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| Jaguar XK120 |
Jaguar XK120(1948-54)
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| Jowett Javelin |
The XK120 Roadster was designed as the successor to the pre-war SS1, a product of the Swallow company based on Standard mechanicals. Post-war, company MD Sir William Lyons dropped the "SS" name owing to its Nazi connotations, and the firm was reborn as Jaguar. The XK120 of 1948 was the showcase model for an all-new engine, an in-line six cylinder, twin overhead camshaft 3442cc unit designed during the war, and the car also featured an all-new chassis with independent suspension - radical for the '40s. Lyons knew that it would only sell in small numbers, but as the company had to delay the launch of its all-new saloons - also featuring the new engine and chassis, to replace the ageing Mk VII models - due to problems with its mass-production techniques, the handbuilt XK120 was effectively excellent advertising for the company in the meantime. Its 160 bhp engine meant a top speed of around 120 mph, and the car proved very popular on the motorsport scene. Fixed-Head Coupe models followed in 1951, and more luxurious Drop-Head Cope, or cabriolet models, with a more sumptuous interior and better protection from the elements, joined the range in 1953.
Jowett Javelin(1947-53)
Jowett is an often-forgotten name from the past of the British Motor Industry; the Yorkshire firm made its name with a series of flat-twin engined economy cars pre-war, and then came back in peacetime with the Javelin, a technically advanced family car with a 1486 flat-four engine capable of 80 mph. It had rack-and-pinion steering, a four-speed gearbox with column shift and torsion bar suspension, and even full hydraulic brakes towards the end of its run. Around 27,800 were made, plus less than 1000 Jupiter convertibles, based on the same running gear, but this was not enough to save the company from financial difficulties - it had problems with supply of components and gearboxes, and was trying to develop both a range of larger cars and a replacement for its trusty Bradford van - and it went under in 1955, independent till the last at a time when most other British car manufacturers were merging and forming alliances. But the Javaelin has always been much admired - had it been sold by a bigger company such as Austin or Ford, it would have been a huge success.
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