Sunday, November 20, 2011

Carl's collection (1) the SS.

Last Wednesday was a great day. Meetings in Nuri gobbled up most of the morning so I missed lunch at the Tanunda Club with the Gawler mob but as I came around the corner into Basedow Road, I was just in time to slip up the street to Carl's with everyone to check out the latest happenings in the growing Jag collection. Lots to talk about but I'll start with the SS1.
I took photo number 3 because the tail of this car seems to be unique (well, to me anyway). Somebody queried whether it had Australian bodywork. That would be somewhat unlikely as it didn't arrive in Australia until about 1947 and was driven in the UK for 15 years. Yes it was built in 1932 which makes it a pretty early SS. I remember the car when I was in my late teens/early twenties and it belonged to Joe Holding, a bus operator in Kapunda (obviously when that line of business was lucrative). Joe had acquired it in about 1962 and 2 or 3 years after that he gave some thought to selling some of his cars which brought about my very first visit to Kapunda. For some reason or other I didn't get to buy the SS but never mind. Carl has had it since 1981. Joe was the instigator of our Kapunda museum. I didn't manage to buy one of his cars but I do have his old moth eaten Zeta owners manual.
My interest in the SS1 was brought about, I guess, by Judith Jervies' dad, Bob's example, also a 1932 car. It was always a good reason to go to Kadina, although I did like his Hotchkiss as well, not to mention the Blue Lake Thirsty. That 30/98 is worth another story another time as it lived its early days in Kapunda, at Anlaby Station to be exact and it was one of those mad Dutton blokes that drove it into the Blue Lake. Anyway, I digress. Here's Bob's SS1. I wonder where that is now.
Isn't it beautiful?

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