The SS90 captured the essence of 1930s sporting style and opened the door to a series of models that established Jaguar as a world marque

Wi l l i a m Walmsley, who had i n i t i a t e d the original Swallow Sidecar and which William Lyons had brought to a wider audience, made other contributions to the business. Within a few years of establishing Swallow, the two men had expanded into coachbuilt-cars and moved from Blackpool to Coventry, where many of the motor manufacturers of the day were based. Indeed, it was Walmsley who altered the original SS1 design to make it practical to build and easier to get in and out of. By 1934 the two Williams had quite different ideas as to how SS Cars Ltd should develop. Lyons wanted to expand, but Walmsley did not share his views and simply wanted to enjoy his life as it was. He was keen on their products – he drove an SS1 – and this led to another diversion that would benefit the business.

A few years ago, this big car show moved from Turin to Padua, due to the massive rise in price demanded by the owners of the Lingotto, the former site of Fiat motor car production. However, a slimmed-down version of Automoto – the ‘motor show’ – returned last year.

Having secured a press pass, thanks to Gaynor providing me with accreditation to the show, I travelled down to see what was what and, walking under the old ramp of the Lingotto factory to the entrance, I wondered whether the new Jaguar would be there. It was a three-day event and I was there on the first day, a working day, so not many people around, although 27,000 attended over the three days.