Jowett Javelin: a rare 40s - 50s British car

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  • Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
  • Today's video is about the Jowett Javelin - let me know what you think and don't forget to like and subscribe for future videos on mid-century cars
    Thank you so much to the Great British Car Journey team - visit the museum or find out more about the attraction here: greatbritishca...
    Check out channel sponsor Bidding Classics to buy yourself a classic, or perhaps sell the one in your garage at home to free up the space for something new: bit.ly/BiddingC...
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    Jowett Javelin
    Jowett as a company was founded back in 1901 and like many vehicle manufacturers of today, begun by making bicycles. The company rebranded as Jowett motor manufacturing company in 1904, with their first car produced in 1906. However, it wasn’t until 1910 when the vehicles became available to the buying public.
    Whereas the Javelin was a universal car designed for worldwide appeal, their first car was designed to be simple and tackle the local terrain: a low weight vehicle with low speed torque and gearing ratios suited to the hills and high points of Yorkshire.
    1914 sees the outbreak of the First World War, which means the factory output is put on hold for war efforts and it’s not until 1919 when the company takes on its factory in Idle, Bradford and begins producing cars.
    Keeping this brief, there are then a few highs and lows. 1921 is the first London Motor Show for the Yorkshire based car manufacturer and takes it nationwide. A fire in 1931 sets them back briefly and in mid 35 the company becomes publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange.
    And then we have the Second World War, which once again, puts things on hold.
    But unlike many, Jowett didn’t take those wartime years as a pause and were still working away in the background. They knew that the cars post war needed to be far more advanced than what had been offered pre-war and drafted in Gerald Palmer in 1942, who had lead the design on the MG Y type.
    Palmer got to work and his car was the Javelin, debuted in 47 and on sale from 48.
    Knowing post-war cars would need mass appeal and to be able to sell globally for company success and to meet those government steel quotas, he applied his lived experiences of early life in Zimbabwe and applied this to the road handling considerations; knowing roads overseas would need much more.
    The Javelin was an all new design and combined sleek monocoque coachwork with a new 1.5 litre flat four engine said to be capable of sports car performance at instant command.
    Apologies at this point, because I do refer to it as a slant four engine later on when I meant flat four!
    Suspension was torsion bar with rack and pinion steering and you’ll see when we go driving, the low centre of gravity means it really sticks to the road. It’s easy to see why it was a car which competed in many a race and had an outright victory at the 1953 Tulip Rally.
    There were two levels of trim: standard and deluxe. This car we test here today is a deluxe, given away by the door card arm rests.
    Sadly the car whilst loved by motoring experts, was simply too much for a small firm. We talk about some of the problems later, but there simply wasn’t the infrastructure to push the car or to make the sales quotas happen and there ended up being piles of parts and it led to Jowett closing down in 1954.
    But Jowett isn’t a name we should forget: the club is thriving and active, the cars are still perfectly usable and as you’ll see here today when in 1947, motor sport magazine described it as an astonishing car and a credit to the British technician, they were absolutely spot on.

КОМЕНТАРІ • 349

  • @paulsutton5896
    @paulsutton5896 Рік тому +7

    Very accomplished gear-changing, if I might say so.
    I hope the "mink" coat is faux!

    • @idriveaclassic
      @idriveaclassic  Рік тому +6

      I’ve pinned comments elsewhere where I’ve been wearing this coat and it’s a 1970s St Michael fake fur. It was unworn when I bought it and I wear it sparingly hence why it still looks so good on film. In real life you can tell it’s plastic fur not real 😂

    • @paulsutton5896
      @paulsutton5896 Рік тому +1

      @@idriveaclassic
      In that case, I apologise for mentioning it.

    • @idriveaclassic
      @idriveaclassic  Рік тому +5

      @@paulsutton5896 honestly I’d rather people asked! I am a veggie of many years, it would knock me for six to wear some poor little creature.

    • @paulsutton5896
      @paulsutton5896 Рік тому +3

      @@idriveaclassic
      Excellent.
      I too have been a vegetarian for about forty years.
      I am proud of that fact.
      But secretly, I think of myself as a failed vegan.

    • @zurcherzurich213
      @zurcherzurich213 4 місяці тому

      ​@@idriveaclassic😅 Greetings from Switzerland 🎉

  • @dominicrichardson5546
    @dominicrichardson5546 Рік тому +24

    A wonderfully well designed car for the time. Having the door handles flow into the chrome trim is a piece of genius and looks gorgeous

    • @emjayay
      @emjayay Рік тому +2

      Like a 1961-63 Thunderbird, except those didn't move and there was a separate button.

