Kit cars are often born out of a desire to recreate a vehicle that was loved by many and that remained widely sought after, even years past its retirement date. Ferraris, Cobras, GT40s are all obvious candidates for discovering as a kit-based recreation. However, there are some vehicles that while significant in the course of history, we sometimes forget were also conceived as a replica; in this instance, it’s a Duke Jaguar SS100 roadster. The Jaguar SS100 is a very special car, and you can see one of its most obvious calling cards in the form of its oversized headlights. Find this Duke kit car here on craigslist for $11,000 in Alabama.
We sometimes take for granted the wide availability of sports and other high performance models that we enjoy today, but when the SS100 was introduced, vehicles built for speed were still a rare sight on any road, domestic or abroad. The SS100 was a wonderful bit of kit, with striking looks that seemingly screamed performance, and a willing drivetrain that could break the magical 100 miles per hour mark which was still a number deemed pure fantasy for a road car. The SS100 packed a powerful punch, with later versions featuring a powerful 3.5L inline-six engine fed by twin SU carbs. Earlier editions were slightly more humble; the S3 is the most sought-after version for sure.
The most sporting SS100 Jaguar offered drivers 125 b.h.p. and could reach 60 in a few ticks past 10 seconds. A low curb weight, strong brakes, and a signature hinged folding windshield made it a veritable race car for the road, and the experience of driving one must have felt downright exotic. Like all good things, production was limited, and Jaguar only built 116 examples with the 3.5L engine, and a grad total of 314 examples across all configurations – which is why kit cars like this Duke SS100 exist. You simply can’t find one with any sort of ease, and it will take a few hundred thousand dollars to acquire one if you do.
The Duke follows a familiar recipe of using a narrow body set between large, swooping fenders. It gets some of the neoclassical details right, but it’s a short list – I simply like the fact that the headlights are a touch oversized, which always stood out to me as a trademark feature of the original SS100. When you compare this to the Mercedes-Benz SSK kit car, they’re really not all that different, but this Duke kit does appear to be nicely finished on the interior with good cosmetics, and a reliable Ford-derived 4-cylinder under the hood. If you want the best SS100 kit car, look for one built by Suffolk; otherwise, this Duke has your name on it. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Jack M. for the tip.
A fairly accurate replica, but too much “look at me”. When you see an original they are pretty restrained with darker colors and painted wheels which give them a more compact appearance. But, “look at me” is what cars and coffee is all about.
I sold one of these for a neighbor. I don’t think they ever realized how hard that was to do. As I remember it wasn’t very profitable for me to do and not much fun.
I got excited thinking that it was once owned by “The Duke”