More than 60 years after the original Lister Knobbly first raced, this celebrated competition car – one of the most successful in motor racing history and a Goodwood regular in period – can finally be driven legally on the Queen’s highway.
Uniquely, Lister is currently the only manufacturer making original specification continuation cars that are eligible for IVA type approval, and thus fully legal for registration and road use. Other continuation specials offered by likes of Jaguar and Aston Martin, for example, are strictly limited to track use only, being unable to qualify for low-volume approval because of the total number of cars they produce.
Beneath the new road-going Knobbly’s hand-beaten aluminium body is a six-cylinder Jaguar 3.8-litre engine and four-speed gearbox, almost identical to the D-Type powerplants fitted in the 1950s. Its engines are built using all-new remanufactured parts around original Jaguar blocks, assembled by Crosthwaite & Gardiner, with an impressive 330bhp – enough to power the 787kg Knobbly to 181mph and accelerate from 0-60mph in just 4.3 seconds.
The tubular chassis is made from seamless engineering tube using the original jigs, and all welds are pressure tested to ensure integrity. The aluminium body panels alone take around 500 hours to beat into the Knobbly’s distinctive shape.
Notable changes to make the Lister Knobbly road-legal include roll-over protection, collapsible steering column, push button switches, removal of the wheel spinners for pedestrian safety, as well as the windscreen being replaced by a wind deflector.
Just ten of the new hand-built road-going Lister Knobbly continuation models will be made, with production is due to commence in September 2017 and the first customer deliveries planned for June 2018. Fitted with a 4.2-litre 6-Cylinder engine, the new road-going Knobbly will be £225,000 on-the-road, while a 3.8-litre with a dry sump will be priced at £295,000.
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