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Jowett Jupiter Mk I - factory roadster body - manufactured in 1952
During the 1950s the typical British sports car enjoyed a revival. The simple, straight forward approach to car design and manufacture displayed by these cars, combined with snappy looks, a thrilling drive and an affordable price made the British sports car very popular with especially the young American car buyers at the time. Thousands of British cars were shipped over to the US each year, supplying an important source of income to the post-war British economy and to the then still very diverse British car industry. Every manufacturer, big and small, tried to get in on this lucrative market and some where more successful then others.
An unlikely contender in this sports car market was Jowett. Located in the North of England this company started car manufacture in 1906. They made a name for them selves with the production of durable light cars powered by horizontally opposed 2 and 4-cylinder engines. The Jowett cars showed often an utilitarian approach and were anything but sporty, arguably Jowett cars were amongst the slowest cars produced in England. This however was to change after World War II. Backed by a financial boost from war time production Jowett set out to develop a modern saloon car to continue car production.
This resulted in the Jowett Javelin, introduced in 1946. The Javelin was an advanced streamlined saloon powered by a typical flat 4-cylinder engine located just before the front axle but driving the rear wheels. This 1.5 litre unit provided enough power to propel the Javelin beyond 80 mph (128 kph), which was faster than most other cars in its class, and combined with its good road holding and tight steering it made quite a competitive rally car. Its dynamic abilities and racing victories made the Javelin a popular car and it opened up an interesting export market for Jowett.
To expand on this Jowett added a sporty roadster to their range in 1949. It was named Jupiter and boasted a tubular space frame chassis remarkably designed by ex-Auto Union engineer Robert Eberan von Eberhorst; a well-known German which seems an unlikely choice in those post-war years. The curvy aluminum body of the Jupiter was designed by Reg Korner, Jowett's chief bodywork designer, and was made by Jowett themselves (while the body of the Javelin was made by Briggs Motor Bodies). It was specifically styled with American customers in mind and therefore it looked a bit more flamboyant than most British sports cars. Power in the Jupiter came from the same 4-cylinder boxer unit that was in the Javelin. This compact aluminum block with cast iron cylinder heads featured overhead valves and two carburettors and produced some 60 hp @ 4500 rpm, rendering the just 860 kg light car a maximum speed of 140 kph.
The Jupiter did not only look like a sports car, it was quite competitive on the racing track too. It won its class in the Le Mans 24 hour race in 1950, 1951 and 1952 and finished first and second in the 1951 Tourist Trophy for example. On the sales side however it did poorly. Being a completely hand built car it was quite a bit more expensive than its mass produced contenders from MG and Triumph while the Jowett name sounded unfamiliar to most export markets. As a result only 899 Jupiters were built between 1950 and 1954, when the end came for Jowett. About 68 of these were only running chassis which were fitted with custom bodywork by specialist coach builders like Stabilimenti Farina, Beutler and Abbott. Due to declining sales of the Javelin, which became outdated and had some quality problems, Jowett lacked the financial reserve for developing the necessary new models and had to stop production completely late in 1954.
These days the Jupiter is rare to find on the European continent but there is a fanatic group of Jupiter enthusiasts scattered around the globe who keep a few hundred of these cars in good shape. It's quite a desirable classic with a racing pedigree, a nice ride, nostalgic looks and a bit more valuable than a MG TD or a Triumph TR2 and a lot less common. Finding parts for it can be tricky though...
If you want to know more about the Jowett Jupiter you can visit Edmund Nankivell's elaborate website concerning this car.
© André Ritzinger, Amsterdam, Holland
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