{"id":496535,"date":"2017-05-01T01:49:31","date_gmt":"2017-05-01T01:49:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/\/?p=44413"},"modified":"2025-01-06T00:47:17","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T00:47:17","slug":"life-at-lister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/life-at-lister\/","title":{"rendered":"Life at Lister"},"content":{"rendered":"
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George Lister & Son was a very old engineering company in my hometown of Cambridge, starting in 1895. I joined them in 1947, having done two years training at the Technical College, as their only apprentice. At that time, Brian Lister, grandson of George and son of Horace, had just finished his duties in the Royal Air Force. I\u2019d always been interested in cars and engines. Brian noticed this and asked if I\u2019d like to work on his Morgan 4\/4 after work, during the evenings. So, I worked as an apprentice for the business during the day and then went to another property owned by Horace Lister, the Boat Yard, where Brian kept his Morgan, at night. We\u2019d work on the Morgan and fettle it for Brian\u2019s racing and various motoring events he\u2019d enter. I\u2019d cycle home, some five miles, sometimes at midnight, and have to be ready for work again early the next morning. Brian\u2019s aim was to lighten the car as much as possible to aid his competition chances. Lightening components was his obsession, among others, so the flywheel was taken to the works and skimmed as much as possible, anything that could be lightened was drilled and worked on. That\u2019s how my \u201cracing career\u201d started with Brian Lister.<\/p>\n

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Edwin \u201cDick\u201d\u2008Barton
Photo: Kary Jiggle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the beginning, Brian had an array of cars, including the \u201cToj,\u201d or Tojeiro-JAP to give it its proper name, and a Cooper MG. I\u2019d often go to John Tojeiro\u2019s garage, near Cambridge, to collect various parts. Realizing he was paying someone else to do a job the Lister company was more than capable of, Brian decided to build racing cars and manufacture parts himself. I enjoyed working on these until I had to leave Lister to commence my National Service\u2014I signed on for three years, rather than the compulsory two, as this gave me an extra six pence a day. Brian, in the meantime, had formed a separate company, which he named Brian Lister Light Engineering Limited. In April 1955, back from my National Service, I joined the new company and worked on the racing side full-time. Brian was deeper into his racing competing with a Bristol by then with a certain Archie Scott Brown. My first job was to collect the Bristol, MVE 303, that Archie had just won the British Empire Trophy with at Oulton Park, from Brian\u2019s home in Cavendish Avenue, Cambridge, and bring it to the works. Incidentally, the car was stamped as chassis BHL2 and Brian liked the number 303 for the sports cars he registered\u2014associating them with the speed of a .303 bullet. The relationship between Brian and Archie was intense, there was a terrific bond between them and that\u2019s why Brian never, ever, got over Archie\u2019s death. Anytime Archie\u2019s name was mentioned in his presence, even until Brian himself passed away, there would always be a tear in his eye, his candor would change and he\u2019d become very emotional\u2014he just didn\u2019t get over it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n