Jowett Javelin

Jowett Javelin

1952 Jowett Javelin
Overview
Manufacturer Jowett Cars Ltd
Production 1947–1953. 23,307 made.[1]
Assembly Great Britain
Australia [2]
Designer Gerald Palmer
Body and chassis
Body style 4 door saloon
Powertrain
Engine Jowett flat four, 1486 cc
Transmission 4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase 102 in (2,591 mm) [3]
Length 168 in (4,267 mm) [3]
Width 60 in (1,524 mm) [3]
Height 61 in (1,549 mm)[4]
Curb weight 2,120 lb (962 kg) [3]
Chronology
Successor none

The Jowett Javelin is an automobile that was produced from 1947 to 1953 by Jowett Cars Ltd of Idle, near Bradford in England. The model went through five variants labelled PA to PE, each having a standard and "de luxe" option. The car was designed by Gerald Palmer during World War II and was intended to be a major leap forward following the relatively staid designs of pre-war Jowetts. Just over 23,000 units were produced.

Powertrain

The flat four overhead valve engine of 1486 cc with a compression ratio of 7.2:1 was water-cooled and had an aluminium block and wet cylinder liners. It developed 50 bhp (37 kW) at 4100 rpm (52.5 bhp in the case of the PE) giving the car a maximum speed of 77 mph (124 km/h) and a 0-50 mph (80 km/h) time of 13.4 seconds.[3] Two Zenith carburettors were fitted and PA and PB versions had hydraulic tappets. The radiator was behind the engine. A four-speed gearbox with column change was used. Early cars had gearboxes made by the Henry Meadows company, whilst the remainder of the cars had gearboxes made by Jowett themselves. The decision to make the gearboxes in house proved to be a costly mistake for Jowett.[5] Even though Jowett had some experience in transmission manufacturing, the project went disastrously wrong; powertrainless bodies stacked up in the assembly line because of problems in the gearbox production.[6]

The horizontally opposed engine is very low immediately behind the grille and in front of the radiator

Design features

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.

Dimensions

The car had a wheelbase of 102 inches (2,600 mm) and a track of 51 inches (1,300 mm). Overall the car was 14 feet (4.3 m) long, 5 feet (1.5 m) wide and weighed about a ton (Imperial ton = 2240 lb) depending on model and year. The car was expensive costing £819 at launch.[1]

Performance

A de-luxe saloon version tested by The Motor magazine in 1953 had a top speed of 82.4 mph (132.6 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 20.9 seconds. A fuel consumption of 29.1 miles per imperial gallon (9.7 L/100 km; 24.2 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1207 including taxes.[4]

Sporting achievements

An early example won in its class at the 1949 Monte Carlo Rally whilst another won the 2-litre touring-car class at the Spa 24-hour race that same year. In the 1952 International RAC Rally a Javelin again won its class and also took the "Best Closed Car" award, while the 1953 International Tulip Rally was won outright by a privately entered Javelin.

Popular culture

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Robson, G (2006). A-Z of British Cars 1945-1980. Devon, UK: Herridge. ISBN 0-9541063-9-3.
  2. ↑ New Car Prices, Wheels magazine, May 1953, page 38
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Culshaw; Horrobin (1974). Complete Catalogue of British Cars. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-16689-2.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Anonymous (8 April 1953). "The Jowett Javelin Road Test". The Motor.
  5. ↑ Images of Motoring: Jowett by Noel Stokoe (ISBN 0752417231)
  6. ↑ Enqvist, Jan (December 2013). "Jowett Javelin 1951: Traaginen sankari". Mobilisti. 8/2013: 99.
  7. ↑ "YouTube - How To Irritate People - The Car Salesman". Retrieved 2010-06-24.
  8. ↑ webcitation.org Review of Ballykissangel episode 4
  9. ↑ "Ballykissangel - The Ultimate Resource". Retrieved 2010-06-24.

External links

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