In Britain, the immediate post-war years brought different reactions from the population. On the one hand there was the elation of hostilities being over. A general election in 1945 resulted in a landslide victory for Clement Attlee’s Labour Party, and they set about a programme of social reform that would transform the nation. A comprehensive national insurance scheme would provide benefits for the poor, the sick and the unemployed, and a national health service would provide healthcare, free at the point of use, for everyone. There was improved state-funded education, and ambitious plans (not fully realised) to build millions of new homes and clear inner city slums.
But the reality of life was rather different. The country had bankrupted itself with the war effort. Some foods and other commodities were in short supply, and rationing would have to be endured for years to come. Some things, such as bread, became subject to rationing for the first time, leading some people to feel that they were worse off in peacetime than they had been during the war. There would be years of austerity before conditions improved.
Into this situation of gloom, the British motor industry returned to production of civilian vehicles. The engineering factories had been fully employed in production of military vehicles, armaments, aircraft and parts, and with these demands suddenly removed, they could return to their normal business, provided they could find customers who could afford to buy their products.
Many manufacturers simply revived their pre-war models, sometimes with improvements, but in many cases making cars identical to those on sale in 1939.
A few were more enterprising, and Jowett Cars Ltd., a modest sized producer from Bradford, Yorkshire, announced their all-new post-war model, the Javelin, in 1946, with production starting the following year. Its modern concept made the products of most of the major manufacturers look desperately outdated.
Jowett had built their reputation on simple, robust but very basic vehicles, but the Javelin was a completely different conception. It was a small to medium sized family car of remarkably advanced design. The body was light and reasonably aerodynamic, with a long sloping rear, and could seat six people at a pinch on the two full-width bench seats. Suspension, independent at the front, was by torsion bars, and a 1.5-litre horizontally-opposed four-cylinder engine was mounted low down, ahead of the front wheel axis. This drove the rear wheels through a four-speed gearbox. The engine had a cast aluminium block with wet cylinder liners, and twin carburettors gave it a respectable output (for the day) of around 50 bhp. Top speed was about 80 mph, and fuel consumption around 25-30 mpg (imperial).
Performance and handling were both excellent, and though the cars were not cheap, they sold reasonably well, and developed a loyal following. I remember a friend of my parents taking us on a trip in one in the early 1960s. The car would already have been over ten years old by then, but its owner had no intention of replacing it. Compared with the small Fords which my father had been running, it was very impressive in its comfort, acceleration and ability to cruise at quite high speeds.
But unfortunately, as with many smaller British producers, things ultimately went wrong. Unable to keep up with demand, Jowett subcontracted production of the bodywork to an outside firm, Briggs Motor Bodies, who built them in a factory in Doncaster. Briggs were bought out by Ford in 1953, and the Doncaster factory, surplus to their requirements, was sold on to another company, which was almost immediately taken over by the British Motor Corporation.
Jowett’s supply of bodies dried up, and they were unable to recover from the situation. In 1954 they sold their main factory to International Harvester, and switched to making aircraft parts. They were taken over by the Blackburn and General Aircraft Company in 1956, and the name disappeared, though they continued to make parts available for their post-war cars until the early 1960s.
So sadly, an innovative car failed to meet its potential due to poor business strategy, and perhaps over-confidence, a situation that would inevitably be repeated by other small manufacturers, showing that the development of a good and innovative product is not by itself the key to long-term success.
