1954 Jowett Jupiter Mk1a

Description

Rare Mk1a SC with opening boot and metal dash; one of only 94 made; fresh from a four-year restoration and in super condition throughout

Following the launch of the all-new Javelin, in 1950 Jowett decided to use its power train in a sports car, the only one the company ever made. For the chassis design they approached ERA who came up with a tubular steel fabrication based on a design by Austrian engineer Eberan von Eberhorst, formerly of Auto Union. The suspension used torsion bars front and rear and was independent at the front. Steering was by rack-and-pinion and brakes were Girling hydraulic all round with twin leading shoes at the front.

The aluminium open bodywork was styled by Jowett's own Reg Korner, with a bench seat for three people. 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 its glamourous good looks, the Jupiter proved an instant hit with Fifties high society, distinguished owners including speed king John Surtees, legendary race-team manager John Willment and actor/raconteur Peter Ustinov, sales being spurred on by the car's sucsess in competition.

This included a record-breaking 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-hr sports car race on public roads. Le Mans was again class-won in 1951 and 1952, but by 1953 newer faster cars were proving a match for the Jupiter which was a well-appointed touring car first and a racer second.

In October 1952 an improved MK1a version was launched with slightly more power (63bhp) and a proper opening rear boot in place of the spartan internal luggage locker found on the Mk1. The fuel tank was relocated and the hood design was also improved.

Readily identified by their SC chassis numbers, they also gained a stylish central all metal dash panel, painted in body colour that replaced the Mk1's wooden version. Of the c.900 Jupiters made in total, only 94 were MK1a cars (57 RHD and 37 LHD) and survivors are highly prized today.

This stunning Mk1a comes with correspondence from the Jupiter Owners’ Club outlining what is known of the car’s history. Built in early 1954 as a RHD model for the export market, it was shipped to Triumph Garage of Cape Town, South Africa, in May 1954 finished in Italian Red with Beige upholstery.

Not much is known of the car’s early history but by the 1970s it was owned by Bill Mutschmann, bureau chief of the CBS News team in Salisbury, Rhodesia. By the 1990s it was owned by Jowett collector Peter Swan of Krugersdorp, South Africa, who partially restored the car before selling his entire collection to Ian Garrs of Johannesburg when he contracted Alzheimer’s disease in 2018.

Garrs also did some work on the car before emigrating to Germany, gifting the Jupiter to his daughter in Pretoria from whom our vendor acquired it in 2021 along with two other Jowetts. It was imported to the UK in December 2021 with all duties paid.

A well-known Jowett collector and restorer, our vendor has spent the last four years getting the Jupiter into the wonderful condition you see today. Although there are no invoices to show the full extent of the work carried out, the car speaks for itself and now looks very pretty indeed.

The aluminium body was stripped back to bare metal and professionally repainted in a very fetching shade of burnt orange. The interior was completely retrimmed and a new black Mohair hood with a fawn lining and a new Mohair tonneau cover were supplied and fitted by Aldridge trim, the sole invoice showing that the latter two items alone cost £2,226.

When it arrived in the UK, the car was fitted with a Subaru engine but the vendor managed to get hold of a rebuilt Jupiter engine and gearbox which are now installed. Driven some 40 miles to the sale, the car will need a careful running-in period and a few hundred more ‘shake down’ miles before any long trips are undertaken.

Prospective Jupiter owners are blessed with a good owners’ club in the form of the Jowett Car Club which has been going since 1923 and which boasts an excellent spares department.

Starting promptly and running well as we have moved it around on site, with healthy 50psi oil pressure, this rare and sporting Jowett would sit well in any collection.  

Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – [email protected]