Javelin
The Jowett Javelin was produced from
1947 to 1953. The model went through five variants coded PA to PE, each having
a standard and "de luxe" option.
The production number can be decoded has:
E0 PD 20977
E = Decade E =1950’s
D = 1940’s
0 = Year in
the decade ie 1950
P = Passenger
D = production
series (fourth
20977 =
production number
The Javelin was designed by Gerald Palmer during World War II and was intended to be a major leap forward from the relatively staid designs of pre-war Jowetts.
Just over 23,000 units were produced.
The Javelin is
fitted with a 1486 cc water cooled flat four overhead valve engine. It
has an aluminium block and wet cylinder liners developing 50 bhp (37 kW) at 4100 rpm
(52.5 bhp in case of the PE). The
car had a maximum speed of 77 mph (124 km/h) and a 0-50 mph
(80 km/h) time of 13.4 seconds. Giving rise to the advertising slogan
“take a look as it passes you”
The PA (1951)
and PB (1952) versions were fitted with two Zenith carburettors The
radiator was behind the engine and a four-speed gearbox with column change was
used.
Early cars had
gearboxes made by the Henry Meadows company. Later, Jowett made the
gearboxes in-house, this decision proved to be a costly mistake. Even
though Jowett had some experience in transmission manufacturing, the project
went disastrously wrong. Bodies without power trains stacked up in the assembly
line because of problems in gearbox production.
Design features included aerodynamic styling with the headlights faired into the wings and, for the time, a steeply sloped, curved
windscreen. The body was of pressed steel, incorporating a box-section chassis,
and was made for Jowett by Briggs Motor Bodies in their Doncaster factory. The suspension used torsion-bars on all wheels
(independent at the front) and internal gear-and-pinion steering. PA and PB
models had mixed Girling hydraulic brakes at the front and mechanical braking at the rear.
Later versions were fully hydraulic.
The car was relatively expensive compared with
vehicles of the same type. The Javelin cost £819 when it was launched
Motor sport success
1949 - class win
Monte Carlo Rally
1949 - 2-litre
touring-car class win at the Spa 24-hour
1952 - class
win International RAC Rally