The cost of building a nice example was placed around £20k when everything was taken into consideration - although looking at the price list it seems that one could be put together for a lot less. We liked Mr Williams' straightforward approach and his business like demeanour. Lastly, when we each came to consider whether it would find a place in our imaginary stable of cars, we both nodded - hard several times.

Any ohc in-line six cylinder engine from teh 1949 XJ onwards can be used but the 4235cc 4.2 litre is the preferred motor. The gearbox must be the later, compact, overdrive unit. Manual boxes are scarce now but the company can source any part you require from a set of instruments to a complete donor, so its probably best to talk to them before going out and buying a dead jaguar only to find they could have supplied you with a more suitable donor.

We were fortunate to have three owners present with their cars during our test, Jim Gould, a structural engineer from Chelmsford, bought along his metallic red example (PAP 21), engraver Dick Rud arrived in his very smart white car (YVF 807) and Robert Bousfield, a fashion agent, turned up in his car which was painted in soil red (WSV 384). You will notice that the cars are not Q-plated; this is because a majority of the parts used are from a single donor, so they can get away with retaining the original number or, changing them for a cherished number if desired.

Both Jim and Dick built their cars themselves and said that while they spent many hours over the construction they encountered no serious problems. Neither customer kept an accurate tally on the hours but Dick took years to complete his car simply because he kept running out of money, while Jim said that it was the detail work that soaked-up the time.

Without doubt it is the attention to detail lavished on these cars that makes them outstanding and it is a tribute to the fabrication work of Terry Rowan that enables such a high level of finish to be obtained. The photographs that accompany this article tell their own story but what may not be apparent is the high quality of the fittings. Turn the chromed knobs to fold the windscreen and they move with silky precision; check out the handbrake lever and see that it is a specially made item that mirrors that of the original, even the leather straps holding down the folded hood look as if they were turned out by a 1930's saddle make.

Of the three owners, only Jim Gould had the courage to turn the car over to us for a test drive, bless him. Just as Autocar discovered when they tested the original all those years ago, the driving position is perfect for the car. Sitting rather upright, but with well placed controls, I felt entirely in command. All round vision was, of course, superb but that wasn't the only factor that gave me an almost instant feeling of being at home in the cockpit. John Kalli calls it the arm/bum/leg factor - others simply call it good ergonomics - whatever, William Lyons got it right all those years ago and Terry has copied it to a 'T' .

The 4.2 six cylinder engine delivers something like 180 bhp at 3000 rpm. Not only is it beautiful to look at (i know someone who has it all polished up and mounted on a stand in his hall) but it's silky smooth with bags of torque. Couple that with the lightweight of the replica compared to the heavy XJ saloon, which this engine powered in its precious life, and you have a recipe for quick motoring.

Our test route was mostly around a series of twisting country lanes which would test the handling of any car and especially one with tall eighteen inch wheels which were fitted with narrow crossplies, but the SS100 coped remarkably well. It could be unsettled by putting on too much power too soon in a bend, but that was deliberately provocative driving. Generally the car was well balanced and great fun, it turned-in sharply and gripped well; when it was pushed too hard, the crossplies gave plenty of warning that all was not right. That was in the dry, in the wet it may be a different story, with the tyres not gripping nearly so well as radials.

With its big four spoked steering wheel, straight gear-shift and that view down a seemingly mile-long bonnet, the SS100 really does feel like a period motorcar. However, there was no sign of the twitchy, jarring ride that is sometimes apparent with an older vehicle, on the contrary it was supple and comfortable, The car ran straight and true with no bump steer, and a nice, light accurate feel to the steering. Modern brakes were well up to stopping the car straight and quick in an emergency, so I didn't feel obliged to brake too far in advance of a corner. Although we didn't feel able to take this customer's car anywhere near it's limits, we did drive it quite quickly when we lost sight of the owner travelling in an accompanying car (sorry, Jim) and it was obvious that it would be a fast fuss-free passage maker.

Our photographer for the day, Barry Collyer, is well over 6'2" and he had no trouble in finding enough leg and shoulder room. Although the SS100 is at its best on a sunny day there is a practical hood and sidescreen arrangement which seems to be quick to erect and it looks as though it would keep the weather where it belongs; on the outside. Enough luggage for a few days break can be carried behind the seats, so the car would make for a wonderful touring machine - in fact, one or two drove down to Le Mans this year, carrying the necessary camping equipment.

