1953 Jowett Jupiter Mk 2 Aluminium-bodied Reincarnation

• Fully designed and ready to go to the next stage, plans for the second-generation of Jowett's successful Jupiter were shelved when the company closed in 1954
• The drawings and plans for the aborted 'Mk 2' were discovered in 1979 and subsequently acquired by Jowett enthusiast and restorer Allan Fishburn
• A man of vision, he began building a one-off Jupiter Mk2 using the chassis and engine of a damaged Mk1A Jupiter
• Completed around 2011 but not used, it was purchased in 2016 by our vendor who also shared the vision of bringing a Jupiter Mk 2 to life
• The all-aluminium body was stripped and restored in early 2017 by TW Brotherton of Blockley. New engine bay and boot panels, realigning all panels and a bare metal respray.(296 hours - £12,000+)
• Further work by MB Restorations in Bradford included an engine and gearbox rebuild, new aluminium petrol tank, custom radiator and grille, exhaust and brakes
• Finally a £2,800.00 full quality leather retrim was undertaken along with a new tonneau cover
• Now superbly presented in 'Verde Isola' with a smart cabin trimmed in Olive Green quilted leather
• Fabulous attention to detail throughout. Smiths white-faced instruments, Jowett wood-rim wheel, Lucas headlights, split-screen, twin exhausts and Pirelli Cinturatos
• Fascinating history file with photographs of the restoration and the car on the Jowett Car Club stand at the NEC, a copy of a photo of the Mk 2 clay model, copies of various technical drawings and invoices totalling £28,652 (£15,000 from 2019/20 alone)
• This is a unique opportunity to own and drive the physical incarnation of the dreams of those young Jowett draughtsmen some 70 years ago

The Jowett car company were not one of the biggest names in the British automotive firmament and their cars were decidedly ‘quirky’ but they did generate admirers, especially the sporty Jupiter two-seaters. John Surtees owned one, as did Peter Ustinov, and so did John Willment, legendary race-team manager.

Power came from a tuned version of the 1,486cc flat-four overhead valve unit in the Javelin and had twin carbs and a higher compression ratio to develop 60bhp – good for a top speed of 85mph and a 0-50 time of 11.7 seconds. It drove through a four-speed column change gearbox with synchro on the top three gears.

With a chassis designed by ERA, the Jupiter was an instant success with a class win at Le Mans in 1950, a class 1-2 in the 1951 Monte Carlo International Rally, an outright win on the 1951 Lisbon International Rally, and a class 1-2 at Dundrod in a gruelling 4-hour race on public roads in 1951. Just 899 Jupiters were built in all, including special bodied cars, of which just 561 were right hand-drive. Around half of all cars produced are thought to survive today and all are highly sought after.

Plans were being made for a Mk 2 model when the company went out of business in 1954. Its design shared much with the fibreglass-bodied Jupiter R4 which never entered production either but, in the case of the R4, three prototypes were made with two still believed to exist. So, the Mk 2 was never going to see the light of day, well not quite. A Jowett enthusiast discovered the Mk 2 plans and drawings in 1979 and in 2008, Jowett enthusiast and restorer Allan Fishburn acquired those drawings and began building a one-off Jupiter Mk2 using the chassis and engine of a damaged Mk1A Jupiter. We understand it was more or less completed around 2011. Our vendor takes up the story;

“I purchased the Jowett in 2016 after falling for its shape and unique design from Alan Fishburn of Bradford, a craftsman who had built this Jowett Special from the original factory drawings. Shortly after this it went to TW Brotherton of Blockley who removed the bulk of the aluminium body panels and set about restoring the car to a high standard. This involved fabricating new engine bay and boot panels, and realigning all panels and a bare metal respray, this took a total of 296 hours and over £10,000 of receipts. Images can be found in the history file. The result was an outstanding unique vehicle. Shortly after this I sustained a serious back injury, and the car was put on hold. A year or two so later, determined to finish it, a new wiring loom was fitted along with new instruments. The car was then taken to MB Restorations in Bradford, who had rebuilt Jowett engines in the past, they not only rebuilt the engine with its Ford 5-speed gearbox but fitted a new aluminium petrol tank, custom radiator and grille and numerous other work, including the exhaust and brakes.  Finally a £2,800.00 full quality leather retrim was undertaken along with a new tonneau cover. A full set of classic tyres were then fitted. Again thousands in receipts can be found in the history file. Since then the car has been in storage and has covered some 40 miles or so.”

The result is really pleasing and we imagine would have been of serious interest in 1955 to anyone considering the purchase of a TR3, MGA or Healey 100. It's finished in a lovely shade of Verde Isola and the professionally-trimmed interior looks fabulous in quilted Olive Green leather and dark green carpets, with Smiths white-faced instruments and an Astrali wood-rim wheel with a Jowett centre boss. Attention to detail is obvious everywhere including the Lucas P700-style headlights, split screen, flip-up fuel filler, twin exhausts and a set of period-correct Pirelli Cinturatos.

A fascinating history file accompanies the car containing photographs of the restoration and of the Mk 2 on the Midland Jowett Car Club stand at the NEC, a copy of a photo of the Mk 2 'clay' model, copies of various technical drawings and invoices from the last few years totalling £28,652. Our vendor's financial involvement in this project is in excess of £50,000 but it has been sensibly guided at £25 - £30,000, roughly what you might expect to pay for a fifties 'big Healey' in need of restoration.

Different and quirky it may be, but Jowetts were always different and quirky and this good-looking little roadster encompasses everything you might hope to find in a fifties' sports car.This is a unique opportunity to own and drive the physical incarnation of the dreams and aspirations of those enthusiastic young draughtsmen who toiled away in the Jowett drawing office some seven decades ago, and close the final chapter in the story of the Jowett Car Company.