After having been in the coachbuilding business for four years with a range of special bodies on other manufacturers’ chassis, by 1931 William Lyons and the Swallow Company felt ready to launch their own brand of car.

A ‘teaser’ campaign of advertising under the by-line, ‘Wait! – The SS is coming’ ran in the motoring magazines in the period up to the 1931 Motor Show.

The new cars were finally unveiled on 9 October 1931.Although still making use of chassis, engines and components supplied by the Standard Company, Lyons’ new cars were very different from the earlier Standard Swallows.

There were two models, the six-cylinder SS1 with 16hp or 20hp engines, and the SS2 with a four-cylinder 9hp engine of 1,006cc.

The SS1 had a specially designed chassis, while the smaller car used a Standard Little Nine chassis.

Both SS2 models had similar styling, with coupé bodies, dummy hood irons on blind rear quarters, and helmet type wings, but the larger car looked more impressive with its immen...