Through some intense investigative work, we have been able to track down the surviving relatives of the former owners of the Walmsley. They've provided photos, stories and helped us create a timeline of the car's history here in the U.S. (See the time-line)
The car was brought to the States by Raymond and Beryl Strachonowski who lived out West. In old correspondence we've found, we read that they received the car as a wedding gift while he was stationed in the UK.
Speaking to their daughter recently, she confirms that there was no backseat in the car. It's been 5 decades since she's seen the car, but she still remembers a great deal of the car and the enjoyment it brought to the family. She told us many interesting stories, like when the car caused a traffic jam shortly after it arrived back in the states. So many motorists were trying to get a look at this unusual car, that state police had to escort the vehicle through traffic with lights flashing and sirens sounding.
She couldn't recall if there was a radio in the car, but a letter from the SS factory to the EKCO radio company confirms that a radio had been installed in Walmsley's car in 1934. This was certainly one of the first in the UK fitted with a "wireless."
The car was eventually sold to Harold Farmer back East where it remained for 40 years, for the most part parked in a corner of his garage. A friend of the family has been helpful in understanding that much of what we see today on the car is original, although not necessarily in the condition he remembers.
When our customer found it, the car was complete for the most part, but in many pieces scattered in Farmer's garage. Everything was gathered up, the chassis and frame were packed separately and loaded into a truck.
In 1922 William Lyons and William Walmsley opened the Swallow Sidecar Company (which would later become Jaguar). By the late 20s and early 30s, they were doing brisk business selling their stylish sidecars and re-bodying other manufacturers' chassis. Working around the constraints of other manufacturers had its limits, and the company decided to build their own car in 1931. They called their first "real car" the S.S. 1. It was heralded a sensation by the motoring press - and its styling would go on to inspire Jaguars for decades to come.
As co-founder, William Walmsley commissioned Chassis # 247564 as a special S.S. 1 two seater for his personal use. The 20HP vehicle was constructed on the standard S.S. 1 chassis, and was the first Jaguar sports car ever constructed, built a year before the SS 90. The image you see here is the only known photo of this bespoke automobile, in front of Walmsley's Swallowdene residence circa the 1930s.
Now, 70-plus years later we're proud to be part of what the world's leading S.S. historian calls "one of the most important finds ever concerning the SS."
Brian S. Beni, a long-time Black Horse Garage customer and owner of the world's most comprehensive S.S. collection, has acquired this legendary automobile, and entrusted us to return it to its former magnificence. We've constructed a special room in our facility just for the restoration of this car and look forward to the important job ahead.
Our first task was the painstaking process of tracking down all known details, researching the life of this car in order to understand what it once was, and what it will be again. During our hands-on work, we've discovered that the Walmsley Special 2 Seater is bodied in 18-gauge aluminum. Fortunately, this coachwork has been extremely well preserved and will remain original and intact. Notable styling details include the stylish rear body and wing treatment as well as the fully louvered bonnet and apron.
Other discoveries along the way include the trafficators (see photo below), the chromed wire wheels, the spare stowed in boot and a convertible top that hinges internally and stows behind the seats under a hinged alloy panel
Check back from time to time to see the transformation of this rolling piece of history.