    • @dominicrichardson5546
      @dominicrichardson5546 Рік тому +2

      @emjayay and the javelin was over 10 years older and from a much smaller company, very impressive

    • @paulmartin7737
      @paulmartin7737 Рік тому +1

      Spotted those, they didnt appear on a lot of other manufacturers until early 70s. Also, no quarterlight window

    • @jamesellsworth9673
      @jamesellsworth9673 Рік тому +2

      Those door handles are 'brilliant' in design and fine in function!

  • @85waspnest
    @85waspnest Рік тому +36

    Steph - After commenting on your last video about the Standard Vanguard, you've just granted my wish, which was for you to feature a Jowett Javelin. My grandfather bought a new one in black in 1949 from North Riding Motors in York, the price - £999. Grandad passed away in 1955 when my father inherited the car which served us well until 1962. I have many childhood memories of holiday trips to Scotland, the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. I can confirm what you say about their 82 mph top speed after nagging dad to put his foot down one day !!! Although I considered the car old fashioned as more modern cars arrived in the 1960s, I was sad to see the old girl sold and miss her comfort, space and personality to this day.

  • @michaelhalsall5684
    @michaelhalsall5684 Рік тому +5

    Jowett was the maker of the rather humble little "Bradford" commercial vehicles , vans and pickups. When the car production finished in the 1950s Jowett was working on a new model of the Bradord van. An alternative future for Jowett would have been to just concentrate on commercial vehicles.

    • @subz555
      @subz555 Рік тому

      They were also working on the R4 Jupiter that was to share the same frame as the CD Bradford except it was a shorter wheel base. If only they held out for another year or two we may have got the new models produced

  • @GavinWalker-cf9se
    @GavinWalker-cf9se Рік тому +4

    Thanks Steph for a lovely review. Anybody interested in Jowetts, as part of the JCC Centenary there will be a Jowett meeting at the Great British Car Journey on June 18th 2023.

  • @randolfo1265
    @randolfo1265 Рік тому +2

    Everybody likes to see a nicely restored car but an original running and driving survivor like this is pure gold!

  • @mdshonkkc
    @mdshonkkc Рік тому +11

    I live in the States, and I had never heard of Jowett or seen one before. Thank you so much for the history and the detailed views of this car. And you look beautiful sitting in it!

    • @seed_drill7135
      @seed_drill7135 Рік тому

      Me either. Looks a bit like the Chrysler Airflow with a more restrained front end.

    • @subz555
      @subz555 Рік тому +1

      Jowett sold Jupiters to the USA. That was the sports car model using same engine / drive train that’s in the Javelin. There is a Jupiter owners club there.

  • @paulboyle6857
    @paulboyle6857 Рік тому +3

    Hi Steph,following my racing Vanguard info,there was a Javelin racing at the Goodwood revival a year or two back(!) Back in the the day they ran works Jupiters at Le Mans.Just goes to show you can more or less race anything with right know-how & workshop! I recall going to an auction in the early 60,s & seeing a Javelin knocked down for less than £20! Great looking machine.Happy days.

  • @lesklower7281
    @lesklower7281 Рік тому +5

    I saw a Jowet Javelin at an all british car show about 35 years ago and l have never forgotten it the bonnet was open and l saw the engine configuration and l thought how different the layout was but to see a review all these years later was fantastic thank you Steph

    • @stephenholland5930
      @stephenholland5930 Рік тому +1

      Yes, it would've been nice to see the engine on this example.

    • @lesklower7281
      @lesklower7281 Рік тому

      @@stephenholland5930 Athough it looks like a 1940s car but the configuration of the engine and gearbox also been a water cooled flat four so different from any other car from the 1940s proerably the most unusual car of the 1940s the Volkswagen Beetle had an air cooled flat four but the engine was at the rear but the engineering was very good it worked and that was done without the use of computers

  • @johnf3326
    @johnf3326 Рік тому +8

    What style! Super colour too!

    • @idriveaclassic
      @idriveaclassic  Рік тому +2

      It’s the colour for me

    • @caw25sha
      @caw25sha Рік тому

      Assuming it's authentic which I'm pretty sure it is, it must have been rather startling at the time. I wonder what it's called.

  • @davidjones332
    @davidjones332 Рік тому +4

    The "P" I suspect is for panel lights. When this car was built it was illegal to park without lights, even in a 30 mph limit, so all cars had a separate switch to kill all unnecessary lights to save the battery. My 1967 Morris still had that facility.

  • @bernardcromarty485
    @bernardcromarty485 Рік тому +16

    Back in the 1950s my grandad had a grocer's shop, and his workhorse was a Jowett Bradford van. Then another one! Then around 1959 he switched to the Morris Traveller (Jowetts no longer available). Aw, Steph, PLEASE find a Bradford!! Ideally in maroon...

    • @robredz
      @robredz Рік тому +2

      There was a Jowett Bradford vqan around Colwyn Bay up to about 5 years ago not seen it for age4s, hope in in a garage safe somewhere unique sound from that Flat twin engine.

