Hello,
I am working on a book for Veloce Publishing about the New York car importer Max Hoffman. He was the Jowett USA distributor for east of the Mississippi River, and I’m looking to tell this story as thoroughly as possible.
While Hoffman’s history is better known for companies like Jaguar and Porsche, Jowett was one of his earliest brands he really tried to heavily promote and sell. So I was hoping you might have some info to share or know who might help shed light on this part of the history.
Enjoy your day.
Myles Kornblatt
Keith
I have this on Max Hoffman:-
Post WW2, Max Hoffman introduced American drivers to European marques like Alfa Romeo, BMW, Fiat, Healey, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, MG, Porsche and Volkswagen as well as Jowett.
Max had set up the Jupiter’s launch at the New York show 15th-23rd April 1950 where a Jupiter rolling chassis and a Javelin were also on display.
He imported 45 Jupiters, from the very first Jupiter (Jupiter number 1), shipped from Jowett on 23rd March 1950. The car was called the “Javelin-Jupiter”.
Jupiter number 1 was exhibited at New York automobile show 15th to 23rd April 1950
Photograph of Jupiter No 1 appear in JCC 1970 Year Book
After the New York show it was raced at Watkins Glen 23rd September 1950 driven by Lawrence Whiting Jr, retiring on the 5th lap with engine problems
its 5th owner, Frank Fryer of Lyle, Minnesota, restored it very well except for fitting a Chevy 283 turbo engine, Muncie close-ratio transmission. Corvette Rear suspension.
So it is now a “show car” in the USA tradition, but amazingly it does survive and looking fairly original.
Max Hoffman began importing Jupiters in January 1951.
The last one was chassis 960 shipped from Jowett 13th January 1953 but nothing is known of its fate
Of the other Jupiters Max imported, all were right-side drive except for the last five.
It is known that 24 Max Hoffman-imported Jupiters still exist, many as excellent running cars, some awaiting or undergoing restoration
Three have come to Europe (1 to Belgium, 2 to GB) and have been restored there
All the others are lost
There may be more about Max in my books
Edmund
Dear Myles,
I am the Press Officer & Librarian of the Jowett Car Club in the UK and am not sure if somebody on the list has already replied to you or not, if so, I am sorry if I am duplicating information for you…….?
It will be interesting to know more about Max Hoffman, so I would like to wish you every success in this venture.
As regards Jowetts, the Javelin saloon was a failure in the USA as it was regarded as too small for their market. Out of a production run of approximately 22,700 only 40 found their way to the USA and only 8 to Max Hoffman (all 40 came to the USA in 1950). The Jupiter, however, was much more successful, as British sportscars such as MG, Jaguar & Riley etc were very popular. A total of 899 Jupiters were built with approximately 250 coming to the USA of which, I calculate 44 came to Max Hoffman – most went to Angell Motors of Pasadena but a few also to Sanders Motors of Texas.
I hope you find this of interest.
Very best wishes,
Noel Stokoe
PS Do you have a picture of Hoffman’s in the 1950’s as I would be interested to see what it looked like.
Myles and all:
Sorry, I know just a little less than what Noel has just written. Perhaps the International Motor Racing Research Museum in Watkins Glen could be of help.
Best of luck,
Scott
Gentlemen,
I wanted to thank you all very much for this info.
I’ve attached an advertisement from the April 1950 edition of the New Yorker during time of the British Automobile & Cycle Show. It appears like Hoffman put a decent effort behind promoting the Jowett Jupiter. So it was impressive to read that he only imported 44-45 examples. I also didn’t know that a large majority were RHD.
So you have already helped me greatly down the path to a better understanding of Jowett’s part in Hoffman’s story. I’m also in contact with the IMRRC at Watkins Glen, and hopefully they can help shed some light on the Jowett’s race history in the USA.
Still, I am always very ready to add even more info. The Javelin and Jupiter are some excellent post-WWII designs that don’t often get mentioned in all the crowds they should. So over the next few months, if any of you come across any more info or photographs, I would be very pleased if you would share them with me. I would like to make the Jowett section as large as possible in the book.
Enjoy your day.
MaxHoffman.jpg
Jupiter.jpg
Dear Myles,
Many thanks for your email – I am pleased you have found this information helpful.
I would like to point out that Ed is correct when he said 45 Jupiters came to Max. I have checked my lists again and have agreed the 45 figure, I must have missed one when I was running finger up and down the lists!
Thank you for the copy of the Hoffman advert and picture of Max, I am very grateful to you.
