For the average gearhead, horsepower and the throaty roar of a powerful V8 is undeniably attractive. But for the more discerning consumer, rare classic cars get even more notice. Pendine Historic Cars are offering 12 classic Jaguar sports cars to own from the collection of Dr. Christian Jenny. Sleek, well-detailed bodywork is a great place to start, pleasing views extend our gaze and Dr. Jenny’s Jaguar sports car collection is about the most curated fleet of vintage Jaguar coupes and roadsters ever to grace an auction.

Dr. Christian Jenny is known as Switzerland’s “Mr. Jaguar”. Rightly so, Jenny’s classic Jaguar obsession goes all the way back to the 1970s when his wife insisted on a true-blue British car. What they agreed on, was a gorgeous 12-cylinder Jaguar E-Type and Dr. Jenny was instantly hooked. Investing time and a huge degree of research, Christian Jenny discovered his classic Jaguar sports car collection had actually developed beyond that of an average classic car collector.

12 Classic Jaguar Sports Cars to Own from Pendine Historic Cars Auction

After approaching classic car historian Urs-Paul Ramseier, he confirmed his suspicions. His Jaguar collection was a who’s who and what’s what curated selection of milestone Jaguar saloons and sports cars. Jenny’s broad knowledge and laser focus on specific vintage Jaguar models even allowed him to write a definitive tome of classic Jaguars – The Jaguar Sports Car Collection. Today, Pendine Historic Cars is offering his entire collection for auction.

Offered for sale by Pendine Historic, many for the first time publicly, the Jaguar Sports Car Collection presents a unique opportunity to own cars from key milestones through the marque’s early history. Captured beautifully by Michel Zumbrunn, one of the classic Jaguar cars of the day old auction, the first ever Jaguar sports car, a 1935 SS 90 prototype has already been sold.

1935 SS 90 prototype – SOLD

The unique, hand built factory 1935 SS 90 prototype and multiple Pebble Beach Concours award winner is easily the most important car in Jaguar’s history. This classic Jaguar sports car started it all afterall. From this singular vessel, all of the British marque’s other classic car icons were birthed: the SS 100, XK120 and of course, the E-type.

There’s an undeniable sexiness in the SS90, a roadster body with a sporty, ground-hugging profile, hiding a 2.6 litre straight-six power-plant, the 1935 SS 90 prototype was snapped up slightly after the Pendine car auction opened. And which classic Jaguar lover wouldn’t? A fitted cockpit and a tapered tail, a spare wheel, the only point of contrast, the 18 inch wire wheels and open top roadster carries undeniable aesthetic and historical appeal. Not to mention, it’s crazy rare, 23 SS 90 prototypes were ever built and it provided the foundation for the SS 100.

Its modern life has been one of a show horse – show stopping appearances in the Pebble Beach concours d’elegance and a life of gentle driving in the Swiss alps.

1952 Jaguar C-Type

A bonafide classic sports car, this 1952 Jaguar C-Type was catching eyeballs and headlines in Europe’s brutal Le Mans 24 Hours. Raced by silver-screen legend Jack Douglas and his close friends, the XFC 023 chassis was one of the 53 XK120C C-Types and for three decades, it was considered lost.

The gorgeous sports car was a thorough-bred, raced, upgraded and traded until its purchase in 1962 by another “Mr. Jaguar”, a mechanic named Frank Schierenbeck. The 1952 Jaguar C-Type soon became embroiled in Schierenbeck’s messy divorce when the potential value of it forced the Jaguar classic car lover to hide it away from his soon to be ex-wife. For three decades, it remained hidden until 1997, ex-wife happily remarried, it was sold and restored by Jaguar legend Terry Larson.

1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I Coupés “The Geneva Launch Car”

The first ever Jaguar E-Type unveiled at Le Gastronomic du Parc des Eaux Vives, this 1961 Jaguar E-Type was one of three used on exhibition display at the Geneva show stand and arguably the most important non-competition E-Type prototypes ever hand built.

Documentation shows that after its debut, it was registered for Swiss roads under a Chief Executive named Georges Filippinetti and while he was also the founder of the Scuderia Filippinetti race team, the Jaguar E-Type Series I was never recorded to be raced. The provenance of this classic sports car was not known until it was acquired in 1999 by an administrator of the University of Lausanne. Since then, the many body parts have been carefully restored to factory and period authentic components making this 1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I Coupés “The Geneva Launch Car” immensely important.

1935 SS 90 ‘Captain Black’ – Under Offer

The first production sports car ever sold by the British carmaker, it was delivered to Captain John Black, chairman of the Standard Motor Company, the supplier of SS car engines, giving this classic car its nickname and the provenance of being driven by the chairman of the firm which provides its beating heart.

For over 25 years, the 1935 SS 90 ‘Captain Black’ changed hands several times but while it was driven and enjoyed, it was never restored until 1988, when Dr. Hugh Palmer oversaw a complete restoration over two years by Fullbridge Carriage Company of Waldon, Essex. Soon after, it became part of the famed Walter Hill collection in Florida for close to two decades, when it finally found its home in Dr. Christian Jenny’s collection in 2006.

1937 SS Jaguar 100 2.5 litre

Meticulously restored by Terry Larson, this 1937 SS Jaguar 100 2.5 litre is a 2004 Pebble Beach award winner. Her first owner took delivery from London distributor Henlys early in the summer of 1937 and it was none other than Swiss native Hans Aichele, a Winter Olympics medalist for bobsledding. Documentation shows that the classic Jaguar sports car was driven till April 1954 when it passed into the hands of Zürich-born graphic designer named Paul Staub, beginning the classic car’s life of ownership by Swiss designers and architects.