    • @subz555
      @subz555 Рік тому

      My father restored a CA Bradford. I can’t remember what year 46-47? He painted it Maroon and Black.

  • @TheStobb50
    @TheStobb50 Рік тому +14

    That must’ve been strong well-built cars I was born in 1960 and I can remember these still on the road into the early 70s

    • @idriveaclassic
      @idriveaclassic  Рік тому +5

      Oh deffo. Just too expensive/too ambitious for world post war I think. Another great example of too much too soon is the Austin Atlantic (another favourite of mine…)

  • @paulchappell
    @paulchappell Рік тому +27

    Wonderful review! Thank you, Steph. I knew vaguely that Jowett Javelins were somewhat upscale but I wasn't expecting such an attractive interior. What a great car.

  • @garethonthetube
    @garethonthetube Рік тому +1

    My maternal grandfather had a Javelin. I have a couple of colour slides of the car in Norway when they travelled there in 1957. He was nothing if not adventurous! Sadly that was before my time, but I do remember his Mk2 Zephyr.

  • @MarriedToTheKGB
    @MarriedToTheKGB Рік тому +4

    Shockingly beautiful bodywork

  • @Roger.Coleman1949
    @Roger.Coleman1949 Рік тому +16

    Great enthusiastic review as always Steph, the ' P ' switch on the right is for ' Panel ' or dashboard instrument lamps .A school teacher of mine, Mr Hurst had one , trading in an Austin Ruby for a black Javelin and always said what a wonderful car it was !.

    • @idriveaclassic
      @idriveaclassic  Рік тому +6

      Thank you for telling me. We were all stumped and I was incredibly tired when I made this. I think with a bit more sleep I might’ve had a spark of thought 😂😂

  • @SeattleSoulFan
    @SeattleSoulFan Рік тому +6

    Steph, I tweeted to you a few months ago asking you to do the Javelin, and you came through-thank you! Fascinating car that would definitely have a place in my fantasy garage. Building transmissions in-house was a cost-saving move. In hindsight, they would have done better to keep buying them in from H. E. Meadows.
    There was a Javelin in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. It was 500 miles from Seattle, so I never quite mustered up the initiative to contact the owner and ask if I could come and see it. I understand that he’s now deceased, and his son sold the car to someone in the eastern United States.
    Recommended reading: "Auto Architect," the autobiography of Gerald Palmer. Jowett Javelin and Jupiter: The Complete Story," by Geoff McAuley and Edmund Nankivell.
    The suspension was indeed torsion bars all around, but I don’t think it was fully independent. The car had a live rear axle.

  • @johnclements6852
    @johnclements6852 Рік тому +6

    Thanks for this Jowett video. Steph, what a lovely car for its time and well worth its asking price. One other factor leading to closure was the purchase by Ford of Jowett's body builder Briggs, which could no longer supply bodies. Regardless, the club and Bradford can be proud of Jowett's place in British motoring history.

    • @davidjones332
      @davidjones332 Рік тому +3

      At the time Jowett owed Briggs an absolute fortune, so it was no surprise they stopped supplying Jowett. Briggs also built the bodies for the Standard 8 & 10, but they continued to supply Standard Triumph until they were superceded by the Triumph Herald. The other car effectively killed off by the Ford takeover was the Lanchester 10. Lanchester were forced to change to a coachbuilt Barker body which upped the price.

    • @johnclements6852
      @johnclements6852 Рік тому

      ​@David Jones Thanks for that information, David. I don't recall reading about that.

  • @jerryashlock5519
    @jerryashlock5519 Рік тому +2

    this channel provides a great service for those of us who never get to experience cars like the Javelin ... also love the hostess is lovely and very informed

  • @mikewysko2268
    @mikewysko2268 Рік тому +5

    The British certainly made some magnificent vehicles back in the day.

    • @wossisname4540
      @wossisname4540 Рік тому

      They certainly did!
      Alas, the big boys didn't like tiddlers like Jowett and they caused Pressed Steel to be born. A jolly good idea as it had the effect of putting the little squirts out of action.

  • @tadpoles10
    @tadpoles10 Рік тому +3

    Like (Roger Coleman) I also had a teacher with a 'Jowett Javelin' silver coloured back in the early fifties (1952-56).
    Mr Jones was the science teacher of 'Tweenaway SM School for Boys Paignton'.
    I recall the car was used every annual sports day to power the 'loudspeaker' system around the sports field. Thanks for sharing Steph t ...

    • @subz555
      @subz555 Рік тому +1

      I think that’s a common occurrence. Two guys in the car club were both teachers and both drove black Javelins when they were teaching

  • @pembridgehouse
    @pembridgehouse Рік тому +1

    A friend had one of these in the late 60's . We had some fun on staurtday nights cruisin around in it. Thanks for posting.

