Black Jupiter on the 'Classic Cars' TV programme years ago.

[Tony Fearn]

I was going through some old VHS tapes a few days ago. I had taped a series of 'Classic Cars' programmes some years ago, and there was a quick panning shot of a black Jupiter in the Auction tent at Beaulieu Autojumble perhaps in the 90's. The car had a Jupiter front, but seemed to have a fixed roof with four windows down the side, a bit like a Javelin saloon shape.

I presume Ed knows all about this car, but I would be interested to know what it was.

Tony.

[Alastair Gregg]

Hello Tony,

Does this fit the bill?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgrounds/3401865588/

[Tony Fearn]

Happy New year Alastair to you and yours from me and mine.

Looks very much like the nanosecond-ish shot on the tape of a black Jupiter.

Couldn't see the whole length of the car on the tape, but having seen it now, it fits into my category of - if it's not broken, don't mend it.

There are very few 'specials' that look better than the in-house original, but the Sommer, Beutler and Farina bodies are something else.

Regards, Tony.

[Alastair Gregg]

Reciprocal greetings.

The Grounds Jupiter originally registered LOL 1 was built by the Jowett agent in Birmingham. It was placed 4th in the 1953 Monte Carlo and survives not so very far from you or I. The doors were Morris 1000 in origin. It has been part way through a re build for a goodly number of years.

If you are really really interested I have a little more detail, should I look it up?

[Tony Fearn]

Thanks for the info. Alastair, but I'm not interested in following this up any further.
Tony.

[Jack]

Thanks for the info. Alastair, but I'm not interested in following this up any further.
Tony.

I'm interested! It would be great to see a few more photos and info on the car - I've seen it online several times but never really known much about it. If there's a story to share, I'm sure there are some that will want to hear it. If nothing else worth (as always) recording what information we have now for future queries.

Jack.

[Alastair Gregg]

Well Jack you did ask

Chassis E0 SA 29R

Rolling chassis shipped to F Grounds Ltd, Birmingham, 6th November 1950. This became the Grounds saloon-bodied Jupiter.
Originally Registered LOL 1 but now SON 142. Has a standard Jupiter bonnet with louvres. Morris Minor (or Morris Oxford) doors but with ash framing, a perfect match for the bonnet. Bodywork carried out in Frank Grounds’s own coachworks. It was completed around the middle of 1952.
As the Brmingham Jowett agent Frank Grounds, in various Javelins, had been in the 1950 Tulip Rally, 1952 Monte and maybe others. The Jupiter was built for rallying with the Monte Carlo Rally rule in mind – for just 1952 and 1953 special closed bodywork on chassis of open cars were allowed, so long as they were genuine touring cars and not rally specials, and built on the chassis of genuine production cars. See also chassis 56, 59, 81. Up to 1952 open cars were allowed so long as they arrived in Monaco with hood raised, and it was kept raised for the ensuing tests. For 1954 only genuine production closed cars were admitted.
Ascended Shelsly Walsh hill 30-08-52 achieving 61.44sec. Photograph in the Birmingham Post Dec 24th 1952 and in Autosport 16th Jan 1953 re Monte Carlo Rally. Photo Autocar 13th April 1953 as an RAC Rally entrant. Back in the Birmingham Post photographically 15-3-53 with Mrs Reece and Lola Grounds prior to the RAC Rally. In the 1953 Monte Carlo Rally, crewed by F B Grounds, Ken Rawlings and J B Hay (showing it could at least seat a third person behind the front seat) it finished in 4th place in the 1100-1500 CC class, 36th overall. 1st were P Worledge and Maurice Gastonides in a Ford Zephyr and 2nd Ian Appleyard in a Jaguar. The Jupiter entered the Coronation Scottish Rally end June 1953 and achieved 2nd in class 2 up the Rest & Be Thankful hill climb. DNF the rally.
Birmingham Post Rally of 18-19 Sept 1953 believed its last serious rally – achieved class win.
Used as a day to day car by Lola Grounds for a time, after rallying days were over for this Jupiter. Re registered SON 142 a while before the sale until 1959, the plate LOL 1 retained by F Grounds for other cars (Lola divorced from Frank, but she died 04/04/04). NB LOL 1 had been on 2 other cars before the Jupiter. It is still in the Grounds family.
The Jupiter was owned by Alfred Raybould (of Rollestone Rd, Holbury, Fawley 01703 891784) at least in 1985 when he was 67 yrs old, but be had owned it a long time. We think he bought it from the Grounds family but never used it, and never did anything to it. Raybould said in 1985 he would swap the car for an MGB roadster.
The previous owner to John Jackson, according to the Jupiter’s V5, was a Timothy Masters of Southampton, he acquiring the vehicle on 1/04/1990. He probably pre-dates the two auctions and it was probably he who liberated the car from Raybould and put it in the auction at Beaulieu.
Owned at one time by Andrew Stremel. Then sold to a Bradford-based syndicate based around Scott Richardson, a Mr Hubbard and John Mitchell who specialised in Jensens and Bristols, they paid £xxxx for it at the auction at Beaulieu and had some body restoration carried out on it. It appeared on a trailer as a shell in grey primer at the 1990 JOAC Bradford rally celebrating the Jupiter’s 40th, and later it was sprayed green but not well. The syndicate went broke and the Jupiter had to be sold.
John Jackson bought it from H&H Auctions of Buxton for £xxx in 1999. Owned John Jackson in 2000 (but registered in his daughter’s name, Mrs Samantha Blears, Whitehouse Cottage, xxxxxx, date 28-12-2000 although believed stored in his place). Has had another respray to original green but is currently static (2010) It has no windscreen or floor, but interior has been well re-trimmed green. Last review September 2010.