Very best wishes,
Noel
Scott, Jim, Neil
Is there any chance that Hoffman's very first imported Jupiter
Jupiter No 1
Could be bought from its present owner and converted back to original type of engine / transmission?
Maybe by crowd-funding?
Such an important relic of our Jupiter's past
Over to you, guys !!
I have this on it
The factory records just say E0/SA/1/R shipped 23/3/1950 to the Hoffman Motor Car Co., colour Metallic Copper [NB: this colour had been specially created for the Jupiter at its launch] with beige upholstery.
bought by Frank Fryer in 1968 - address then:-
Frank D Fryer RR1 Box 09 Lyle Minnesota 55953 who purchased it on 01/09/1968 from John Furumo for $60.00;
he did a very good accurate restoration on it apart from fitting that ridiculous engine and transmission
he even got correct strakes fitted to the replacement bonnet.
You will recall that it was raced at Watkins Glen in September 1950 and had hit a haybale so preumebly wrecking its bonnet
My notes on it:-
When bought by Frank Fryer in 1968 it had no bonnet, no engine. Over the years he obtained a Jupiter bonnet (BN 40 ex chassis 94 found in Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Minnesota cost $500.00. This car, ch 94, had disappeared in c. 1970 in that area). No headlight parts or insignia or chrome strip, Frank added the strakes to it, nicely done. Fitted Chevrolet 283 Cu in turbocharged engine, changed the rear axle/rear wheels and gearbox accordingly.
Frank reported to Edmund as his work continued “I found a series of holes in the rear wings that indicated they tried to mount the strakes lower than the final location and then changed their mind. Also it looks like they filled in some minor imperfections in the aluminium (on the lower left side) with pewter.... It is a metal that doesn't act like solder or lead or magnesium: a lot of white smoke. Being a prototype it looked like they experimented with a few different mounting methods since there are multiple holes drilled into the steel supports but you will only find one hole in the aluminium. The paint on the gauges had started to fall off so I made new gauge faces. I have to go thru and recalibrate all of the gauges. I had all of the needles off when I replaced the gauges faces. It was kind of fun milling new door handles; I am surprised how light the ones I made were out of aluminum compared to the originals out of pot metal (white cast)”.
Frank made a new soft top for it, and recovered the seats, finding a woollen glove inside. Pat Lockyer provided a lot of support and was sent a CD-ROM of photos. The car was finished about 2006.
The car looks very original but for the air intake on the bonnet. Was member of JOAC from about 1998 to 2006. In 2007 his e-mail worked but now dead was: fdfryer'at'smig.net – So it is now a “show car” in the USA tradition, but amazingly it does survive and looking fairly original. Chevy 283 turbo powered. Muncie close-ratio transmission. Corvette IRS suspension.
Edmund Nankivell
Hi Everyone: I recently found this Javelin road test in a 1953 April Motor World. This test was done in Glendale CA . which is very near Angell Motors , but I too believed only about 30 1950 Javelin came to CA. This is clearlying a LHD PD or PE Javelin with a Dash Tacho. They mention it has a Jupiter spec engine which would be the same as a PD or PE. Noel are there any records of a late 52 or 53 coming to Angell Motors? There's no mention of them in the article because they may have been in bankruptcy or very near by then. They do mention at the end of the article that they can be delivered to CA for $2595. Also a never seen before in dash AM radio can be seen. This is all news to me.
James Miller
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The late CA Javelin is strange but is it possible one may have been special ordered through Angell just before bankruptcy? James Miller
In this Magazine I found a small ad for World wide Imports. The late CA Javelin may have been brought in by them as they wanted to sell Jowett. They did import one SC Jupiter now owned by Hans Compter in Germany. However is there a record of them importing a Javelin?
James Miller
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Hello James,
That is a really interesting question about the late 1952/early 1953 PD/PE Javelin – would it be possible to obtain a scan of the 1953 Motor World article?
As far as I can see, the first Javelin to come the USA was chassis number D8/PA/44 on 5/3/1948, the 39th car was delivered to Angell Motors on 11/12/1950 and was chassis number E0/PC/11649. Twenty-months later one more Javelin came to Angell Motors on 18/8/1952 this was chassis number E2/PDL/22231 – so this has to be the Californian car that appeared in the 1953 article?
Clearly, the article did not inspire a host of buyers, as no more came over after that one!
I made this list of the 40 USA Javelins twenty-odd years ago so I am attaching it for you all, I realise now, however, I listed four Javelins going to Santiago, which of course, is in Chile! This would reduce the total number of Javelins exported to the USA down to 36…..
I hope this is of interest.
USA Javelins 1.PNG
USA Javelins 2.PNG
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