RE: Lister Knobbly | PH Test Drive

RE: Lister Knobbly | PH Test Drive

Monday 28th October 2019

Lister Knobbly | PH Review

The Knobbly is one of the most exclusive new cars on sale in the UK. Dan went along to see what £375k buys you



You have a choice to make when driving the Lister Knobbly continuation. With a chunky chassis rail passing directly underneath the pedal box, pivoting your right foot from the throttle pedal to the brake isn't entirely straightforward. Ideally, you'd position your heel exactly where that hefty steel tube sits. So if you right foot brake, you find yourself lifting that leg up and dragging it over the chassis rail to jump between the two pedals. It works, but the half-second it takes to do so can feel like an eternity when you have to stop the car in a hurry.

The alternative is to brake with your left foot, which dances unobstructed between the brake and clutch pedals while your right foot hovers merrily over the throttle. And all of a sudden you're left-foot braking in a 1950s sports racing car on the public highway, fingers wrapped around the narrow wooden rim of the steering wheel, beginning to believe you might be Stirling Moss.

See the full Lister Knobbly ad here

The Knobbly continuation - in reality a brand new car, but built to the original designs using the original jigs in the original factory, and even by some of the original workers, amazingly, so perhaps closer to a classic machine than a new one - has the same power-to-weight ratio as the McLaren 570GT. Over a cresting, sinewy stretch of B-road, though, I would back myself to be faster in something like a Mercedes-AMG A45 S than the Lister. I'm just far more accustomed to a modern super-hatch than I am an old-style racer.

But for sense of occasion? The Knobbly makes the Mercedes-AMG look like a child's tricycle in that respect. And the 570GT, for that matter. Pedalling the Lister is as rewarding as driving on the road can ever get. You're unlikely to see another coming your way, too. Only a couple of dozen road-going continuations have been built, and only two are listed for sale in the classifieds. Both for £375,000. Yes, that buys a lot of modern supercar, but as attitudes towards cars and driving change in the coming years, it might actually be the case that there's more opportunity to enjoy a slower 1950s performance car on the road than a faster modern one. Because engagement trumps outright speed every single time. Thanks for watching.


See all Lister Classics stock here

Author
Discussion

Imafreeman

Original Poster:

117 posts

223 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Those are the types of cars that should be available (at affordable levels) today. Basic engineering, fun to drive, no touch screen rubbish or 85 ECU nightmares and certainly no self driving automation.
Love it, but can't afford it. 🙁

Mikebentley

6,034 posts

139 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Absolutely wonderful car. I am biased slightly (see garage). A brilliant thoughtful and intelligent review by this journalist. It encapsulates what you get from a classic, an engaged and fully emersive drive and he was clearly having so much fun in 2nd and 3rd gear.
I think I now have a new lottery car. I’ll take mine in a period metallic please.

V8 FOU

2,970 posts

146 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
You can keep all your Mclarens, Ferraris, AMG's,etc This is the real deal!

Cylon2007

513 posts

77 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
That sounds PROPER smile love it

Edmundo2

1,328 posts

209 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Fantastic. Great report from Dan and it's clear he means every word and is struggling to contain himself. Theres not enough raw new cars around and this just goes to show that an old school formula still provides the best experience.

anonymous-user

53 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
The more technology advances, the more sense things like this make. Wonderful.

sideways man

1,306 posts

136 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Great review and fabulous car. I wish I was rich.

samoht

5,633 posts

145 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Thanks for the vid, great to see something like this in motion on British B-roads.

Seems a bit like a rich man's Caterham to me - the same fifties roots, the rawness and directness, the same exposure to the elements and potential for feelsome powerslides, but you add a noble inline six instead of a proletarian four-pot, some actual styling, and a level of historical authenticity.

It's worth noting that the 'unique' engine cover shape is an amusing riposte to FIA regulations which specified a minimum windscreen depth, but said nothing about the scuttle height. With the tall XK engine, this presumably made quite a difference. https://lister.com/archie


Flanners

198 posts

129 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Yes indeed, what a fantastic machine. As alluded to above you can keep all the electronic gizmos and fake pops and bangs this is what driving is all about! Driver engagement over claimed bhp, speed and badge snobbery, shame it takes a £375K car to demonstrate that.

Edited by Flanners on Saturday 26th October 13:34


Edited by Flanners on Saturday 26th October 13:39

g7jhp

6,958 posts

237 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
samoht said:
Thanks for the vid, great to see something like this in motion on British B-roads.

Seems a bit like a rich man's Caterham to me - the same fifties roots, the rawness and directness, the same exposure to the elements and potential for feelsome powerslides, but you add a noble inline six instead of a proletarian four-pot, some actual styling, and a level of historical authenticity.

It's worth noting that the 'unique' engine cover shape is an amusing riposte to FIA regulations which specified a minimum windscreen depth, but said nothing about the scuttle height. With the tall XK engine, this presumably made quite a difference. https://lister.com/archie
^^^^ This.

Lovely looking and sounding car, but crazy price for the super rich, super eccentric niche.

A Caterham offers 95% of the experience at 5-10% of the cost and is probably a more focused drive.

SidewaysSi

10,742 posts

233 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
As others have said, get a Caterham. £15k of Seven will give you similar thrills.

CDP

7,454 posts

253 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
I can see why it's worth £350,000

Utterly stunning though I'm not sure about having seatbelts without rollover protection, OK for the road I guess...

unsprung

5,467 posts

123 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all



V8 FOU said:
You can keep all your Mclarens, Ferraris, AMG's,etc This is the real deal!
Edmundo2 said:
Fantastic. Great report from Dan and it's clear he means every word and is struggling to contain himself. Theres not enough raw new cars around and this just goes to show that an old school formula still provides the best experience.
SidewaysSi said:
As others have said, get a Caterham. £15k of Seven will give you similar thrills.
+1

outstanding



CDP

7,454 posts

253 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
SidewaysSi said:
As others have said, get a Caterham. £15k of Seven will give you similar thrills.
True but this is special in its own way.

On the roads an RS3 is probably not much slower than the Lamborghini mentioned but it's easy to see why people with the money will pay more for the Italian car...

0a

23,879 posts

193 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
What a thing! And cool to answer 'a knobbly' in response to 'what are you driving at the moment!

AmosMoses

4,039 posts

164 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
After seeing the originals sliding around at the revival I’d have to have one. Simply awesome!

macky17

2,210 posts

188 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Beautiful in every way. I think modern cars keep getting faster in a vain attempt to make them more exciting. This would be exciting in a traffic jam. If you can’t afford it then yes, a caterham or of course a tvr. That’s what I did. But if I had the cash...

CDP

7,454 posts

253 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
macky17 said:
Beautiful in every way. I think modern cars keep getting faster in a vain attempt to make them more exciting. This would be exciting in a traffic jam. If you can’t afford it then yes, a caterham or of course a tvr. That’s what I did. But if I had the cash...
I wonder how good some of the D type replicas are on crossply tyres? Same engine and some are pretty well made though they are replicas...




LordHaveMurci

12,034 posts

168 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
A proper petrolheads car, not just another 'look at me' poseur wagon.

Awesome.

ZX10R NIN

27,490 posts

124 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Great read & the car seems to be amazing too.