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Jowett Javelin and Jupiter - innovative, but only moderately successful

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Created on April 1, 1982

Reading time 6min

Written by:

Halwart Schrader

Photos:

Archiv

Jowett Javelin (1947) - frühe Nachkriegskonstruktion

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Jowett Javelin (1947) - mit geöffneter Motorhaube

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Jowett Javelin (1947) - Vierzylinderboxermotor mit rund 1200 cm3

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Jowett Javelin (1947) - innovative Limousine

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Jowett Javelin (1949) - auch vorne eine Sitzbank, Schaltung am Lenkrad

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Jowett Javelin (1949) - Blick auf die Rückbank

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Jowett Javelin (1949) - das hölzerne Armaturenbrett

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Jowett Javelin (1947) - Reserverad unterhalb des Kofferraums

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Jowett Javelin (1947) - aerodynamisch geformte Karosserie

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Jowett Javelin (1949) - die Vordertüren öffnen nach hinten

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Jowett Javelin (1949) - mit offener Motorhaube auf dem Genfer Autosalon 1949

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Jowett Javelin (1950) - Blick unter die Motorhaube

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Jowett Javelin (1950) - Testwagen im Winter

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Jowett Javelin (1950) - Testwagen in Zürich

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Jowett Javelin (1950) - Testwagen mit offener Motorhaube und hochgeklapptem Kühler

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Jowett Javelin (1948) - auf dem Genfer Autosalon 1948

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Jowett Javelin Mark III (1953) - zeitgemäss konstruiert und sorgfältig ausgestaltet - am Automobilsalon in Genf 1953

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Jowett Javellin (1950) - verschnönertes neues Instrumentenbrett - Genfer Autosalon 1950

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Jowett Javelin (1950) - auf dem Genfer Autosalon 1950

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Jowett Javelin (1952) - Kreisförmige Instrumente auf Nussbaum-Armaturenbrett

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Jowett Javelin (1950) - mit geöffneter Motorhaube

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Jowett Javelin (1950) - viertürige Limousine mit sechs Plätzen

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Jowett Javelin (1950) - viertüriger Testwagen

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Jowett Javelin (1952) - Durchsichtszeichnung

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Jowett Jupiter (1949) - Fahrgestell des Sportwagens, damals noch ERA Jupiter genannt

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Jowett Jupiter (1950) - Rohrrahmen des Sportwagens - Genfer Autosalon 1950

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Jowett Jupiter (1948) - Fahrgestell des Sportwagens, damals noch ERA Jupiter genannt

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Jowett Jupiter (1949) - längs eingebauter Vierzylinder-Boxermotor

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Jowett Jupiter (1949) - Blick auf den Unterboden

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Jowett Jupiter (1950) - der Vierzylinderboxermotor

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Jowett Jupiter (1950) - Blick auf den Motor

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Jowett Jupiter (1950) - Blick auf den Motor am Genfer Automobilsalon 1950

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Jowett Jupiter (1951) - an den 24 Stunden von Le Mans 1951

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Jowett Jupiter (1951) - zwischen dem Prototyp und einem MG bei den 24 Stunden von Le Mans 1951

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Jowett Jupiter (1953) - Rallye Monte Carlo 1953, Latune-Gay

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Jowett (1952) - Le Mans 1952 - Fahrer Becquart

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Jowett Jupiter Beutler (1951) - Spezialkarosserie aus der Schweiz

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Summary

The Jowett Javelin, introduced in 1947, was an interesting and innovative new design on the post-war market. The four-door saloon with a boxer front engine was very convincing, but the Jupiter sports car, which even won Le Mans class victories, was even more famous. This retrospective tells the story of the two almost forgotten models and can be seen in many historical illustrations and in the sales literature of the time.

This article contains the following chapters

Setting new standards
With ERA support
Interest in America
Even more sporting successes
Weak business
Aftermath
Good sales figures for the sedan
Technical data Jowett

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The Jowett, which never became well known outside the UK, was the creation of brothers Benjamin and William Jowett, two engineers from Bradford in Yorkshire. They built their first car in 1906. The history of the early Jowett automobiles is long and not without interest. The Bradford team never managed to produce large numbers, but they always found just enough buyers for their vehicles to make it worthwhile to continue. And when, after the end of the Second World War, car manufacturing in Great Britain got going again, Jowett was also involved. With the Javelin, an unorthodox small saloon, Jowett set new standards in 1947. In contrast to almost all other domestically produced cars, the Javelin had independent front and rear suspension with torsion bar suspension, an aerodynamically favorable body shape and a four-cylinder boxer engine, albeit a pre-war design.

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