MEET THE OWNER – MARK DENTON AND HIS JOWETT JAVELIN

A friend in the village I grew up in had it from 1967 until he passed away 22 years ago. I never thought the car would ever come on the market! I like the lines of the Javelin – they remind me of the Vanguard – and the work of its designer, Gerald Palmer! My car is a Javelin De Luxe, first registered to Jowett’s sales manager, Arthur Joplin.

We have previously featured Mark’s splendid fleet of Standard Vanguards, but his latest classic hails from Bradford rather than the West Midlands. The Javelin is, quite simply, one of the UK’s greatest post-war vehicles. Motor Sport raved, with shades of Mr. Cholmondley-Warner, that it was “an astonishing car and a credit to the British technician. At last we have a saloon car which can hold up its head when it encounters the Continentals.”

The Javelin’s origins date from 1941 when Jowett’s MD Charles Calcott-Reilly planned a “universal car” for the post-war motorist. The beautiful styling was from Gerald Palmer, who joined the firm from MG in 1942, with prototypes tested on the A1 Great North Road. On the 27th of July 1946, the Javelin took part in the SMMT-organised celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the British Motor Industry, amazing the event’s spectators.

The latest Jowett was indeed a remarkable car. Its sleek bodywork with a box-section chassis lacked exposed headlamps, running boards and other pre-war design tropes, and it had a curved front windshield – a first from a British car. Mark’s Javelin looks as though Palmer’s team used a wind tunnel (although this was not the case), and its profile certainly looked aerodynamic.

The specification included all-independent torsion-bar suspension and rack and pinion steering, with power from a flat-four 1.5-litre engine. There was also a US-style steering column gear change – another first for the UK motor industry. Jowett commenced full production in late 1947 and one writer thought it “an entirely new and advanced design that can be described as a post-war model that has no direct association with 1939 and all that”.

British deliveries to a select few motorists began in March 1948, and one advertising slogan read: “One day – it has to be yours.” The domestic waiting list literally ran into years. But the Javelin was worth the wait, and one brochure highlighted its “outstanding qualities of power, acceleration, spaciousness, comfort and appearance”. As a De Luxe, Mark’s car boasts thoughtful details such as folding armrests and a detachable rear parcel shelf that doubles as a picnic tray.

At £818 10s 7d, the Jowett was not cheap, for Jowett aimed it at well-heeled doctors, solicitors and chartered accountants. The Motor described it as “a high-performance small car which will stand the most searching comparison with products of any other country”. Proud owners thought the Javelin was one of the best-mannered cars in its class, with a low centre of gravity resulting in excellent handling.

In addition, the Jowett’s 75-mph top speed was suited to trunk road cruising – Jowett’s sales slogan was: “Take a good look when it passes you.” In 1949, a Javelin won the 1½-litre class at the Monte Carlo Rally, with Palmer as co-driver:

But by the early 1950s, Jowett was in considerable difficulties due to the Javelin’s issues with crankshaft breakages and cylinder head gasket failures, problems with the transmission, challenges with body supply and the impact of a Purchase Tax increase. The Javelin’s outright victory at the 1953 Tulip Rally marked a last hurrah, as Jowett ceased trading in 1954.

Mark’s Javelin is a last-of-the-line example from 1953, and he plans to undertake some light recommissioning after its 22 years in storage. We certainly look forward to hearing more of his fine Jowett – the vehicle that “so many have set their hearts on”.

With thanks to: Mark Denton