Danny Hopkins throws a javelin north and lands in a record breaking 100th birthday celebration.
Words and pictures Danny Hopkins
The Jowett Car Club is 100 years-old in 2023, which makes it the oldest single-make car club in the world. That's a pretty good excuse for a party and so, when club rep Chris Spencer asked if I might like to come along to the birthday bash, I said yes, straightaway. Any club that is still thriving after 70 years after the last car was made must have a secret worth knowing, and I fancied finding out what it was.
I also fancied a bonding experience with one of the breed. I wanted to turn up to the party in Bradford's finest, so I asked if anyone could lend me a car. A week later Chris delivered a gorgeous 1954 Jowett Javelin De Lux to the PC workshop and handed me the keys. 'See you in a week, Danny,' he said, having asked me, in exchange for the Javelin loan to prepare a few words for the annual dinner. Fair deal. The Javelin has been on my 'list' for years.
I looked at the Gerald Palmer gem, with its deco curves and clever engineering, and decided to immediately go for a drive. The Javelin did not disappoint. The 1486cc engine was perfectly perky and provided the flat-four throb familiar to anyone who enjoys the configuration on a regular basis. It's no Impreza, but it is there. The column gear shift took a few minutes to master but then we were away, the roads of Cambridgeshire graced with a quiet masterpiece that caused petrolheads to glance twice, often with a look of 'what's that?' on their faces.
As anyone who has driven one will testify, a Javelin feels like a car half its age. Independent torsion bar suspension makes for decent handling and supreme comfort, and the driving position is nigh on perfect for a man my size.
I decided to make my journey north a period expedition. Cambridgeshire to Yorkshire in a day, using only roads that would have existed in 1954, taking in landmarks, a car museum and the stunning scenery of the Peak District on the way.
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