Few cars are designed by one man, but the Jowett Javelin certainly qualifies for that honour. Although its engine was a flat-four, the entire design was laid out by Gerald Palmer, who had already learned much of his craft at MG and in the Nuffield Organisation.
For far too long, Jowett cars, which were made in Bradford, had been simple, rugged, but technically backward, so for its post-war project the company hired Palmer, to give them valuable new ideas. Designed while the Second World War was still blazing, the Javelin made its debut in the austerity years which followed, and immediately drew praise because of its style and performance.
By Jowett standards, there was innovation everywhere, not only in the style and the engine, but in the body construction and the use of independent front suspension. Based around a unit-construction four-door saloon body shell, which was supplied by Briggs Motor Bodies in Doncaster, the new Javelin had a high nose but a long sweeping tail, which by the standards of the day was remarkably wind-cheating. Creditable in any other make of car, by Jowett’s previous standards it was breathtakingly novel.
The flat-four engine was completely new, and once a series of teething problems had been sorted out, it also proved to be remarkably tuneable. This ensured that Palmer could endow it with sparkling performance – it was at least 10 mph faster than other comparable British 1.5-litre cars of the day – and very capable roadholding.
The Javelin soon began to get a name for itself, especially in long-distance rallies, and the arrival of a specialised sports car (the Jupiter) based on the same running gear all helped transform Jowett’s reputation. Successful Javelin outings in the French Alpine and Monte Carlo rallies, and by the Jupiter in the Le Mans 24 Hour race, all confirmed the pedigree. |
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Unfortunately Jowett did not have a vast dealer network with which to tackle their bigger rivals (Ford, Austin and Morris) head on, nor could they sell the Javelin cheaply enough to seriously threaten them, so it was never financially possible to facelift the original style, nor to invest in a new one. Well known transmission reliability problems didn’t help; a high selling price also took its toll, and by the early 1950s the Javelin was well past its peak. Even though a new generation Jupiter sports car was being designed, the last cars were built in 1953.
In seven years a total of 22,799 Javelins, and 899 Jupiters, were produced. The style of the car drew praise with its high nose and long sweeping tail. It had good roadholding and its performance was at least 10 mph faster than other comparable cars of the day.
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