Jowett japery with the Bangers Circus

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What exactly is going on here? If only we knew, but we haven't the faintest idea. All we can really say for certain is that the car is a Jowett Long Four and the photograph came from an album of a volunteer in the London Rifle Brigade, so these are presumably some of his friends and colleagues. It isn't exactly what you'd expect to see His Majesty's finest riflemen getting around in, but clearly this was some sort of special occasion - a carnival or pageant of some description.

A look at the number plate may help us have a guess at the location, but it's not at all clear. If it's a YA number then it's a Somerset registration, but if the second letter isn't an 'A' then it's more likely to be a London one. Either way, it could be red herring as the Jowett is obviously not a new car in this photograph and it may well have been passed around a bit. As far as the date goes, we think it's a 1930s photograph. There's a large car in the background which looks to be of mid-1930s construction (a 1936 Ford, maybe), but this picture could very easily date from the 1950s.

If you're not familiar with the products of Jowett, Yorkshire's most famous car-maker, we might mention that it's surely best-known for its unconventional use of horizontally-opposed engines. The Long Four is this year celebrating its centenary, being introduced in 1923 as Jowett's first four-seater model; previous offerings had all been two-seaters. Jowetts were known for their excellent acceleration and fuel economy, and the Long Four became a strong seller for the remainder of the Vintage period.

Marque enthusiasts will be interested to know that the Jowett Owners' Club - the world's oldest one-make car club - is also 100 years old this year and will be celebrating its centenary with a re-enactment of the hill-climb at Surrey's Titsey Hill, where 23 Jowetts attempted each attempted to make the fastest ascent at the club's inaugural meeting in 1923. We are assured, however, that there are no plans to re-enact the antics of the Bangers Circus...

Words: Zack Stiling; photograph: Stiling Collection
 

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