More pictures on flikr:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgrounds/3401057485/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgrou ... otostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgrou ... otostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgrou ... otostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgrou ... otostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgrou ... otostream/

This last picture shows a Javelin , but shows Frank Grounds Left near drivers door and Lola in front. Jack Hay (Co driver/Navigator) on RHS of photo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgrou ... otostream/

I do know the current location of this vehicle and the prices involved but felt it in appropriate to divulge. If anyone else can add to this story then please lighten my darkness.

[Alastair Gregg]

Forumadmin asked if it would be possible to put the Flikr photographs in the Gallery. We knew I had to ask permission and I got this lovely little note from Robert Grounds:-

Hello Alastair

Thanks for your note.
Please copy any pix that you want. The car was built by my fathers firm Frank Grounds Ltd in '51 and registered LOL1. The reason it was built was to enable my mother Lola to fit my brother, sister & me in it. The doors are Morris Minor, which fit the wing line very well.
Inside, 2 rear seats were put in. The car was 2 tone green. Special foot pedals were made as Lola was under 5 ft. They had big wedges of wood screwed to them to extend closer. The car was rallied extensively, doing the Monte Carlo, RAC, Tulip Rally and many other UK rallies.

You might know my brother David with his '27 Long Two ?

I hope this helps.

Robert Grounds

---

I will be uploading the pictures and clippings this evening.

[Alastair Gregg]

This mini project has been uploaded to the gallery. You can download it as a word document. If I get chance I will try to tidy it up a little.

https://jowettnet/forum/download/file.p ... &mode=view

[Forumadmin]

I amended the link as Alistair had appended his security credentials to the link. Always make sure you do not have anything after the item ID number (delete everything after and including the &)

[Tony Fearn]

Thanks for the info. Alastair, but I'm not interested in following this up any further.
Tony.

Well I'm glad others wanted to follow this up, it's been fascinating reading.

Tony.

[Forumadmin]

I notice from the error log on the Gallery that a couple of you may have had trouble viewing this gallery item. If you have and not resolved it, let me know. I suspect it was because you were not logged onto the Gallery. Note that Alistair has loaded into the Legacy Project area so that all registered users have access.

Note that errors also occured with the link that Alistair originally put in.

[John Dolphin]

I have just added another article on the Grounds bodied Jupiter to the gallery. Currently it is in my personal Album but should eventually be transferred to the press cuttings album. The article dates from 1991 and is from the Sunday Times Magazine Quality Cars supplement. The article details the progress on the restoration of the car one year after the Beaulieu sale.

John Dolphin
E3 SA887

[Forumadmin]

Yes, all John's great scans are moved once checked into the main index. Why Alisatair cannot view them I suspect is because he cannot type his name. The log of attempted logins shows Alistair trying a dozen different variations of his name.

[Alastair Gregg]

Maybe because the one that should work didn't.