In recent times a new television channel in the UK, Talking Pictures TV, has been showing lots of generally British films from the 30s, 40s 50s and 60s. Unfortunately it doesn’t have web streaming or broadcast beyond the UK.
Last night it broadcast the film “Sleeping Tiger” that features a number of appearances including a high speed chase of a 1937 2½ litre SS Jaguar saloon.
All of our cars have their various advantages and disadvantages. The 1937 has beautiful proportions but is rather lacking in rear seat leg room and it also suffers from a nasty broken line in the leading edge of the front doors but this is nicely concealed in black cars as in this film.
Here are a few frames from the film. Unfortunately it doesn’t end well for EFC 164.
I also sometimes switch to Talking Pictures late at night to help send me to sleep. I missed “Sleeping Tiger”, but luckily it is to be repeated this coming Thursday, 20th December, at 9:00 pm on Talking Pictures. It gets a four-star review, is the first film directed by Joseph Losey and stars Dirk Bogarde.
Low door handles, central instrument cluster with amp and oil pressure gauges combined, faired sidelamps and crossbraced chassis put it as a '37 coachbuilt 2.5 litre, which in 1954 when this flick was released probably means it was just a low value expendable used car at the time.
One horn and no fog lights? Maybe the other one was lost.
Now, in order to buy a car how many lamps do I need to sell? And how many handbooks do I need to sell? Surely it would be easier to make reproduction books rather than lamps.
Well I’ve been looking at the amazing asking prices on ebay. Amongst the offerings a 1934 SS1 sales brochure for 2,499 pounds, in very good condition. I’m thinking I have two of these. One an original and one an unbelievably good repro from a batch made a few years ago. I can tell my original because the centre leaves are missing but apart from looking a bit older i can’t pick it from the repro. Yes gets one thinking but there are some interesting asking prices on ebay even if I’m inclined to think something in there moves a decimal place or two