  • @williamnethercott4364
    @williamnethercott4364 Рік тому +2

    When I was growing up in the early sixties, there was a Javelin at the end of the street. It had a unique look and I asked my father what it was. He told me and since he knew a lot about cars, added that Jowetts were well made quality cars. Naturally, I have thought of them in that way ever since, so I was pleased when your review confirmed it.

  • @frederickherring2284
    @frederickherring2284 Рік тому +2

    What an absolutely beautifully looking motor car. Can you imagine turning up at Tescos to do the shop.

  • @allanmollison6971
    @allanmollison6971 Рік тому +3

    Thanks again for sharing Steph. The Jowett Javelin looks similar in appearance to the Standard Vanguard. 😊👍

  • @SBCBears
    @SBCBears 4 місяці тому

    The lines are beautiful. This is one of those cars that I wish were produced today. Modern underpinnings, of course, but the lovely design would grace our roads.

  • @GodfreyWalpole
    @GodfreyWalpole Рік тому +2

    What a lovely video of one of my favourite makes of classic cars ,I first fell in love with the javelin around 1950 when i was 10years old and my dad was looking to buy his first car but unfortunatly they were far to expensive ,however i never lost my affection for jowetts and in 1977 i bought and restored a jupiter which i kept for 33years and i still know its present owner. i think your videos are great and imformative I would just add that i would think the stiff column change is due to lack of lubrication in the many joints of this system as they are known to be one of the best , i could change with one finger, the P switch is for panel lights and lastly the javelin had worm & peg steering box , the jupiter had rack & pinion.

  • @suemason6952
    @suemason6952 Рік тому +1

    Very proud to be a member of the Great British Jowett Car Club celebrating its centenary year: the oldest single marque car club in the world!

  • @Steven-p4j
    @Steven-p4j Рік тому +4

    So reminiscent of the Morris Minor, Which was still popular as a reasonable modern car through to the 70s, and with the enlarged rear light, much admired.

    • @caw25sha
      @caw25sha Рік тому +1

      It's probably more comparable to the Morris Six, although with 4 cylinders.

    • @Steven-p4j
      @Steven-p4j Рік тому +2

      @@caw25sha Yes, I do agree, I was referring to overall body shape, although slightly over scale. I should have made myself clearer. Those Morris minors were a treat to drive, with a high level of driver engagement.

  • @jennydonne8946
    @jennydonne8946 Рік тому +2

    My Grandad always talked about the Javalin as a car he liked. That is definitely a car to have and that engine is so smooth, I do like the sound of a flat 4 engine, I love the Citroën flat 4 and this is a lot smoother.

  • @fruitychink
    @fruitychink Рік тому +4

    Brilliant . As a student in Aberdeen in the sixties and seventies , a friend of mine had a Javelin and a Jupiter . I drove them both and they were immense in terms of finish and performance compared to my old Anglia !!! I was so jealous .

  • @ClassicCabFrance
    @ClassicCabFrance Рік тому +4

    Thanks so much, Steph : I was secretly expecting a serious Jowett Javelin drive test from you, as I bought a rare LHD 1950 belgian car a few years ago ....

  • @en3usiastfortesque368
    @en3usiastfortesque368 Рік тому +2

    Great review of a great innovative car....!!.....Am I the only viewer that sees echoes of Tatra, VW, Porsche etc with their flat-4 engines and aerodynamic styling.......

  • @martinlintzgy1361
    @martinlintzgy1361 Рік тому +1

    At last... a Javelin.
    Always been fascinated by these cars.

  • @bruceburns1672
    @bruceburns1672 Рік тому +4

    This car looks like a quality car , great styling and fit and finish , how could a car company fail producing that .

    • @keith-nb8ps
      @keith-nb8ps Рік тому

      Pressed Steel made the body...Jowett was in front of its time..The British Leyland Company told Pressed Steel Co. that if they kept producing bodies for JOWETT they would take their custom elsewhere so they had no way of making their own futuristic bodies, which is why Jowett stopped production..

    • @isleofthanet
      @isleofthanet Рік тому

      @@keith-nb8ps No it wasnt, it was Briggs Bodies first at Dagenham and later at Doncaster built the Javelin along with the Bradford van. The gearbox issue led to Javelins being stockpiled all round the works and beyond, waiting to have their gearboxes replaced. There was a downturn in sales both here and overseas then later Briggs was bought out by Ford.

