Jenny Clements in the late Fifties posing with brother and father. Can anyone identify the Jowett? Apparently it was fabric covered.
25 April 2003
See the entry list for this year's Tulpen.
8 January 2003
On May 11th in Aix-les-Bains Hugo van Zuylen van Nijevelt will begin to relive one of his and Jowett’s greatest achievements; the outright win in the Tulpen Rally 50 years ago. Hugo was the first Dutchman and the youngest competitor at 23 to win the rally and still remembers the emotion he experienced on receiving the trophy. In addition to that achievement, Hugo also won the team prize that year. Here is Hugo's scrap book!
Thanks to John Blankley, Hugo will be competing once more in a Jowett Javelin, this time with Keith Clements sitting in the navigator’s seat. Hugo’s experience will be complete if the rally organisers allocate the Javelin with the same competitor number as it had 50 years ago, as Hugo still has the car plates and numbers (53) which coincidentally was the year the Javelin won. Huge interest is expected at such a replica of the event, especially from the motoring press and Jowett enthusiasts.
Further articles will follow on progress of the team’s preparation for this exceptional event. View http://www.tulpenrallye.nl/ or http://jowett.net/ for more news.
Here is the leaflet from the rally, plus the picture in this year's regulations of Hugo presenting last year's winners.
15 Sept 2002
Hello Keith
Just a word to say thanks for the site it brought back many memories of Javelins and Bradfords. My working life was spent as a motor mechanic and in 1954 I joined Boroughbury Garage here in Peterborough, at this time they had a dealership for Jowett cars and I became the head mechanic in a very busy workshop, later on we took over a main agency for Volkswagen, and I qualified on this make, having sat several courses in London and Doncaster, but that is another story. However my work on Jowetts brings me many happy memories, stripping the engine on the Javelin was interesting to say the least, the two halves of the crankcase had to be vacuum tested when bolted together, we made various special tools for carb tuning as they were apt to propel the car very very quickly when set together correctly. The Layrub prop shaft couplings were some thing else to keep in balance we used jubilee clips, and when they were right they gave the car a near perfect take up. Altogether the Javelin was a superb car, well ahead of its time, but I loved the honest straight forwardness of the Bradford van, if it did'nt need it you'd never find it, in those days a decoke was a must every few thousand miles, so you remove the front wheels then the access plates to get at the heads, I got decokes down to a fine art but I rarely matched the factory times. I have downloaded the repair gen just to wander through the work and jog my memory, and also refresh things mentally. Later after going as high as I could within the system, I started my own business and it kept me well for thirty years, now I am retired but I shall always have a warm affection for flat engined cars from Idle, and the many, fun hours, working on them. If Fishers the body people had'nt sold out to Ford maybe there would still be Jowetts about, so you and your members, have my sincere thanks, for keeping this lovely old marque, alive.........
All the Best
Bruce Coaten
12 Sept 2002.
This was sent in by a previous owner of NKD, Peter Lightfoot, who owned it from Nov 1966 till Mar 1968.
His brother, Ralph had it from Sep24th 1965 till he gave it to Peter.
I hope the twin carbs have now settled down and don't go out of balance every 15 miles!
Good luck with your adventures.
Pete Lightfoot.
Dear Sir. 24 June 2002
The following may be of interest to you;
I have come across this photograph (I have the original negative ) of my uncle at the side of a Jowett Car. The registration
No is W-149, which is Sheffield I think. I do not know if he actually owned it. His name was Hubert Coldwell, and he lived
at 153, St Lawrence Rd. Tinsley. Sheffield. The house is still there, but the photograph was not taken there. Date I would
think around 1925, note the Union Jack.
I would be pleased if you could give me any information regarding the vehicle, and if you have any further interest in this
photograph please contact me.
Mr C.L. Wade.