.S. that will not be found elsewhere either, including illustrated sections on such as identity (chassis) plates, lubrication plates, grilles and badges. Appendices include such as production figures, registers of surviving cars, current owners where known, and sections on the JDHT and the authors themselves.

Together with its amazing variety of pictures and vast amounts of information, this book exceeds even the McGrath/Elmgreen XK book in scope and appeal. 'Monumental' is the description that springs to mind, and The Forerunners of Jaguar without doubt stands as both a monument to William Lyons' early products in these overseas territories and to the authors' almost fanatical zeal in compiling it. It may be a hackneyed phrase, but no serious student of Swallow, S.S. or Jaguar should be without a copy.

Some Extracts from the book
NB - You need Adobe Reader(free download) to look at these sample pages:

Chapter 1, p4
Chapter3, Histories
Swallows, SSIs, SSIIs, SS Airlines, SS Tourers, SS100s
SS Jaguar Saloons, Mk IV DHCs, Mark V DHCs
Competition Results (sample)

Interested? Please contact Paul Skilleter Books, PJ Publishing Ltd, PO Box 191, Lymington, Hants SO42 7GD, UK. Tel: 01590 624601, fax 624669, or to order please use our Order Form which contains full details and postage rates for various destinations

The Authors also have this Australian based site:
http://www.topspin.com.au/forerunnersofjaguar

New Book!

Peter Wilson and life at Jaguar’s competition department in the 1960s

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