When Autocar tested the 3.5 litre Jaguar SS100 in 1938 they said "It can be driven quietly and not attract undue attention, and it is not a machine that calls for any trick methods of control." and "Possessed of high maximum speed and terrific acceleration as it is , the S. S. 100 is still a real pleasure for gentle motoring, not only because the engine is docile, but also because the car is under definite control in every way and the driver has first class visibility. He is seated at the correct height and angle for confidence". Jaguar's later 'Grace, Space and Pace' just about summed it up

I wonder what the Autocar test drivers would have made of the Trac SS100. Without doubt, they would have instantly recognised the car because it is a very accurate replica of 'Bill' Lyons' original creation. It looks so much like the real thing that when we stopped in a quiet Suffolk village a man came leffing it up the main street, huffing and puffing "I've got one of those, I've got one of those but it's not in as good condition as these."

As we explained that he was looking at a kitcar, expressions of disbelief, indignation, grudging admiration then full blown enthusiasm flitted across his face. After ten minutes of crawling all over the cars he was asking the right sort of questions. How long to build? how much? where do i write for details?
So, as for being able to drive quietly and not attract undue attention, forget it. The Trac SS100 acts as a magnet for every passer-by, as I'm sure the Jaguar did in 1938. And, just as before, the car has a redefined air of quality about it that causes people to suck in their breath and say "They don't make 'em like that anymore"

So why aren't they selling by the dozen? Well briefly its a question of marketing. Terry Rowan, the guy who designed and created the replica, is a first class engineer and a very, very busy man. He makes all sorts of replica parts for the trade and restores original Jaguar SS100s - Sixteen hour working days are the norm for him and he just did not have time to promote the kit. It also has to be said that Terry focuses his attention on turning out products of the best possible quality - but selling them is not his forte.

Eventually he did the sensible thing and sold the project to someone who has both the time and the expertise to market the car in the way it should be done. Roger Williams runs Club '89, the people who organise track days that enable you to take your car on all UK circuits and have some serious fun for not a lot of money. The point is that Roger, with his background in motor racing and with sound business experience, feels he is able to exploit the full potential of the now re-named Suffolk SS100.

Of course, there was only one possible donor car for this project - the XJ Series Jaguar. Any XJ can be used. The Series One has solid discs which look better behind the wire spoke wheels but four pot callipers, which go with the vented discs of later series Jags., perform better and they can be used with solid discs if a spacer is employed. In any event, dummy brake drums can be fitted which effectively disguise the works behind them.

On the Jaguar, both the front and rear suspension systems are carried on self contained beams but these are discarded when building the SS100, so that on the front, only wishbones, uprights and spring pans are used; the original springs and dampers are replaced by coil/damper units. The steering rack is retained - the long turret version as used in models made from '68 to '76 is preferred because it is slower, but all racks need converting from power steering. Suffolk Sports cars, as the new company is called, can carry out this work for a small sum.

It's a similar story at the rear, all the suspension components are retained but, again, the beam is not used. In order to achieve the same track dimension as the original, the drive shafts and wishbones require shortening and these items can be supplied on and exchange basis.

Despite its rather exotic appearance, the car is mechanically simple and the donor components are carried on a straightforward ladder frame chassis which is fully bracketed and finished - there's no further fabrication work to be done. The main bodywork is in glassfibre with special bonded-in subframes, while the bonned is in aluminium. A single piece tub, to which the wings are bolted, locates precisely on the chassis and this should be the basis of a relatively easy build.

The manufacturers say that the dimensions of the Suffolk SS100 are exactly the same as those of the original Jaguar. Being sceptics we whipped out the tape measure and ran a check on the measurements, as you can see from our sketch here, they were but a whisker from the original's. In fact, the company say they also supply the panels to owners of the real Jaguar SS100s.

When drawing things together at the conclusion of the test, a few key points made an impact on both Barry and myself. Firstly the enthusiasm of the owners. Quite simply, they loved their cars. Robert Bousfield, the one who purchased a ready-built example , was, if anything, even more enthusiastic than the others, so it wasn't a case of mothers loving their chicks. The quality of the fittings was excellent and we very much enjoyed being in the test car for the way it performed, its comfort and ambience. We were very impressed by the authentic appearance of the car.