Makes › Lister › Lister-Jaguar 'Knobbly' · Factory competition · 1958–1959 Ultra Rare
Lister
Lister-Jaguar 'Knobbly'
Brian Lister's Cambridge-built sports-racing car with Jaguar engine (period cars only)
Still being researched: identification guide. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 12 Built
- Years
- 1958–1959
- Engine
- Jaguar XK straight six, front, longitudinal · 3,785 cc / 3.8 LFactory: 3,785 cc
- Power
- 228 kW / 310 PSFactory: 306 hp · converted
- Top speed
- 275 km/hFactory: 275 km/h
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Brian Lister
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The Knobbly was the Jaguar-engined sports-racing Lister designed by Brian Lister, most closely associated with Archie Scott-Brown, and a car to beat in 1958; a Lister won the SCCA national championship that year. Its rounded body gave the car its nickname.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
Lister Lister-Jaguar 'Knobbly' (Wikimedia Commons: Lister Jaguar Knobbly)
Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lister Lister-Jaguar 'Knobbly' (Wikimedia Commons: Lister Jaguar Knobbly)
Photo: David Merrett from Daventry, England · CC BY 2.0
Lister Lister-Jaguar 'Knobbly' (Wikimedia Commons: Lister Jaguar Knobbly)
Photo: David Merrett from Daventry, England · CC BY 2.0
Lister Lister-Jaguar 'Knobbly' (Wikimedia Commons: Lister Jaguar Knobbly)
Photo: David Merrett from Daventry, England · CC BY 2.0
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02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionapproximate Jaguar-engined examples (plus c.10 Chevrolet-engined) | 121 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Brian Lister debuted the Lister-Jaguar prototype in February 1958 with a custom tubular frame and an aluminium body made by Williams & Pritchard. Customers could order the panels in aluminium or magnesium (Elektron), and the car used inboard Girling disc brakes and a larger fuel tank than earlier Listers.
The shape proved unsteady at high speed, so Lister worked with Frank Costin on a more aerodynamic body, and by 1959 all Listers used the Costin design. One report, citing Robert Edwards, says only ten Jaguar-engined Listers were built in period; RM Sotheby's describes one lot as believed to be the only extant Jaguar-powered works Knobbly, the last of three Knobbly-bodied works cars built for 1958.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Lister-Jaguar 'Knobbly'.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine manufacturer | Jaguar (inline-6); Chevrolet (V8) on the Chevrolet-engined cars2 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Engine family | Jaguar inline-6 or Chevrolet V83 Independently researched |
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Jaguar XK straight six, front, longitudinal4 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 3,785 cc / 3.8 LFactory: 3,785 cc4 Independently researchedOther cars used the 3.4-litre XK six (topspeed.com, not cited); table is for the 3.8-litre version. |
| Bore | 87 mmFactory: 87 mm4 Independently researched |
| Stroke | 106 mmFactory: 106 mm4 Independently researched |
| Compression ratio | 9.5:14 Independently researched |
| Valvetrain | DOHC, 2 valves per cylinder4 Independently researched |
| Fuel system | Three Weber carburettors4 Independently researched |
| Induction | Naturally aspirated3 Independently researched |
| Power | 228 kW / 310 PSFactory: 306 hp · converted4 Independently researchedSource states bhp. |
| Power at | 5,500 rpm4 Independently researched |
| Torque | 434 NmFactory: 434 Nm4 Independently researched |
| Torque at | 4,500 rpm4 Independently researched |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Manual4 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | 44 Independently researched |
| Driven wheels | Rear-wheel drive4 Independently researched |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Steel tubular frame4 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Double wishbones, coil springs over telescopic dampers4 Independently researched |
| Rear suspension | De Dion axle, twin trailing arms, coil springs over telescopic dampers4 Independently researched |
| Brakes | Girling discs4 Independently researched |
| Steering | Rack and pinion4 Independently researched |
| Body construction | Aluminium (or magnesium) body panels by Williams & Pritchard4,5 Independently researched |
| Materials | Aluminium body over steel tube frame; some bodies in Elektron (magnesium)3,2 Independently researched |
| Wheelbase | 2,305 mmFactory: 2,305 mm4 Independently researched |
| Length | 4,120 mmFactory: 4,120 mm4 Independently researched |
| Width | 1,590 mmFactory: 1,590 mm4 Independently researched |
| Height | 990 mmFactory: 990 mm4 Independently researched |
| Front track | 1,321 mmFactory: 1,321 mm4 Independently researched |
| Rear track | 1,359 mmFactory: 1,359 mm4 Independently researched |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | 900 kgFactory: 900 kg4 Independently researched |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 275 km/hFactory: 275 km/h4 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
Lister-Jaguar Knobbly – Silodrome Level C
- 12 approximate Jaguar-engined examples (plus c.10 Chevrolet-engined)
-
2
1958 Lister-Jaguar 'Knobbly' | Arizona 2021 Level C RM Sotheby's
- another ten or so cars with Chevrolet power
- offered to customers in either aluminum or Elektron (magnesium)
-
3
1958 - 1959 Lister Knobbly Level C Supercars.net
- Jaguar Inline-6 or Chevrolet V8
- aspiration | Natural
- Aluminum Body over Steel Tube Frame
-
4
1957 - 1958 Lister Knobbly Jaguar Specifications Level C Ultimatecarpage.com
- Jaguar XK Straight 6 Front, longitudinally mounted
- 3,785 cc / 231 cu in
- 87.0 mm / 106.0 mm
- Compression 9.5:1
- 2 valves / cylinder, DOHC
- 3 Weber Carburettors
- 306 bhp / 228 kW @ 5,500 rpm
- 306 bhp @ 5,500 rpm
- 434 Nm / 320 ft lbs @ 4,500 rpm
- 434 Nm @ 4,500 rpm
- Gearbox 4 speed Manual
- 4 speed Manual
- Drive Rear wheel drive
- steel tubular frame
- double wishbones, coil springs over telescopic shock absorbers
- DeDion axle, twin trailing arms
- Girling discs
- rack-and-pinion
- aluminium and magnesium panels
- 2,305 mm (90.7 in)
- 4,120 mm (162.2 in)
- 1,590 mm (62.6 in)
- 990 mm (39 in)
- 1,321 mm (52 in) / 1,359 mm (53.5 in)
- 1,359 mm (53.5 in)
- Weight 900 kilo / 1,984 lbs
- 275 km/h (171 mph)
-
5
1958-1959 Lister Knobbly Level C Supercars.net
- The aluminum body was made by Williams & Pritchard
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