1958 Lister Knobbly Sports Roadster

Cambridge manufacturer Brian Lister built some of the legendary sports racing cars of the 1950s. The unique contours that flowed throughout the curvaceous body earned the car's name, 'Knobbly'. To comply with windshield height regulations set by the FIA, and to minimize the front area of the car, the aluminum body featured a large central bump covering the engine, which slopped downward in wide groves on either side and aft. The Knobbly had curvaceous streamlined fenders and headrests with the total package resulting in a very sporty, distinctive racing car. Propelling the car was a large three-liter Jaguar double overhead cam inline six-cylinder engine offering in excess of 250 horsepower.

The car made its debut to the motoring press in February of 1958 at the Cambridge factory. The car shown was this example, chassis number BHL EE 101. This is an unusual chassis number but was the result of being stamped 'EE' for Ecurie Ecosse and then, to match the usual Lister pattern, over-stamped with 'BHL.' The chassis had originally been earmarked for the Ecurie Ecosse racing team. This was one of two Jaguar-powered Knobblys that Briggs Cunningham ordered for the 12 Hours of Sebring. Both cars were shipped to America and prepared by Cunningham's technical director, Alfred Momo, of the Momo Corporation.

When the cars arrived at Sebring for the September 12th race, they were finished in white with blue racing stripes. During the race, BHL EE 101 was co-driven by Archie Scott-Brown, Lister's factory team driver, and American Walt Hansgen. In the first two laps, the car was positioned in fifth place behind the Aston Martins of Moss and Salvadori and the Ferrari TRs of Mike Hawthorn and Phil Hill. On lap four, things went tragically wrong. Due to a burned-out piston, the Lister-Jaguar suddenly decelerated, catching Olivier Gendebien by surprise. His Ferrari rode up the Knobbly's tail, damaging the back end and Scott-Brown's helmet, and left a tire mark on the driver's shoulder. Needless to say, the Lister-Jaguar inaugural race came to a close prematurely.

After Sebring, both of the Lister cars were re-engined. BHL EE 101 was given an experimental Alfred Momo 3.75-liter engine with a twin-plug wide-angle head.

On April 20th, 1958, Walt Hansgen won at Marlboro with this car. On May 4th, he finished 2nd at Danville and then 1st over teammate Ed Crawford, in the other Cunningham Lister-Jaguar, in a second race, giving the Florida team a 1-2 victory. On May 18th at Cumberland and again on June 1st at Bridgehampton, they repeated that success.

Victories followed for Hansgen at Lime Rock on June 1st and at Elkhart Lake on June 22. By July 5th at Lime Rock, the team scored their sixth 1-2 finish, this time with Hansgen and BHL EE 101 taking the 2nd place position.

The Lister Knobblys, to this point, had been left without any serious competition. That changed when the Scarab-Chevrolet cars arrived on the scene. The Listers had unspectacular results at Montgomery, Alabama, on August 17 and at Thompson on September 1, but re-gained their composure at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix on September 20th with Crawford winning in number 61 and Hansgen finishing 2nd in number 60. Hansgen scored his final win of the season at Virginia International Raceway on October 5.

For the 1959 season, both cars received new engines, and 2.4-liter Jaguar blocks were bored-out to three liters. The car's first race of the Season was at Sebring. Hansgen's car spent over an hour in the pits due to a fractured deDion rear axle. After repairs to the car were made, it returned to the track but another setback - a blown tire - crippled the team's chances for a good finish. At the conclusion of the race, the car finished in 12th place. Hansgen's Lister finished 2nd with a 3.8-liter mill at Marlboro on April 19th, again in SCCA competition, but it won at Danville on May 3 and at Cumberland on May 17. Hansgen and John Fitch shared driving duties at Bridgehampton on May 31st, capturing another victory. A poor showing at Lime Rock on July 4th was followed by a 2nd place finish at Montgomery on August 9th, where the car was co-drive by Phil Forno.

Another victory for the car was earned at Thompson Raceway on September 7th, co-driving with Ed Crawford at the Road America 500 at Elkhart Lake on September 13 and at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix on September 26. Hansgen drove the car to a 2nd place finish at the SCCA National at Daytona on November 15th.

For the 1960 season, the cars ran three more times. John Fitch and Briggs Cunningham finished 5th and 9th in the cars at Bridgehampton on May 29; one failed to finish in that year's Road America 500, driven by Cunningham, Ed Hugus, and Phil Horno, and one ranked 6th at Watkins Glen on September 24.

BHL EE 101 remained with Cunningham until the mid-1960s when it was sold out of storage to Herb Wetson. Ownership then passed in the early 1970s to Chris Drake, who drove it extensively in vintage racing before selling it to David Preece. In the early 1980s, ownership passed to Roger Williams. During Williams's ownership, he had a new bonnet bulit for the car. The bulkhead behind the driver was rebuilt for increased seating support. The original chassis frame underneath remains original, and it retains its original existing under-trays.

Ownership later passed to Andrew Barber.

At some point early in the car's life, the original bonnet was replaced with the later 'short bonnet' style, in keeping with the Lister factory's latest practice. Momo modified the fenders to eliminate front-end lift at high speeds which had plagued the cars early on. There are Le Mans-style Lucas headlights, original Girling racing calipers, with quick pad-change calipers mounted at the rear. The chassis has been refinished, and the dashboard was restored to very near its original 1958 design. Nearly all of the early Cunningham/Momo modifications, such as rear jacking points on the chassis, a roll bar, the oil tank cover, and the original 42-gallon fuel tank, remain with the car. Under the hood is a wide-angle head, dry-sump engine, and a four-speed manual synchromesh transmission.

Also with the car is the Cunningham-prepared, 3.75 liter Jaguar racing engine, as was fitted to this car by the Cunningham team in period. It has been rebuilt with a billet crankshaft, forged pistons, and other full-bore track equipment.

There were just 11 of these cars originally built.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2014