Jowett Javelin: the streamlined post-war family saloon

The Jowett Javelin was Jowett’s bold post-war saloon, designed by Gerald Palmer during the Second World War and produced from 1947 to 1953. A streamlined six-seater with a 1486 cc flat-four engine, independent suspension and a body built by Briggs Motor Bodies, it won its class on the Monte Carlo Rally in 1949 and became the Bradford firm’s best-known car.

Jowett Javelin at a glance

History of the Jowett Javelin

### A leap forward

The Javelin was designed by Gerald Palmer during the war as a complete break from the pre-war Jowetts. Not yet in full production, it first appeared in public on 27 July 1946 in the SMMT cavalcade marking 60 years of the British motor industry, which was started by the King in Regent’s Park and wound through London’s West End. Series production was not fully under way until November 1947.

### Body and chassis

The pressed-steel body, with a box-section chassis incorporated, was made for Jowett by Briggs Motor Bodies at Doncaster. Styling was aerodynamic, with the headlights faired into the wings and a steeply curved windscreen — a first for a British production car. Suspension used torsion bars at all four wheels, independent at the front, and steering was by internal rack and pinion. Overall the car was about 14 ft long and weighed around one tonne, depending on model and year.

### Engineering and troubles

The 1486 cc overhead-valve flat four had an aluminium block and wet cylinder liners, two Zenith carburettors and a compression ratio of 7.2:1; the radiator sat behind the engine. Early cars used gearboxes from Henry Meadows, but Jowett later made its own, a decision that went badly wrong: bodies without powertrains stacked up on the assembly line as gearbox production faltered. PA and PB cars had Girling hydraulic brakes at the front and mechanical brakes at the rear; later versions were fully hydraulic.

### Five series

The model ran through five variants, PA to PE, with the designation changed to coincide with the London Motor Show each November, although engineering changes came whenever they were needed. The PA came in one version with cloth or leather seats; the PB added a de luxe option with leather and a walnut dashboard, while the standard car kept the PA’s metal dashboard and vinyl seats. That two-tier range lasted to the end of production.

### Competition

An early Javelin won the 1.5-litre class on the 1949 Monte Carlo Rally, and another took the 2-litre touring-car class at the Spa 24 Hours that year. A Javelin won its class and the Best Closed Car award on the 1952 International RAC Rally, and a privately entered car won the 1953 Tulip Rally outright.

Design and features

• Aerodynamic body: faired headlights and a curved windscreen, a British production first.
• Flat-four engine: 1486 cc, aluminium block and wet liners, mounted ahead of the front axle.
• Torsion-bar suspension: independent at the front, with rack-and-pinion steering.
• Six-seater practicality: a roomy body with light controls and a restful ride, according to The Times in 1949.
• Competition record: class wins on the Monte Carlo, Spa 24 Hours and RAC rallies.

Jowett Javelin versions

• PA: the original single-specification car, cloth or leather seats optional, hydraulic front and mechanical rear brakes.
• PB: added a de luxe version with leather seats and a walnut dashboard alongside a simplified standard car.
• PC and PD: the intermediate series as engineering changes arrived.
• PE: the final series, with 52.5 bhp.

The Javelin’s powertrain went into the sports Jowett Jupiter, and its flat twin ancestor was the Jowett Seven; the van of the range was the Jowett Bradford. More cars are in the Jowett collection.

Video: Classic British Cars – Jowett Javelin and Humber Super Snipe

Video on YouTube.

Sources

• Jowett Javelin, English Wikipedia: design, engineering, series, dimensions, competition