Vehicle Description
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One of 11 Lister-Bristols ever built
Verified by specialist Chris Keith-Lucas of CLK Developments
Ltd.
Unique Wakefield aluminum body
Rare example compared to more common Lister-Jaguars
Large collection of period-correct parts for project
Part of the early production race cars built by Lister
Few post-war race cars are as widely recognized as the graceful
bodywork of late 50s Listers. Known for their powerful engines,
elegant body shapes, and for their ability to win, the wide range
of Lister cars left an impact on the motorsport community and
helped define the design of cars in the 1950s. Like all race car
builders, they didn't appear overnight and the story surrounding
early Listers is a fascinating story and a testament to their
designer's ingenuity, Brian Lister.
Enthusiastic about racing, Brian experienced a number of race cars
during competition but was always left with an unsatisfied feeling.
This sparked his journey to establish Brian Lister Cambridge Ltd.,
shortly after negotiating a small loan of 1,500 pounds from his
father. The only stipulation was that if nothing of merit was
created within 6 months that Brian abandon the project. Undeterred,
Brian designed and fabricated components for the first Lister and
after a few months of building, the first car was revealed. The
Lister-MG (using an MG powerplant) was Brian's first Lister race
car. Not able to afford the more powerful Bristol engine at first,
the first Lister was propelled by an MG 1,466cc engine, proving to
be unpowered and thus making the car uncompetitive. After a few
races, it was obvious that the Lister-MG would not be able to win
any events without a better powerplant. After much deliberation
(and some major money pulled together), Brian was able to purchase
the Bristol engine that he had wanted from the start.
With the installation of the Bristol engine, Brian designed and
oversaw the building of the chassis, Don Moore tuned the engines,
and Archie Scott Brown driving. This welcome addition completely
changed the status of the Lister from uncompetitive small-time
racecar to becoming almost unbeatable. It began racing in the
mid-1954 season and making quite an entrance during the televised
British GP Silverstone meet of July 17th. Not only did the
Lister-Bristol win 1st-in-class for the 2.0-liter class, but
finished 5th overall in the unlimited category, with only bigger
C-type Jaguars and Aston Martins finishing ahead of them. The 1954
season saw the Lister-Bristol finding success at a number of
racetracks, including Snetterton, Brands Hatch, Castle Combe,
Silverstone, Crystal Palace and Goodwood. Between the capable
Archie Scott Brown and the equally-effective Lister, the race car
was quickly becoming known as an extremely potent machine.
1955 was the year of the Lister-Bristol for Brian and his team. The
early success of the car in the latter half of 1954 was no fluke,
as the racecar and Scott Brown took no less than 13 checkered flags
during the '55 season. They even won the British Empire Trophy at
Oulton Park, besting an Aston Martin DB3S, HWM-Jaguar, and D-type
opposition. 1955 was also the first year of customer "production"
Lister-Bristol cars being built, providing a small-but-appreciated
profit that allowed Brian and his team to continue racing. These
additional cars on the track more importantly established Lister as
a marque rather than a builder of one-off specials. The
Lister-Bristol would stop being built after 1955 as development
continued to better the Lister cars. However, Bristols were still
raced by many of Brian's customers and were competent and valid
contenders in races for years to come.
This 1955 Lister-Bristol, BHL10, is one of the eleven
Lister-Bristols ever built. In 2011 the Lister was verified by race
car specialist Chris Keith-Lucas of CLK Developments Ltd. after
consultation with David Vine, John Harper, David Ham, Colin Crisp,
Doug Nye, and Guy Broad. In his report, he points to numerous key
aspects of the car that illustrate the Lister's authenticity,
including the "Kite" layout of the chassis. A number of indicators
included original welding spots, mounting points, and the many
original Lister Bristol parts inspected during the report. As per
Chris Keith-Lucas's report, the evidence points to it being an
original chassis.
Lister-Bristols are far rarer than Lister-Jaguars, due to their
early history with Brian Lister and was in the beginning of their
manufacturer growth. This is a unique opportunity to own a genuine
Lister-Bristol chassis and running gear, along with a correct
specification engine and gearbox, plus a nearly 40-year-old
hand-formed aluminum body. The Lister comes with a comprehensive
parts collection that is included in the purchase, including the
Bristol engine and transmission. A full inventory of the parts can
be seen in the photos above. With such a unique opportunity to own
and restore this early Lister-Bristol back to its original
period-correct configuration, this is very special piece of Lister
history.
Ownership history
John Harper sold to David Vine April 1976
Advertised for sale for £5000 in the August 1977 issue of Motor
Sport
10.27.77 - sold by Christies for £4800 - Bruno Nicolini purchased
the car
1/21/1980 - Imported to Italy with Bristol engine- Reported to have
raced in the European Historic Championship at Monza in the FIA
Trophy race for sports prototypes and single seaters over
1450cc.
10/30/89 - Sold as a Lister Jaguar to Flavio Tullio
8/1/91 - registered with the FIA as a Lister Jaguar with a 3800cc
Jaguar engine and Lister Knobbly bodywork
Oct 2012 - acquired from Flavio Tullio by Bruce Canepa