  • @philipemery5503
    @philipemery5503 Рік тому +7

    My old friend who passed away recently had a passion for rebuilding old cars. The Jawa he rebuilt was far superior to the one I saw in a motor museum. I remember going away and collecting a rear windscreen for him when I took my daughter to Uni. I had to be very careful with it as it was curved. I do not know what his family did with the cars he rebuilt. Will never forget them or the years he spent working on them and working a normal job👌

  • @clivebennett7985
    @clivebennett7985 Рік тому +1

    My uncle had one and it was just a great car . I was only a kid back then but I remember people said it was 10 years ahead of it's time

  • @onestopshop-py1gm
    @onestopshop-py1gm 4 місяці тому +2

    Ive just had a call from E Jowetts son, i am the proud relative of the Jowett family & am currently looking at joining the jowett car club. At the moment i cannot say more, but i hope to be able to help him learn all about a family that we never knew existed until i went through my late mothers belongings and found all the proof & things we have!!
    Hopefully this will be interesting to all Jowett fans! Or maybe not lol!

    • @idriveaclassic
      @idriveaclassic  4 місяці тому

      I would love to speak to him if you can share my email address!

    • @onestopshop-py1gm
      @onestopshop-py1gm 4 місяці тому

      @idriveaclassic He seems such a lovely man. Do you have a private address i could message you on?

    • @onestopshop-py1gm
      @onestopshop-py1gm 4 місяці тому

      @idriveaclassic Id love to share more details but its far to early on at the moment. I must respect his privacy, as im sure you understand.

  • @brentfairlie
    @brentfairlie Рік тому +4

    Yay!!...been waiting for you to do a Jowett. I love these cars. My very first car was a 31 year old Javelin. It was such fun. I have since owned 36 cars but it is my Javelin that i regret selling the most. If i could afford one now i would sell my great little Citigo and buy one AND use it everyday. We hve a great owners club for Jowett here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Thanks for the review

    • @Zeppelin--Acid
      @Zeppelin--Acid 8 місяців тому

      Im related to the Jowett family, my gran or Auntie were related.
      My mum was adopted by my gran, Irene Wood.
      In Bradford in 1947, my mum was from Ireland.
      Id love to hear from someone about the family, i have a family photo & also a grandfather clock made by him. I remember the name Elsie Jowett getting talked about a lot when i was little.

  • @christopherhunter2892
    @christopherhunter2892 Рік тому +3

    Great sounding engine. Quite a sophisticated car for its’ time.

  • @jmills1549
    @jmills1549 Рік тому +1

    Dad used to have one, I remember me and older brother using back of car as a slide.... Dad was always fixing it... But what car back the did not need fixing..... Good motor... Happy times.

  • @stephenricketts7764
    @stephenricketts7764 Рік тому +2

    Beautiful old car. You could certainly say 'they don't make them like that anymore.' Almost big enough for a board meeting! Thank you Steph for a great review.👍👍

  • @andrewdavis3928
    @andrewdavis3928 Рік тому +1

    That is what I learnt to drive in - a very nice car to drive - try to get yourself drive of the sporty model - the Jupiter - they are fairly rare nowadays - the last one I saw on the road was a participant in Targa Tasmania in the Classic section - that was in the 1980's

  • @SvennsCarchannel
    @SvennsCarchannel Рік тому +4

    Oh they are so beautiful 🥰

  • @paulsutton5896
    @paulsutton5896 Рік тому +3

    Dreadful shame that Jowett died when it did.
    The company had a problem with broken crankshafts.
    They hired the services of a renowned German (Austrian) engineer: Robert Eberan von Eberhorst who solved the problem. This was just after the war, remember.
    I think this contributed to Jowett's reputation for unreliability.
    However, what eventually "put the boot in" was that sales slowed as a result of its reputational problems.
    With its problems behind it, Jowett was ready to sell its vehicles again.
    But it was contracted to receive bodies from its supplier: Briggs at a certain rate.
    Briggs was then bought by Ford and it refused to vary the original agreement.
    Ten years later, BMC had contracted to buy four litre engines from Rolls Royce, but couldn't use them up fast enough.
    Rolls Royce was similarly intransigent and refused to countenance a change to the supply rate.
    Austin Healey could have helped. But BMC thought they were already in enough trouble.
    I think this, like Jowett, was a great opportunity lost.

    • @subz555
      @subz555 Рік тому

      If Jowett was able to hold on for another couple of years we would had seen the next few models of Jowett that was prototypes being put though for testing. The R4 Jupiter and CD Bradford.
      Dad thought the company could had still made Bradfords as a stop gap measure since it was the only model making the company money. Till the new models where ready

  • @berwhaletheavenger
    @berwhaletheavenger Рік тому +2

    Sounds like a Subaru! I suspect I'd die of frustration by the lack of oomph but it's a lovely car. Gerald Palmer was a very clever man and the equal of Issigonis.

    • @zacknrudi
      @zacknrudi Рік тому

      Was thinking the very same! Early Subaru engine sound.

  • @mandoprince1
    @mandoprince1 Рік тому +1

    Love the sound of that flat four engine!

