1947 Jowett Javelin

Jowett Javelin (Saloon), 1947-1953

The Jowett Javelin was in production from 1947-53. Styled by Gerald Palmer, it is a front-engine, rear wheel drive saloon seating up to six people.

The Javelin was Jowett's first all new car design after the Second World War, and ultimately would be the car that would sink the company. It was first seen in a 1946 cavalcade to celebrate 60 years of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, but production would take a further 16 months to begin in earnest. The Javelin was the result of a new broom at Jowett during the war in order to ensure its products were up to the minute once hostilities ceased. And the Javelin was that, with a lightweight monocoque, flat four engine ahead of the front wheels and streamlining to improve efficiency. Light to drive, it was an instant hit. Not only was it loved as a road car, but it won its class in the Monte Carlo Rally and also in the Spa 24 hour race. In the 1952 International RAC it won its class, and the 1953 Tulip Rally was won outright by a Javelin. With motorsport success and a premium product, Jowett could have become Yorkshires answer to BMW.

Where it all went wrong for Jowett was in production - because the Javelin was not a cheap car to make, and it was decided that there would be a cost saving if gearboxes were produced in house rather than bought in from Henry Meadows. But production problems meant that production couldn't meet demand, and soon trimmed bodies produced off-site by Briggs Motor Bodies were stacking up at the factory waiting for drivetrains. It was inevitable that with creditors to pay and without cars to sell Jowett would run out of money, and in 1953 Briggs stopped supplying bodies. The following year - with just the Jupiter left in its range - Jowett threw in the towel. It never went bankrupt, but instead sold its production facilities to a tractor manufacturer.

Rivals then and now would be prestigious cars with a mildly sporting air - four cylinder Rover P4s were perhaps a shade upmarket, but certainly the Riley RM range would have been an appropriate competitor, while the MG Y type would have appealed to those who wanted a Javelin but couldn't afford it. Fans of Continental cars might also consider the Borgward Isabella.