I find English car history fascinating. Especially cars that were built in small series - by real enthusiasts in old aircraft hangars. Some of the people who built the cars are still alive. And the cars - you take good care of them.
The idea of putting a V8 engine in an English gran turismo
The story, which can still be retold by living people, began at Peerless Cars Ltd. in Slough, west of London. There they built beautiful GT cars reminiscent of early Aston Martin DB models. One day, one of the customers, Rick Neilson – a former USAF pilot stationed in England – wanted a proper V8 engine in his Peerless. Then Jim Keeble , a freelance automotive engineer and former racing driver, came along with a Buick V8 engine that he fitted. In the late 50s, V8 engines in English sports cars were still new – even for brands like Jensen and Bristol. John Gordon , who was managing director of Peerless at the time, took the idea with him into a new company that would eventually be named Gordon Keeble . They built a tubular steel frame with the same type of chassis that Peerless had used on their cars, fitted it with a 283 cu in (4,6 liter) Chevrolet engine from Neilson's own Corvette C1, and sent the finished chassis to Bertone in Italy, where the then-young Giorgetto Giugiaro was commissioned to design a suitable aluminum body. The result was very good, so good that the car appeared as the main attraction on Bertone's stand at the 1960 Geneva Motor Show.
The car in the picture
The car we are talking about is the red car in the main picture, "472 LKX". After Geneva, it was made available to the automotive press of the time. The car later disappeared and remained missing for several years. Then it ended up with a collector and was restored before it was "made available" to the public in 2021.
After putting a further 1 miles on the Gordon GT's mileometer, this journal looks back on the most electrifying vehicle that it has ever tested, and forward to the day when this exciting British car will enter the production stage. (Autocar)
The car press
The British car magazine Autocar was known for being both honest and outspoken about the cars they tested, and the tests were carried out with millimetre precision. I might also add that the motoring journalists at the time mastered the art of writing better than today's car writers.
Production starts
It would take almost 4 years before the first cars could be delivered to customers. The production premises were where the Spitfire aircraft were built during the war, - today part of the area of Southampton Airport. In order to keep the cars from being too expensive, the bodies were cast in fiberglass – not aluminum bodies like the prototype had. The engines from GM were now 327 cu in. (5,4 litres). Performance was extreme for its time with a top speed of over 200 km/h and 0-100 in well under 7 seconds.
The problems
The product calculations did not hold up. The first cars were sold far below cost. With good demand, this did not have to lead to any disaster, as it was only a matter of increasing prices. Worse still, deliveries of steering knuckles from Adwest were halted due to a labour dispute there. Adwest also had Rover and Triumph on its customer lists, and there were rumours that they received their deliveries before little Gordon Keeble. With 10 unfinished cars, the company ran out of money. They had then produced 83 cars. Fortunately, the bankruptcy estate was bought by new owners who completed the half-finished cars, and managed to build 6 brand new cars. Even though they had raised prices, it still did not turn around financially, and after 99 cars it came to a complete standstill. Several years later, car number 100 was assembled based on parts.
The car in the pictures
The burgundy red car, "HAA 227D" is number 94, and thus one of the 6 brand new cars built by the resurrected company. The car has been restored, but has its original interior. The owner sits on the board of the Gordon Keeble Owners Club and represented the club at The London Classic Car Show 2023 where the photos were taken.
Gordon Keeble Owners Club
If you buy a Gordon Keeble, you should send a notice to the club. They keep track of all the cars, and can account for 90% of all cars produced. If you tell us the car number, you will certainly get the full history of your vehicle. As these have always been special cars, many of the owners have also been special. At its peak, the club had 70 members. The owners' involvement not only keeps the cars alive, but also the history of the company. Founders John Gordon and Jim Keeble have unfortunately passed away, and several of the owners are also starting to retire. There is still something about the cars that makes someone just have to have them. As one owner states:
When I actually saw one, I fell in love with it, really, and just destined to own one – one day. ("The tortoise and the car" – trailer)
The cars speak for themselves
The slanted double headlight inserts. The slightly aggressive grille. The rear with standing taillights. The steel rims with a center bolt. Large center console with rocker switches. The interior that was originally made of leather. A model that is somewhat reminiscent of the model it was based on, the Peerless from the late 50s. But one could also say that it has a lot in common with the Iso Rivolta, and not least, the Iso Grifo. It is no coincidence, as Renzo Rivolta was asked by John Gordon to produce the cars for Gorden-Keeble. There was no deal, but Rivolta had been inspired by the drawings. The result was his own cars with similar steel tube frames and Chevrolet 327 cu in engine from the Italian manufacturer. But that is another story.
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