  • @11carbuff19572011
    @11carbuff19572011 Рік тому +7

    Looked unmistakably like the Standard Vanguard that you test drove last weekend, although it has a smaller engine. There was a total of 22,799 Javelins produced between 1947 and 1953.

    • @idriveaclassic
      @idriveaclassic  Рік тому +7

      I’m quite keen to own one of these before I pass on!

  • @fatbelly27
    @fatbelly27 Рік тому +2

    Lovely car. My school caretaker had one.

  • @johnrobinshaw4180
    @johnrobinshaw4180 2 місяці тому

    Happy childhood memories. Thank you

  • @johnoksys7713
    @johnoksys7713 Рік тому +1

    Thanks For Another Great Video Steph That's What I Love About Your The Variety Of Vehicles You Show & Drive Nice Dress

  • @saxon-mt5by
    @saxon-mt5by Рік тому +2

    Yes, Steph, H is for heater - It's the black circular box down by your feet, just visible behind the compass.

    • @emjayay
      @emjayay Рік тому

      How did the controls work? There must be one for fan speeds unless the H knob just turned the heat on (or cleverly twisted for fan speeds) with one fan speed. And almost always a floor or windscreen control.

    • @saxon-mt5by
      @saxon-mt5by Рік тому +1

      @@emjayay There was just a single speed fan (on or off) and two flaps on the heater unit itself to direct the heat, such as it was, to your feet or the screen. Also a valve in the engine compartment to isolate the heater from the cooling system in the summer.

  • @promerops
    @promerops Рік тому

    My maternal grandfather had one. He was quite an enthusiast and owned a number of different cars and motorbikes in his time. By the time I had appeared and was taking notice, he had unfortunately given up driving, but my mother told me the Javelin was his favourite of them all. She was not at all a technically-minded person, but she told me she could always tell a Jowett by its engine note. Thanks for a great video, Stef. Colin.

  • @roygardiner2229
    @roygardiner2229 Рік тому +1

    Thank you for an excellent review. As a lad I remember a neighbour owning a gold coloured Jowett Javelin: at the time the body shape seemed futuristic.

  • @FAS1948
    @FAS1948 Рік тому

    I've not driven one, but I remember a chap in Bury who collected them. They were definitely ahead of their time.

  • @neilpiper9889
    @neilpiper9889 Рік тому +2

    In 1956 my art teacher had a Bradford van made by Jowett Cool vehicle.

  • @peterward3965
    @peterward3965 Рік тому +3

    Drove to Sunderland circa 1980 to buy a 1955 Singer Hunter, the guy also had a Javelin, he took us for a spin it it and I recall it being quite spacious in the back. Surely that long shelf fixed to the back of the drivers seat wasn't standard was it? As I don't recall one in the Javelin I drove in. Enjoyable video thank you.

    • @subz555
      @subz555 Рік тому +1

      Deluxe model had it. Unsure if the standard model had one fitted

    • @peterward3965
      @peterward3965 Рік тому

      @@subz555 thank you for the info.

  • @simonhodgetts6530
    @simonhodgetts6530 Рік тому +3

    Wow! You’ve batted out of the park with this one Steph!! The Javelin is a thing of immense beauty! Such an advanced and clever car for the time - very sophisticated engineering…….sadly maybe a bit too sophisticated when compared with the competition at the time? Lovely, lovely things!! Thank you!!

  • @cornishhh
    @cornishhh Рік тому +2

    The father of one of my friends did his engineering apprenticeship at Jowetts; naturally he was from Bradford, and it was an aspirational company to work for. Soon after he qualified the company went out of business and the factory went over to producing International Harvester tractors.
    The Javelin was streets ahead of any other British medium sized family saloon of its time.

  • @johnledingham852
    @johnledingham852 Рік тому

    My family moved to Queensland in 1958, when I was 11. The father of the first mate I made drove a Jowett Javelin. It was a cool car!
    When I got married and we honeymooned in Tasmania, our temporary landlord also owned a Jowett Javelin. That was a hoot as well!
    It was so good to enjoy your Jowett Javelin video tonight. You helped this 76 year old relive some memories from my youthful days!

  • @Mighty_Cat_Mods
    @Mighty_Cat_Mods Рік тому +1

    Thank you, we enjoyed this video enormously. 🐈
    There's nothing better than watching someone having fun.

  • @markhealey9409
    @markhealey9409 Рік тому +1

    Cool cars! I saw lots of Jowett's om display at the Industrial Museum in Bradford about 3 years ago!😍😍

  • @bilko529
    @bilko529 Рік тому

    I could watch your videos all day . Thank you Steph x

  • @christopherward5065
    @christopherward5065 Рік тому +1

    As you did your walk around I was amazed at the quality of the panels and shut lines. It was advanced for its times. I saw one about ten years ago and was surprised at how neat and compact it looked. It’s quite American in its styling. Lovely review.