Eventually, this 1937 SS Jaguar 100 ended up in Utah where US Jaguar expert Terry Larson restored it. In 1986, it won its first prize in the concours d’elegance for its then owner Peter Tacon at the 50th Anniversary SS 100 rally in Stratford-upon-Avon. This was followed by wins at 2004 Pebble Beach, 2006 British Classic Cars Meeting in St. Moritz and its graceful showing in 2007  at the Villa d’Este concours at Lake Como, Italy.

1938 SS Jaguar 100 3.5 litre

Restored by legendary S.S. restorer David Barber, this 1938 SS Jaguar 100 3.5 litre has been not only an exhibition horse but a race-horse. It had the biggest, 3.5-litre version of SS’s Standard-based straight-six OHV engine of its era – an extraordinary production road car with top speeds of over 100 mph.

Supplied to a member of British Consulate staff in Prague, the 1938 SS Jaguar 100 survived World War II before being sold to a Prague glove manufacturer in 1948. Suffice it to say, life in communist Prague behind the Iron Curtain made maintenance of this British classic car problematic at best. It changed hands a few times before being smuggled out of Germany where it finally arrived at the workshop of Classic Restorations and SS guru David Barber in 1983.

It was here, restoration of this classic Jaguar sports car began in earnest but what Barber discovered was astounding – the internals were almost pristine – all the main mechanical components like engine, gearbox, axles, suspension, steering and instruments had been very well maintained, all that was left to do was to dismantle and replace the shoddy homemade bodywork.

1949 Jaguar Alloy XK120 Roadster

This 1949 Jaguar Alloy XK120 Roadster is so named for its special build run. When demand was overwhelming at the 1948 London motor show, the British carmaker decided to adjust its plans and increase the production run of the Alloy XK120 to 240 hand-made limited editions; distinguishing it from the production model steel editions.

This 1949 Jaguar Alloy XK120 Roadster was bought by Albert ‘Bätsch’ Scherrer of Riehen, Basle where in one of the rare instances, actually used for what it was born to do – race. It became the first Jaguar to compete on the European continent after the war and the most successful XK120 in competition in Switzerland. By 1955, it was retired from active racing and the classic Jaguar was used as  a road car for 33 years when it was finally acquired in 1988 and restored to its original distinctive bronze paintwork.

1950 Jaguar XK120 Roadster

One of the very earliest steel-bodied cars to arrive in Switzerland, this 1950 Jaguar XK120 Roadster was used in local races including a publicised race between alloy XK120 owner Albert Scherrer (who won by the way) during the Steckborn-Eichhoelzli hillclimb on 24 April 1955.

Little is known about the classic car until 1970s when Swiss XK connoisseur Urs Schmid rediscovered the vintage Jaguar and restored it for sale. By 1975, the 1950 Jaguar XK120 Roadster had returned into the hands of Switzerland’s classic Jaguar-owning community. In 2011, the XK120 was lovingly restored to factory specs including a complete  overhaul of the drivetrain was undertaken by GB Classic Cars.

1955 Jaguar XK140 SE Roadster

Exceptionally maintained in the racing context, that is to say, in the realm of high octane racing, parts get worn from use and then have to be replaced or rebuilt (i.e. it has a correct 3.4-litre SE-spec engine from the period but a rebuilt cylinder head to C-type design which gives 10% more power than the factory default 190bhp); otherwise, this 1955 Jaguar XK140 SE Roadster is ostensibly fairly factory original given its racing pedigree. A one time winner and regular participant of the Rallye International des Alpes Historique, this 1955 Jaguar XK140 SE Roadster was eventually imported to Switzerland in the 1980s where it remained and was updated in 2005.

1960 Jaguar XK150 3.8 S Roadster

In the production total of 9400 XK150s produced at Browns Lane, this model is but 1 of 14 Left Hand Drive XK150 3.8 S Roadsters and it counts within the 1471 S spec roadsters. An S spec roadster enjoys improved cylinder heads with better gas-flow, triple 3in SU carburettors, and all equating to a near-20% leap in power in a standard XK150s engine. In fact, with the 20% improvement, most consider it an all new engine, and one more powerful than Ferrari’s 250 SWB V12 powerplant. Over the years, the classic car was used and then overhauled and Terry Larson was once again involved in this classic Jaguar sports car’s restoration.

1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I Roadster

The 12th Roadster in the USA, it is one of the oldest E-types then surviving in the USA. This 1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I Roadster retains all the important attributes of a very early E-type: flat footwell floors, bonnet locks secured with a T-key, welded-in bonnet louvres made from separate metal pieces, a double-hinged boot lid and wing baffles spot-welded inside the bonnet – All real treat considering its unadulterated form, meticulously kept by James F. King III of Library, Pennsylvania for over 10 years from 1977 to 1990. That said, some modern improvements like hardened valve seats, a stainless-steel exhaust system and a new radiator make the car a worry-free everyday pleasure. Nevertheless, they do not detract from the authenticity of the classic car, having been specifically requested by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust at the 40th anniversary celebration of the E-type in Geneva in 2001.

1972 Jaguar E-Type Series III V12 Roadster

Dr. Christian Jenny was not this 1972 Jaguar E-Type Series III V12 Roadster’s first owner but he was its last. Only 12 E-type Series III V12 roadsters were officially imported into Switzerland by the long-time concessionaire STREAG, making the owner a member of an elite club of Jaguar sports cars. The 1972 Jaguar E-Type Series III V12 Roadster is largely original and unrestored with matching numbers and serials for the last 47 years and now, up for sale at Pendine Historic Cars auction.

Make your enquiries at for the Jaguar collection at Pendine Historic Cars.

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