Racing was very competitive back in the 1950s and had far fewer regulations as to the limitation of car modification. As such, Brian Lister needed to stay ahead of customer cars on the track, so he created the “Works” Knobbly racing cars that featured a truly lightweight body made out of magnesium – a material that is lightweight, but expensive to source and extremely hard to shape and manipulate. In 1954 Brain Lister met Sir Stirling Moss and the two immediately became friends, with Moss racing for Lister on three separate occasions in one of these “works” Knobbly cars. Moss took pole at Silverstone on July 19th of 1958 and secured a win in a magnesium-bodied Lister that wore the number plate “MVE 303.” Because of this win, Lister is now offering up a limited-run continuation of the “Works” Knobbly.

This continuation of the model comes after a continuation of the Knobbly with an aluminum body, but will only be limited to 10 examples, all of which will be heavily targeted by historic racing fans. The most important part about the Lister Knobbly Jaguar Stirling Moss continuation model is the fact that it too has a hand-formed magnesium body, which also adds even more value to this continuation model, as no magnesium-bodied Listers from the 1950s have survived thus far.

Lawrence Whittaker, the CEO of Lister Motor Company, said, “The launch of these Stirling Moss editions represents a truly unique opportunity. None of the original magnesium-bodied ‘works’ Lister Knobblys survived from the 1950s, so the fortunate few who get to own a Stirling Moss edition will be getting a period-correct continuation ‘works’ Lister made using the same techniques as the original. Secondly, as magnesium is such a difficult-to-source material and requires incredible skill and craftsmanship to form, the Lister Jaguar Knobbly Stirling Moss edition will be the only magnesium-bodied car you can buy – either as a road or racing car – anywhere in the world.”

Adding even more fluff to this continuation model is the fact that this is only the second time that Stirling Moss has put his name on a car, and it is expected to be an instant classic. With that said, customer deliveries are expected to Fall of 2017, so let’s take a closer look at the Lister Jaguar Stirling Moss Edition before all examples are snatched up.

Continue reading to learn more about the Lister Jaguar Stirling Moss Edition Prototype.

2016 Lister Jaguar Stirling Moss Edition Prototype

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2016 Lister Jaguar Stirling Moss Edition Prototype
  • Horsepower: 337
  • Torque: 295
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

The Stirling Moss edition is nearly identical to the original magnesium-bodied model driven by Stirling Moss back in the late ‘50s. There are some minor differences, like the lack of a functional vent on the driver’s side and the cooler in the front grille is a little bit larger than on the original. Outside of this, however, the car is practically indistinguishable from the original. It features a green and yellow livery and even includes that center-mounted rearview mirror. The fender flares in the front and rear are identical, and the body even features rivets that look to be located in the same places. As a continuation of the original model, the car even features those ugly steel rims that are wrapped with thin tires. The only thing the car is really missing on the outside is the racing number and the “MVE 303” number plate on the front end.

More importantly, however, is the fact that the body is made out of magnesium. Lightweight and difficult to source, magnesium is also a pain to work with, which leads to it taking between 12 and 18 weeks to form a single body – a figure that is up from 4 to 6 weeks for the aluminum-bodied Knobbly continuation model. The car is built in the same exact factory as the original – George Lister Engineering in Cambridge.” The body is formed around the same styling buck as the original, and the chassis is made using the same jig. It’s too bad that manufacturers like Ford, GM, and Chrysler didn’t follow this path when remaking the muscle cars from the past.

Interior

The interior of the Stirling Moss Edition is kind of up in the air, as it is being offered in two different configurations. Customers can opt to have the car finished in racing specification or as a fully, type-approved road car. As such, the road car will receive a bespoke interior that is designed to the customer’s specification – whatever that may be. Those who opt for the historic racing version will get a full FIA HTP passport, which will facilitate entry into the Stirling Moss Trophy and other races on the historic racing calendar.

In race-spec, the car comes pretty bare on the interior, featuring a minimalist design. As such, there is very little going on inside. There are two central gauges on the dash to go with a few switches and idiot lights, nothing more. The steering wheel is wrapped in leather and sewn on the inside of the rim, while three chrome spokes connect the rim to the hub. The central tunnel is elevated to accommodate the transmission and features a cutout toward the rear to facilitate the transmission shifter. There is only one seat to speak of and it's wrapped in some comfortable-looking leather with white contrast stitching. Lightweight is the name of the game for the race-spec model, so there is no radio, carpeting, or other amenities.

The interior of the road-going model is, of course, designed to suit the need of each individual customer. So, the sky really is the limit as far as materials, creature comforts, and amenities goes. In the display model, the road-going variant features a full leather interior with a matching passenger seat. The door panels and dash look to be wrapped in black leather as does the central tunnel. I can’t tell if there is carpeting on the display model, but the floor could be lined with leather to match the rest of the interior. As a fully customizable interior, expect purchased models to feature a number of different materials, including the finest leather and increasingly popular Alcantara. Furthermore, each model will receive a solid, sterling silver numbered plaque with the engraved signature of Stirling Moss.

Drivetrain

The Stirling Moss Edition is powered by a 3.8-liter Jaguar D-Type Racing Engine that delivers 337 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Power is routed to the rear wheels through a four-speed Jaguar D-Type transmission which, along with the engine, is produced by Crosthwaite and Gardiner. With a weight of 1,854 pounds, the Stirling Moss Edition can hit 62 mph in less than 4 seconds on the way to a maximum speed of 184 mph. It should also be noted that the engine under the hood also features a magnesium sump, while the transmission clutch and differential casings are also manufactured out of magnesium. It features a lightweight tubular steel chassis that is made from 16-gauge steel tube. This size tubing isn’t available, so George Lister Engineering takes the existing 14 gauge tubing and hollows it out to 16-gauge specification.

Prices

You don’t expect a model like the Stirling Moss Edition Knobby to come cheap, do you? I hope not, because all ten examples are being sold to the tune of £1 million or, at current conversion rates, $1,333,300. As far as we know that price is good for the race-spec version and the road-going variant that is built to customer specification. With that kind of price, these are truly collector models that will only increase in value as time goes on.

Conclusion

I think it's great that Lister is creating a continuation of the all-magnesium bodied Knobbly. As such, it is also the only magnesium-bodied production car on the market right now. That won’t last long, as these models will be snatched up by wealthy historic racing fans everywhere, but that’s their purpose right? I think the important thing to note here is just how well Lister stuck to the design of the original. I mean seriously, using the same jig and forms of the original? If the big three manufacturers here in the U.S. did that with the Charger, Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger, modern muscle cars would be so much better. Lister has done a great job with the Sterling Moss edition, so check out our photo gallery to see all the images we have so far.