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 with 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 wanted, Rick Neilson - former USAF pilot stationed in England - got a proper V8 engine in his Peerless. Then came Jim Keeble, independent automotive engineer and former racing driver, stopped by with a Buick V8 engine that he installed. At the end of the 50s, V8 engines in English sports cars were still new - even for brands such as Jensen and Bristol. John Gordon, who was CEO of Peerless at the time, took the idea with him into a new company that would eventually be named Gordon Keeble. They made a tubular frame from square steel profiles with the same type of chassis that Peerless had used on their cars, inserted 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 very young one 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 at Bertone's stand at the 1960 Geneva exhibition.
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 Motoring Magazine Coach were known to be both honest and outspoken about the cars they tested, and the tests were carried out with millimeter precision. I might also add that the motoring journalists at the time mastered the art of writing better than today's motoring 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, there was a halt in the deliveries of steering gears from Adwest due to a labor dispute there. Adwest also had Rover and Triumph on its customer lists, and there were rumors 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 had the half-finished cars completed, and managed to build 6 brand new cars. Even though they had raised the prices, it still wasn't financially viable, 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 lantern inserts. The slightly aggressive grill. The rear with vertical taillights. The steel rims with center bolt. Large center console with rocker switches. The interior, which was originally made in Skai. A model that is somewhat reminiscent of the model it was based on, the Peerless from the late 50s. But you can also say that it has a lot in common with Iso Rivolta, and not least, Iso Grifo. It is not accidental, as Renzo rivolta was requested by John Gordon to produce the cars for Gorden-Keeble. There was no agreement, but Rivolta had been inspired by the drawings. The result was own cars with corresponding tubular steel frames and a Chevrolet 327 cu in engine from the Italian manufacturer. But that's another story.
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