Highlights

One-off 500cc F3 racer built by Brian J Rowsell in mid-50s
Rowsell and the car are well-known in 500 Club circles
Regularly raced in 50s and 60s and hillclimbed into 90s
Achieved 4th in World Sports Trophy at Brand Hatch in 1959
Restored by Simon Frost, technical advisor for the 500 Club
JAP 500cc engine freshly rebuilt by Cameron Engineering
VIF from the 500 Owners Association
Numerous period race programmes
Featured at Silverstone Festival 2025

The Appeal

This pretty 500cc Formula Three car is testament to the ingenuity and enthusiasm of post-war racers. In the 40s and 50s, the sheer accessibility of 500cc racing put many amateur racers in their own home-designed and built cars.

500 Club Competition Secretary Brian J Rowsell, well known in Club circles, built this JAP-engined car in the mid-50s. Rowsell campaigned the BJR from 1955 through to 1963 at Brands Hatch, Crystal Palace, and possibly Goodwood, racing against the likes of Stuart Lewis Evans, Jim Russell in the works Cooper, and Ivor Bueb. The car continued to compete in hill climbs and sprints into the 1990s, and Rowsell's son Ian has carefully pieced together its history, contributing period photographs and background information. It was a very capable mid-field car, notching up 4th in the 1959 World Sports Trophy round at Brands Hatch.

The car features a 500cc JAP engine, a tubular chassis, wishbone and coil front suspension, and swing axles at the rear. Restored in the early 2020s by Simon Frost — well known for his work on Formula 3 500s and technical advisor to the 500 Club — the BJR returned to racing in 2020 and 2021. More recently recommissioned by JSB Engineering, it qualified well and ran in midfield at the Silverstone Festival in 2025 before an engine failure prompted a rebuild by Cameron Engineering. With that fresh engine now installed alongside a new clutch and chains, the BJR is ready to race. It comes verified by a VIF from the 500 Owners Association confirming its build date and racing eligibility.

Now finished in polished aluminium, this is a pretty and very capable one-off historic racer.

Key Information

Mileage: Not applicable (racing car)
Country of registration: United Kingdom (not road-registered; racing car)
Technical inspection status: Not applicable
Technical specs: JAP 500cc single-cylinder engine, tubular chassis, wishbone and coil front suspension, swing axle rear suspension
Paperwork: VIF from the 500 Owners Association, period race programmes, bills from JSB Engineering and Cameron Engineering, period photographs

The Detail

Restored by Simon Frost in the early 2020s
Recommissioned by JSB Engineering ahead of the 2025 season (bills available)
JAP 500cc engine rebuilt by Cameron Engineering following a failure at the 2025 Silverstone Festival (bill on file)
New clutch and chains fitted
Polished aluminium bodywork, stripped back from its original painted finish by Brian Rowsell during his ownership
Raced in 2020 and 2021 following restoration
Appeared at 2025 Silverstone Festival where it qualified well
Sale includes two steering wheels (one sized for a larger driver), a track stand, and a petrol-powered starter pack
The vendor states the car now wants for nothing and is ready to race

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