never say never get you home.

[Chris Cole]

Jowett Javelin experiences.
In about 1964, as an engineering apprentice, my second car was a 1953 Javelin Delux, bought for £20. When I bought it the battery was nearly flat and it only started on the handle. I spent some time under the bonnet, and then under the car looking for the battery. When run to earth (sorry about the pun) I found that the canvas strap which should run under the battery to aid lifting it out of the battery box was missing. The battery seemed to fit the box with about 10 thou’ of clearance! It took ages to get out, I broke fingernails on it. The lifting strap was, of course, under the battery in the bottom of the box.

The car ran very well and was very fast for the time. I used to run from Gloucester to Cirencester along the old Roman road. This was straight but followed the ups and downs of the countryside. I first found that the rear shock absorbers had gone when I hit a bump at an indicted 80 MPH. The rear end carried on bobbing up and down for the next five miles, or so it felt at the time.

On another occasion, when is a rush, I had to stop at a zebra crossing. I slapped the car into gear and held the clutch in while impatiently waiting for the crossing to clear. At last, I revved up and dropped the clutch. My teeth were nearly knocked out on the steering wheel as the car set off violently in reverse at about 30 MPH! Luckily there was no other traffic behind me as it took some distance to recover myself and stop.

The first time I tried to overtake at speed in third gear was a shock too. At about 45 MPH I was level with the car on my inside and facing an oncoming car. As I reached up to change into fourth gear the gear lever jumped out of third! This struck my hand very violently and painfully. Simultaneously the engine revved to the limit; I lost speed and the approaching car was flashing. With little space left I managed to brake and drop back behind the car I had tried to pass. Never again; I always held it in third from then on! (Forty years on I know about the detent mechanism on the box cover!)

One day I had taken my brother to the dentist, a trip of less than a mile. After a painful tooth filling we got back in the car. On starting there was a tell-tale snapping noise and the engine ran very badly. I suspected a broken crankshaft. I set off very slowly in second gear. There was no traffic and we crawled home. The crankshaft was broken, I forget which web, but it broke at about 45 degrees and still managed to drive – just. Someone at work had a seized engine, with an oval web crank, for sale at £10. I changed the engine crankshaft and it ran well from then on.

I guess my last memory was of sitting in the rear of the car one day. I had no handbook and was puzzling about the two sockets on the rear of the front seat. After many days of head scratching I noticed the leather tab just under the rear window. This I pulled and was surprised to find the whole rear parcel shelf came out! Not only that but it fitted the sockets on the front seat to make a picnic tray!

From there on I was hooked on Javelins but had to wait another 40 years before I bought my present car.