Everyone at British Sports Cars is excited to have this living piece of history in our shop. This is a truly amazing vehicle with a very interesting background. According to the third owner, Charles Boettcher, the vehicle was purchased from Amelia Earhart in New York just before she was going to trade it in to a used car dealer. The car was also owned by the son of Nobel Prize-winning chemist Dr. Linus Pauling. The car has had eight owners throughout its lifespan, and now it’s looking for another.

The Lineage

Mable de Parcen – London, England
Amelia Earhardt
Charles Boettcher – Denver, Colorado and Honolulu, Hawaii
George Brangier – Honolulu, Hawaii
William “Bill” Nylon – Honolulu, Hawaii
Jaclyn Anderson – Honolulu, Hawaii
Dr. Linus Pauling, Jr. – Honolulu, Hawaii
Charles M. Black – Honolulu, Hawaii

More Info on Selected Owners

Charles Boettcher
Much is known about Mr. Boettcher and his philanthropic family. He started in the hardware business in Colorado, amassing a large fortune. He owned the Brown palace in Denver, among other investments. His former home is now the governor’s mansion for Colorado (gifted to the state.) His passion was flying. His second wife Mae was the first woman pilot registered in the state of Colorado. Mr. and Mrs. Boettcher received national attention shortly after the Lindberg kidnapping when they too were kidnapped.

Mr. and Mrs. Boettcher built a home on Kailua beach designed by Vladimir Ossipoff, the most renowned architect in Hawaii, and then willed it to the City of Honolulu as a park. The current owner has spoken to all the living, former owners of the SS1 and when he spoke to Mr. Boettcher, he told him that he had purchased the SS from that famous woman pilot Amelia Earhart as she was about to turn it in to a used car lot in New York. He then brought it to Hawaii to use as his Honolulu car.

George Brangier
Founded Kahala Sportswear Company, and was the the creator of the first Aloha Shirts.

William “Bill” Nylon
A Honolulu appliance dealer who had several exotic cars in his collection.

Jaclyn Anderson
Was a Society artist and painted the SS metallic brown inside and out.

Dr. Linus C. Pauling Jr.
A psychiatrist, he was the son of the of the famous Nobel Prize- winning chemist of vitamin C fame. Dr. Pauling’s wife Anita was the granddaughter of Cyrus McCormack of International Harvester Co.

Charles M. Black ASID, IIDA
Charles, the current owner, founded several Hawaiian companies and local organizations, including Tantalus Community Association Historic Hawaii Foundation (one of the most successful state wide preservation organizations) and is a Trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington DC.
Mr. Black is a descendent of the leader of the first missionary company to come to Hawaii in 1920 (The Rev. Hiram Bingham) whose grandson was the discoverer of Machu Picchu in Peru. Dr. Pauling gave the SS to Mr. Black as a wedding present in 1961.

Mr. Black began the restoration in 1975 when he partnered with a friend who had successfully restored several old cars. Unfortunately, the friend suffered a heart attack just after he had taken the SS totally apart, leaving Charles with a lot of pieces to sort out. Charles was able to find people to work on the SS, but the progress was slow and twice he had to find another garage and mechanic with three days notice to move the huge pile of parts. Three years ago, he was introduced to a friend of his father who lived in Honolulu part-time, and restored old Jaguars in Las Vegas. Mr. Fred Balcar looked at the car said he could take it on. Charles put it all in a container and shipped it to Las Vegas. He now has a running automobile, and the upholstery has been beautifully done by K&H upholstery in Garden Grove, California.

This extraordinary automobile runs and drives, and came with several boxes of spare parts which included the correct headlamps and brackets. The next owner will need to give it some TLC to finish off the restoration of this rare classic. Please feel free to ask questions and leave comments!

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1935 Jaguar SS 1 Tourer 20 HP