Jowett insisted on building its own gearboxes for the Javelin, a decision so costly that finished bodies piled up on the line waiting for them.
Lead trim: Javelin 1486 cc flat-four (50 bhp)
Jowett JavelinPA-PE · 1947–1953
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Jowett Javelin yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactJowett insisted on building its own gearboxes for the Javelin, a decision so costly that finished bodies piled up on the line waiting for them.
The Jowett Javelin is an executive car produced from 1947 to 1953 by Jowett Cars Ltd of Idle, near Bradford (23,307 made), designed by Gerald Palmer during World War II as a major leap forward from Jowett's staid pre-war designs and coded PA to PE across five variants. It made its first public appearance on 27 July 1946 in an SMMT cavalcade in London, with series production not fully under way until November 1947, and was expensive at £819 at launch. It had aerodynamic styling with the headlights faired into the wings and a steeply sloped, curved windscreen (a first for a British production car), a pressed-steel body with a box-section chassis by Briggs Motor Bodies, torsion bars on all wheels (independent at the front) and internal rack-and-pinion steering. The water-cooled flat-four overhead-valve 1486 cc engine (7.2:1 compression, aluminium block, wet liners, two Zenith carburettors, radiator behind the engine) developed 50 bhp at 4100 rpm (52.5 bhp in the PE), giving 77 mph and 0-50 mph in 13.4 seconds, through a four-speed column-change gearbox; Jowett's decision to make the gearboxes in-house proved a costly mistake, powertrainless bodies stacking up on the line. The PB had a "de luxe" option with leather seats and walnut dashboard, and PA and PB had mixed hydraulic/mechanical brakes. Wheelbase 102 in (2,591 mm), length 168 in (4,267 mm), width 60 in (1,524 mm), height 61 in (1,549 mm), curb weight 2,120 lb (962 kg).
Collectors Spotted in the Jowett Javelin Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Jowett Javelin yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Javelin 1486 cc flat-four (50 bhp) | 1947–1953 | 1.5 L Flat-4 | 50 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