  • @tiplady44
    @tiplady44 10 місяців тому

    My dad had one in 1961 learned to drive in it ,for its day was a class car

  • @gordonmynard855
    @gordonmynard855 Рік тому

    A Jowett Javelin was bought new by a neighbour of ours in country Australia. I understand that at the time you ordered a car and hoped for delivery. He hit the jackpot. My father had ten cars in time the Jowett just went on and on. We never knew him well enough to get a ride so you've filled a gap in my knowledge.

  • @davidaustin2172
    @davidaustin2172 Рік тому +3

    All those gauges! They tell you all is right, or going wrong. Not the idiot lights of today when it comes on WHEN it’s gone wrong! Thanks for the superb video.
    Ps, my first car was a'36 Ford 8 Y type. (EPH 465] wish I had it today!

  • @jamesellsworth9673
    @jamesellsworth9673 Рік тому

    Working the engine and transmission through the gears produces a wonderful series of sounds!

  • @Puksart
    @Puksart Рік тому +2

    Guess my wish came early this year seeing a Jowett being featured. I went to the NEC Birmingham Classics show in 2019 and remember the Jowett club. There was an old lady who wishes for her car to go to a better home. We had a talk and it seems that the car had been with her for some time and she's selling it for a relatively small price. I was eager to buy it from her but I left the show empty-handed. As Thailand doesn't allow classic car imports even tho we had a long history with cars since the early days and had some very interesting cars back then. So classics become extremely rare as they are bought overseas on one-way tickets and many times overpriced if you do find one. It's a long story. If only we allow legal imports of classics, oh what inspirations these time machines will offer for future generations.
    It took me 10 years to find a car and that's an adventure I'm writing for a British car club I'm a part of.

  • @pauldavies6037
    @pauldavies6037 Рік тому +4

    Such a shame Jowett couldn't keep in business after making the Javelin and Jupiter cars they were really special and that plush interior!

    • @453421abcdefg12345
      @453421abcdefg12345 Рік тому

      I think the main reason they stopped production was that BMC bought the company that pressed the body panels and would no longer produce competitors components. Chris B.

    • @pauldavies6037
      @pauldavies6037 Рік тому

      @@453421abcdefg12345 Yes the company was Pressed Steel and that was the end for them

    • @idriveaclassic
      @idriveaclassic  Рік тому

      That was an element of it, however, all bodies were honoured and as mentioned they piling up with no incoming orders :(

  • @sevesellors2831
    @sevesellors2831 Рік тому +1

    Great review my dad had one in the mid fifties in green too, he loved it.

  • @josephmifsud8261
    @josephmifsud8261 10 місяців тому

    A beautiful colour. It suits the car perfectly. The build quality is top notch too. A rare little beauty

  • @alltransman5033
    @alltransman5033 Рік тому +3

    Hi steph, enjoyed the video, I remember as a kid seeing Bradford vans. I guess this was the commercial arm of jowett, always thought the engines had a strange sound

    • @markallison4794
      @markallison4794 Рік тому +2

      I learned to drive in a Bradford van in NZ in 1955! Horizontally opposed twin, thermosyphon cooling, 3-speed crash gearbox, talk about basic. But I can still double-declutch up and down. Later had the pleasure of driving both Javelins and the sports version, the Jupiter.
      Steph didn't mention the Javelin has a worm drive diff to give a lower floor line. That car was really innovative -- and I guess paid the price. Deserved better.

    • @subz555
      @subz555 Рік тому

      Mark I learnt to also drive in a CC Bradford. One of 4 cars I learnt to drive in early 2000s
      I’ve driven a few Javelins. My fathers one was converted to Toyota gear box with floor change. Nice car I just found the the wheel well by the fire wall would make my new hurt after driving it for a while. I had to have my leg off to one side that caused the issue.
      I’m restoring a Bradford truck at the moment

    • @markallison4794
      @markallison4794 Рік тому +1

      @@subz555 Hi! A popular mid for the Javelin in the 60s was a Standard Vanguard box with overdrive on second and third gears.

  • @blackwoodrichmore4531
    @blackwoodrichmore4531 Рік тому +4

    I don't know why, but it kind of brings Rover to mind. The quality perhaps?. I don't know. But it certainly is a beautiful vehicle.
    It's got style!.

    • @idriveaclassic
      @idriveaclassic  Рік тому

      Definitely on par quality wise

    • @caw25sha
      @caw25sha Рік тому

      I suppose it was a direct competitor to the P4.

