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Lister Knobbly Reborn As Road-Legal Continuation Model

Most small British automakers of old went, unfortunately, belly up for pretty obvious reasons. Among the few survivors of the golden age of the United Kingdom’s automotive industry, Lister happens to be near the top of that particular list. To this day, the Cambridge-based company stays true to its sporting legacy.
Lister Knobbly continuation model 7 photos
Photo: Lister
Lister Knobbly continuation modelLister Knobbly continuation modelLister Knobbly continuation modelLister Knobbly continuation modelLister Knobbly continuation modelLister Knobbly continuation model
Reborn in 2013 thanks to Lawrence Whittaker, the ionic marque has a new car in the offing. The car in question is the Knobbly, a curvaceous open-top racecar that was produced in the late ’50s in very limited numbers. Today’s Knobbly is what the car-loving public calls a continuation model. In simple terms, “continuation” is the short way of saying “a perfect reproduction of the original.”

Compared to the original, the pictured Knobbly is fully eligible for IVA type approval. Yes, ladies and gents, the continuation Lister Knobbly is entitled to wear license plates! Can you imagine how evocative it is to drive such a car on an empty, winding B road?

Only ten such vehicles will ever be built, with production slated to commence in September 2017 and the first deliveries planned for June 2018. Customers have a choice between a 4.2-liter Jaguar inline-six (£225,000 on-the-road) and a 3.8-liter engine with dry-sump lubrication. The latter is the one technically closer to the original Knobbly, with prices starting from £295k.

“This is a hugely important step for us, making Lister the first to be able to offer our enthusiastic clients the excitement and thrills of driving a historically significant race car on the road,” declared Lawrence Whittaker, CEO of the Lister Motor Company. “Our new road-legal Knobbly also paves the way for more future road-going Lister models too.”

With 330 bhp on tap and a curb weight of 787 kilograms thanks to an aluminum construction, performance beggars believe. Zero to 60 mph takes 4.3 seconds, and if you keep your foot planted on the loud pedal, the speedometer will eventually show 181 mph.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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