This Lister-Jaguar ‘Flat Iron’ taught Jim Clark about car control

Chassis number BHL 5, registration number HCH 736 will have those in the know looking twice, thrice, then doing a couple of laps to drink in the details. These are details of a car that looks very different to when it began life in 1955. It saw plenty of success in its first year, with 2-litre class wins by Roy Salvadori, Peter Scott-Russell and David Hampshire at the Castle Combe International, Goodwood 9 Hours and British Grand Prix respectively. At the latter, it would be crashed a year later under new ownership.

Though it required a new chassis, engine and body, the car kept its original identity. But by 1957, it had traded 2.0-litre Bristol for 3.4-litre – latterly 3.0-litre – Jaguar power and its original coachwork for custom Gomm-designed alloy panelling that earned it the famous ‘Flat Iron’ nickname.

From there, the star driver patchwork that is its history only expands, with Archie Scott-Brown, Brian Naylor and even, eventually, Jim Clark. But we’ll get to that. The 1958 Le Mans 24 Hours wasn’t plain sailing for the first works-supported privateer Lister, with drivers Brian Halford and Brian Naylor driving it well in spite of mounting issues. It would eventually limp across the line, with a broken cam, failing rear brakes and a sticky gearbox, in 15th place overall, becoming the only Lister-Jaguar ever to finish the world-famous enduro. It was also the only 3.0-litre Jaguar-engined car to finish, outlasting the wing-clipped D-Types that had been so dominant with the larger XK engine the year before.

The Lister lived on, getting its 3.4-litre heart back and eventually found its way in the ownership of the Border Reivers Racing Team of one Jock McBain, who had a young driver on his roster by the name of Jim Clark. Clark, shining bright as a driving talent wherever he turned a wheel, drove the Flat Iron to three victories at Mallory Park from the off in early 1959. These were drives that would capture the attention of his future wife Sally Stokes.

This was a car Clark is known to have respected, speaking publicly about the valuable lessons it taught him. It was a car in which he revelled in the challenge; lively but controllable, aggressive but willing.

In subsequent years, it would pass through the ownership of a number of notable names, collections and figures in the racing and historic racing scene. In 2013, under new ownership, it went through a restoration to as-raced-by-Clark spec in the care of CKL Developments.

The current owner agrees with Clark’s fond memories of the car, telling us “she’s amazing to drive”. The car has Marino Franchitti and Nick Padmore at the wheel this weekend, a pairing you don’t often associate with the lowly 11th place it achieved in qualifying. The owner reckons they’ll climb up the order with relative ease should the sopping conditions of qualifying dry out. “The gap will close this evening in the dry as the Lotus 15s are better in the wet.”

To those who know, this car is an irreplicable unicorn and, as such, is a golden ticket to any historic motorsport event. To his credit, the owner takes it everywhere, having acquired the car in 2017. “I bought it due to its originality and that it gets into the major events. I’ve driven it in the Le Mans Classic twice. I race it in Peter Auto. This year I won in it at Spa and Dijon and will be at the Le Mans Classic next year.”

What a stunning thing – certainly, it’s more elegant than its Knobbly half-siblings – to see out racing in the Sussex Trophy at the 2024 Goodwood Revival.

The 2024 Goodwood Revival takes place on 6^th-8^th September. You can watch every moment of the historic motorsport action right here on our live stream!

Photography by Nick Wilkinson.