Pre-war Jowetts
Sir,
I read with interest Mr. Perkins’ letter on the subject of pre-war Jowetts. I, too, have become addicted to these delightful cars and would like to add my contribution for what it’s worth. My first introduction to Jowetts was to a 1934 7-h.p. Black Prince saloon four years ago, which I still have but unfortunately not running—yet. It cost me only £10 but during the time it was working for me (18 months) it saved me over £100 that would otherwise have been spent on public transport. That figure was arrived at after cancelling out the cost of petrol, oil, minor mechanical needs, tax, insurance and the original £10 for the car against public transport fares. Running_ about she would return 45 m.p.g. and 52 m.p.g. on a good run, and used very little oil. On a trip to and from Wales totalling 360 miles she used little more than a half a pint of oil.
No car has yet been made which is perfect, but the pre-war Jowett had few faults. One of them being the appetite for exhaust valves. After 6/7,000 miles the performance would decline, indicating that new exhaust valves were needed. The job would take about one hour and meant lying on one’s back for a short while to get at the lower cylinder-head nuts. Incidentally, one had to remember to drain off water or get soaked. Three spanners and a stout screwdriver only would be sufficient to complete the job. I normally cover over 12,000 miles yearly and in the old Jowett (I now run a Javelin) I had no mechanical breakdowns at the roadside except for about three punctures. Many friends admired my courage (?) when undertaking long journeys; indeed, many were surprised to see me arrive home again.
Before the war, so I’m told, Jowetts were a common sight and enormously popular; why then are there so few on the roads today?—Javelins and Bradford s excluded. Is it because they are not fast enough? The grand total of pre-war cars observed over three years is as follows: One each 1922, 1923, 1926 which are still going strong; one 1933, two 1934 saloons, one 1934 tourer, four 1935/6 saloons, three 1937/38 8-h.p. saloons, two 1938 10-h.p. saloons.
The 1934 tourer aforementioned is a 2-seater with dickey Flying Fox model which an elderly gentleman friend has restored to its former fine condition over the last eight months or so. I think I’m right in saying that Flying Foxes are very scarce indeed.
A lot of Jowett owners and others are surprised to learn that spares for most Jowett ears are still easily obtainable. In concluding I should like to point out to anyone interested that there exists the Southern Jowett Car Club. They are always pleased to help members on technical matters, etc. Despite the “Southern” the Club is divided into Scottish, Northern, Midland and Southern sections. The address for anyone interested is:
43, Holtspur Top Lane, Beaconsfield, Bucks.
Evesham. DAVID FOX.
[I love “Lost Causes” but, remembering that our title is Motor Sport, this correspondence is now closed.—ED.]