  • @rizmirza1829
    @rizmirza1829 Рік тому +2

    Great video , wonderful knowledge and experience. You can see how the design evolved into the Morris minor

  • @trevormiddleton
    @trevormiddleton Рік тому +1

    Our next door neighbour had one of those when I was a kid. It was black, and I remember it looked quite menacing from behind (I *was* only a couple of feet tall!). I remember my dad telling me 'That's a Javelin', in hushed, reverential tones.
    Fun fact: the comedian Kenneth Horne was Sales Director of Triplex from 1945 to 1954, a company he'd worked for (barring wartime service) since 1927.

  • @philipbadcock1088
    @philipbadcock1088 Рік тому

    I had a Javelin in 1965 when I was 15 years old. The gear change selectors were very touchy and had to be adjusted spot on with no wear in the connectors. A brilliant car, way ahead of it's time.

  • @johnathandaviddunster38
    @johnathandaviddunster38 Рік тому +1

    My mum was a enthusiast driver and had a javelin, she said it was a brilliant drivers car

  • @rbnhd1144
    @rbnhd1144 Рік тому +1

    If I didn't know better Id think it was a Subaru from the sound of the engine, I'm sure others will pick up on that too, A great review Stephanie and a lovely Yorkshire motor car, They seemed like old cars to me when I was a kid in the 60s, and here is it is looking so lovely, a quality car for sure.

  • @ColinBarrett001
    @ColinBarrett001 Рік тому +1

    Looking great Steph! And so's the car...! 🙂(collective groan...) Thanks for sharing!

  • @shaunmckenna1923
    @shaunmckenna1923 Рік тому +1

    Thank that was very well done I thought your opening seen was lovely beautiful setting and you looked lovely , a photo like that would make a nice calendar have you ever thought of doing one with the classic cars :)

  • @derekantill3721
    @derekantill3721 Рік тому +1

    A very interesting Jowett history. The Javelin was an advanced quality car when introduced. Of course you can add to this the Jupiter sports car and even the Jowett Bradford van.

  • @jkk244
    @jkk244 Рік тому +1

    Fantastic color! Contrasts so nicely with the red cloisonné bonnet badge! Love the fastback stying.
    Another superior video Steph!

  • @terryjacob8169
    @terryjacob8169 Рік тому

    From memory the flat-four engine in the Jowett Javelin was designed in the early 1920's and had seen few major upgrades when Jowett ceased production in the 50's.

  • @richardkleihorst1304
    @richardkleihorst1304 Рік тому +1

    what a gorgeous car it is and has been at the time

  • @duanetrivett750
    @duanetrivett750 Рік тому

    I love British motorcycles and cars. I have fellowed you channel for some time now . thanks for the videos .

  • @arthurblundell6128
    @arthurblundell6128 Рік тому

    you could never miss a Javelin going past your -- almost unique engine sound. My father had a Jowett van 1950

  • @peterriggall8409
    @peterriggall8409 Рік тому +4

    If I didn’t know I would have said this was a French car. Looks a bit like a Peugeot 203 of the era. No way does it look British….to me. Fascinating car and history. Still a few of these on the road in Australia.

  • @johnf3326
    @johnf3326 Рік тому +1

    They also did a sports car called the Jowett Jupiter

  • @paulblake3194
    @paulblake3194 Рік тому +1

    My first car was a 1948 standard model 1198th off the line, my late father in law rescued it from a scrap yard for spares. It was 2 years older than me. It was also too good to scrap. So easy to work on too. We once changed an engine in an evening. Yes I cut my mechanical teeth on this and father in law’s various Javelins, also there’s a sense of regret looking back in selling his last 1953 2 owner car but times change….

  • @allstatekiwi5646
    @allstatekiwi5646 11 днів тому

    Jowett was very popular in New Zealand; I have owned a pc Jav and pe deluxe two Bradford's and still own one 1946 Bradford Van this Jav is a PE Deluxe as well

  •  5 місяців тому

    Really ahead of its time

  • @jamesellsworth9673
    @jamesellsworth9673 Рік тому

    Your channel seems to feature some wonderful and (often) lesser-known marques! Thank you for bringing them to us!

  • @colvinator1611
    @colvinator1611 Рік тому +1

    Excellent review, thanks a lot. Those cars are just so special.

  • @howardjones8629
    @howardjones8629 Рік тому

    We're recently back from visiting the museum and this one was one of my faves 👍

  • @brianbridle951
    @brianbridle951 Рік тому

    My youth was full of Humber/Vauxhall column changes, so I thought i was ofey until I was faced with a HGV with 13speed on the column. Took some forward thinking to remember where you were.

  • @scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain

    Brilliant review of what is a beautiful car Steph, the green really makes the car.

  • @stephenaldred9398
    @stephenaldred9398 Рік тому +1

    It’s likely that the switch marked P was for panel lights. It’s use saved the battery a little when parking at night

  • @jongmans38
    @jongmans38 Рік тому +1

    Love a Jowett, it looks good, you are looking good as well, a lot more confident.