Jowett Javelin

Jowett Javelin
1952 Jowett Javelin
Overview
Manufacturer	Jowett Cars Ltd
Production	1947–1953; 23,307 made
Assembly	Great Britain Australia
Designer	Gerald Palmer
Body and chassis
Class	Executive car (E)
Body style	4-door fastback saloon
Powertrain
Engine	Jowett flat four, 1486 cc
Transmission	4-speed manual
Dimensions
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)
Chronology
Successor	none

The Jowett Javelin is an executive car which was produced from 1947 to 1953 by Jowett Cars Ltd of Idle, near Bradford in England. The model went through five variants coded 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 from the relatively staid designs of pre-war Jowetts. Just over 23,000 units were produced.

The new Javelin, not yet in full production, made its first public appearance on Saturday 27 July 1946 in a cavalcade to celebrate 60 years of the British Motor Industry organised by the SMMT. Started by the King in Regent's Park the cavalcade passed through Marble Arch around London's West End and Piccadilly Circus and back up to Regent's Park. Series production was not fully underway until November 1947.

In a 1949 road test report The Times' correspondent welcomed the Javelin's good performance and original design. The engine mounted ahead of the front axle briskly accelerates (to nearly 80 mph) a body which could carry six persons. The moderate size of the engine, the car's light weight and good streamlining all contribute to its excellent performance. Controls were all light to operate and it was a restful car to drive.

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. 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. Later, Jowett made the gearboxes, but the decision to make the gearboxes in-house proved to be a costly mistake. 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 gearbox production.