The Squire SS100 roadster is arguably the least known production car produced by Intermeccanica. It is a nearly exact, full size replica of the 1937-9 Jaguar SS100 and was commissioned by Auto Sport Importers, Inc. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The old Jaguar classic was the inspiration behind the selection of the body style for the Squire, and it was intended to be an American sports car.

It took years of planning, designing, and negotiating before the dream finally began to take shape. It was designed/developed between 1969 & 1971 and was fabricated by Costruzione Automobili Intermeccanica in Trofarello (near Turin), Italy between 1972 and 1973. Only fifty Squires were ever manufactured, even though there were 100 Ford engines and drive trains shipped from the USA to Italy.

There was a severe shrinkage of inventory during the shipping and storage in Italy. All completed cars were shipped to the United States. Rumor has it that an extra car was assembled from spare parts and sold in Germany.

Since they were originally intended to be sold exclusively for the American market, all 50 cars were left hand drive. There were only three body colors offered - red, yellow and white.  The bodies of the Squire are hand laid-fiberglass mounted on a welded steel frame. The radiator shell and other parts were formed by hand beating metal laid over wooden bucks with sand bags. The 72 spoke Dunlop wire wheels are affixed with wrench type knock-off wheel nuts.   Other than an original design ladder type frame, all under carriage components are American Ford.

The Squires are powered by a Ford 250 cubic inch straight six OHV with either a Ford four speed top loader manual transmission or a Ford three speed (C-4) automatic. The rear end is a 9" Ford with fore & aft leaf springs. The front end has Ford "A" arms but the suspension is a torsion bar design built by Frank Reisner of Intermeccanica. There are Bendix hydraulic drum type brakes on all four wheels. Power options such as power steering and power brakes were not offered. The car came equipped with a heater, turn signals and flashers, and fog lights.  The interiors are all black leatherette with bucket seats and quite comfortable. All Squires had rag tops that were hand operated. Wind protection is achieved with rigid side curtains that have sliding Plexiglas windows inserted in the tops of the doors when the convertible top is in the cover position. Full Jaeger instrumentation completes the package.

The car is very responsive and corners like a true roadster. Owners have made certain modifications over the years to correct some defects in the original design or operation of the cars, consequently, no two Squires are exactly alike. The Squire SS100 is frequently mistaken for being a kit car but the owners are quick to dispel that impression.  

When Ed Felbin's marketing skills failed to successfully sell all of the Squire SS100s, he had them stored in a big red barn until 1975. Through a sries of introductions, Felbin was introduced to Dave Kaufman, a car collector in New Orleans. Kaufman quickly saw the potential for selling the 37 Squire SS100s that Felbin had stored in a big red Amish barn outside Philadelphia. Kaufman make a contract with Felbin to buy all 37 cars and set about selling them. Kaufman was kind enough to write up the complete story and all the details of his historic purchase of the unsold cars from Felbin and how he marketed them over the next nine months. Read all about in the September 2010 issue of the Squire SS100 Registry Newsletter.

The Squire SS100s have quietly slipped into collector car status in the past thirty years and have appreciated considerably in value. The Squire SS100 registry has located 45 of the original 50 cars in its list of owners and is looking for the remaining 5 cars. We have also located the original prototype in a garage in Philadelphia. Photos and the story can be found in the June 2010 newsletter listed below.