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.
If they had painted wheels they would have been painted SPOKES.
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”
The “DUKE” had better taste than that and I’m sure he wouldn’t have been seen dead in this one.
There is a different SS100 kit car model call “Duke”, made in Fargo. This one was made in Buffalo. It is not an accurate replica, but they sure are pretty. I’m currently working on one. There are a lot of different ‘tribute’ versions of these cars, and most of them are super cool. The Suffolk version is the closest to the original, which is why they are worth so much more.
This is a decent asking price. The right person will snatch this up quickly.
So, they wanted those fenders to look like wood?
These kits are essentially CARICATURES of an SS Jaguar 100. The 14 or 15 inch wheels and boxy, squarish rears are the main culprits. In England there used to be a very accurate-looking replica called the Suffolk, which was closed down by Jaguar a few years ago. Jay Leno drove one once and I believe the video is still available.
The ugly, boxy rear is there to cover the VW Beetle engine that most of these were powered by. The Gazelle suffered from the same aesthetics. The ones with the Ford 2.3 up front are the ones to look for, but they all have this same design gaffe.
Since I can’t edit, I’ll just say that a little research on the SS100 reveals that there were indeed a number of kits and replicas not based on the Beetle chassis. So I can’t say that the boxy butt was only there to cover a VW engine.
I have a Gazelle kit / 1929 Mercedes SSK that a high school friend built on a Pinto frame & drivetrain. Keep thinking about selling it so somebody can get some enjoyment out of it instead of sitting under a cover in my shop.
That has to be the ugliest “Replica” EVER !!
Was this car featured in the Beatles movie ‘Yellow Submarine’, perhaps treading down a staircase inside a mansion located.. somewhere.. I cannot remember…