Description
2021 Lister Jaguar Knobbly Continuation
In effect this is a brand-new original specification 1958 Works Lister ‘Knobbly’, built to meet current FIA Appendix K race regulations, direct from the Lister Factory in Cambridge complete with HTP.
First registered March 2021
Chassis BHL169C
Green / Yellow stripe
3781cc six cylinder Jaguar DOHC
Race and Road specification
Public Road Drivers Pack incl. IVA Dashboard
Black Double Zipped Tonneau Cover
FIA FT3 1999 Approved Fuel Safety Cell
Heat Protection Pack Incl. Exhaust Coating
The continuation series cars were built by George Lister Engineering using Brian Lister’s original working drawings, manufacturing jigs and even some of the original engineers including Brian Lister himself.
The cars are built to the specifications as in 1958, out of the box and ready to race with BHL(C) chassis insignia and FIA/ HTP accreditation. This example is complete with the correct and race proven, D Type 3. 8 litre 6 cylinder engine complete with the famous wide-angle cylinder head, dry sump lubrication and triple weber carburettors
Driven by some of the most notable racing drivers of the 50’s including Archie Scott Brown, Stirling Moss, Ivor Beub, Bruce Halford and Innes Ireland. All race preparation and track commissioning were undertaken by Chris Keith-Lucas of CKL Developments. Last but not least, that fantastic streamlined ‘Knobbly’s’ body was re-created using the original jigs.
So what’s it like to drive?
Lister are such sticklers for accuracy this car has points ignition and a dynamo instead of an alternator. It may have been built in the 21st century, but the look, sound and feel is identical to the cars raced by Stirling Moss and Archie Scott Brown, the great 1950s driver who made Lister’s name.
The cockpit is tight but not overly so and once in everything falls readily to hand. Fed by three twin-choke Weber carburettors, the engine blasts into life at first twist of the key and settles into a gruff, rough idle.
So far as modern sensibilities go, you get proper mirrors, indicators and foglights, warning lights for brake fluid and fuel level, a sunken fuel cap and padded leather dashboard.
The Lister offers total sensory immersion at the first proper press of the pedal: you hear the engine snarl, see the horizon leap towards you, feel the car lunge forward and smell incinerated hydrocarbons.
The four-speed ’box is slow but accurate, the engine flexible below 3000rpm but really only on song thereafter. But when it’s pulling hard – well, you’d never credit a 60-year-old design with performance like this.
It handles beautifully, too. The grip levels of its old-school Dunlop racing crossplies are easily exceeded but, unlike a modern slick or track-day tyre, they’re designed to work with a slip angle, which is why old racing cars are always seen drifting.
On the road, it is set up not to understeer but to operate within a delicious window ranging from essentially neutral to mild oversteer. The brakes, devoid of servo assistance, have the best pedal feel of any car with a numberplate you will have driven. If it has a problem, it’s that it’s almost impossible to drive slowly. It’s tractable and tolerant enough, what’s more, because it is narrow and light, you can use it with confidence on the public roads
But, to be honest, it is on track where the car is truly at home – the only place where you can be flat out all the time, and that’s the only way it wants to be driven.
The continuation Knobblys have proved rather popular, and you can see why: when you consider 400 hours goes into hand-beating the body alone and the literal millions charged by the likes of Jaguar and Aston Martin for their continuation cars, a Knobbly sounds like a bargain, and that’s before you’ve driven one. After that, it looks more like a steal.
The road-going Knobbly weighs 787kg and the 330bhp of the 3. 8-litre engine is sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual gearbox. 0-62mph takes a claimed 4. 3 seconds, and Lister claims a top speed of 181mph.
Full image gallery available on our website. Please contact our sales team for further details.
