Fairfield-Echo

Henry Maimon makes no bones about it.

"I've always liked British cars. There is just something about them, the engineering, the styling, the history of all the various makes, I'm just fascinated with it," he said.

So it only makes sense that two of his cars entered in the second Dayton Concours d'Elegance at Carillon Park are Jaguars.

"With Jaguar being one of the featured marques, I thought I'd nominate my 1934 SS 2 and my 1948 Mk. IV and they were both accepted. I'm really looking forward to the event. I was out of town last year and couldn't attend, so this will be my first Concours here," he said.

Maimon's 1934 Jaguar SS 2 is a four-seat sports car, known as a Tourer. The SS comes from Standard Swallow, the name of the company, which became Jaguar in 1945. Dubbed the 2, it was the second design of the car, which featured a smaller engine and lower price than the 1 series. It sold for

395 pounds in 1934.

"It has a 4-cylinder, side valve flathead engine and two carburetors and a 4-speed transmission. It only has 38 horsepower, and a top speed of 61 mph, but it's great fun to drive," Maimon said.

A highly rare car, only 186 of the Tourer style were built over the two-year run of the car. The company also built 901 of the saloon body style and 154 coupes.

Maimon, a lifelong Daytonian, has owned the car for nearly 20 years, and describes it as "just a beautiful car of the '30s. I found another one about 15 years ago, and I bought it. It needs a complete restoration and I'm working on that now, but it'll be a long time before it's done."

Maimon is not a regular on the Concours or car show circuit.

"This car won its class a few years ago at the Ault Park Concours, and I've taken a car to British Car Day in Dayton a few times, but I just like to drive them. It's fun to share them with other people and talk about them."

You'll notice that Maimon doesn't appear in any of the photos.

"I don't need to be in the photos; it's about the cars, not me," he said.

But Maimon will be on the showfield at the Dayton Concours d'Elegance at Carillon Park on Sunday, Sept. 14, and he'll be very happy to answer questions and talk about his cars.

The Dayton Concours d'Elegance at Carillon Park is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parking is free in the field by the carillon; the entrance is on Carillon Boulevard. Admission is $10 for adults and there will be live entertainment, various food vendors on site and a hospitality area for AAA members.

The Parade of Class Champions will take place at 3 p.m. For more information, go online to www.daytonconcours.com.