1958 Lister-Chevrolet Sports Racer - The Famed Stan Hallinan Lister; Just Two Private Owners from New
Estimate $600,000 - $800,000
Chassis BHL115
A Truly Remarkable Time-Warp Example
Features Chevrolet Corvette V-8 Engine with Holley Carburetion
Sympathetically Recommissioned by CKL Engineering
The Lister-Jaguar rose from the ashes of the Jaguar D-Type racing program, which was consumed in a devastating fire at the Jaguar Works facility outside Coventry, England, in January 1957. Faced with catastrophe, Jaguar was forced to focus on restarting its production car line at the Brown’s Lane plant, leaving the decimated competition department to an indeterminate fate.
Enter race car constructor Brian Lister. His family engineering firm, George Lister and Sons, were builders of high-quality metalwork dating back to the Victorian era. A highly skilled engineer, Lister had been deeply involved in race car design and fabrication since building his own Cooper-MG sports special in the early 1950s. At the behest of sponsor British Petroleum, which desired to return to the international racing stage against rival Esso, Lister sourced Jaguar’s twin-cam six-cylinder engine for a new sports racer of his own design. Utilizing a starkly minimalistic chassis formed around two 14-gauge longitudinal steel tubes, initial cars used aluminum coachwork by Williams & Pritchard Ltd. and weighed barely over 1,900 lbs.
Lister’s body design was intuitively aerodynamic, while artfully meeting the FIA dimensional rules of the day. Emphasizing minimal frontal exposure, its low nose rose to clear the tall Jaguar powerplant before falling away to a low-level scuttle, rising again at the top of its Perspex windscreen to the required regulation height of 33”. A dramatic kicked-up tail and driver’s headrest cowling completed its distinctive look. The unusual but effective bodywork of the car earned it the nickname “Knobbly.”
Sports racing cars such as chassis BHL115 are the apex of collecting – harnessing the beauty, performance, and development of a racing car that never suffered the pitfalls of a dangerous track career. This Lister-Chevrolet displays the spectacular innovative design of Lister and Williams & Pritchard Ltd. in stunningly pure and untarnished form.
Originally, chassis BHL115 was destined for Mrs. Henry Clark Boden IV, a fabulously wealthy member of the du Pont family who owned the Kelso Motor Racing Team, Kelso Autodynamics of Wilmington, Delaware, and Jaguar and Lister distribution agencies. Mrs. Boden imported BHL115 via Auto Engineering of Lexington, Massachusetts, where she promptly traveled to purchase and inspect the car upon its arrival from the UK.
However, Mrs. Boden did not become BHL115’s first owner. The proprietor of Auto Engineering, Dana Freeman, recalls that when Mrs. Boden realized BHL115 had cast iron rather than alloy brake calipers, she tore up her purchase agreement on the spot. Mrs. Boden ultimately received her desired car via Shelby-Hall of Texas, acquiring a sister car, BHL114. That example sported a sinister matte black paint scheme and was run as the Kelso Lister-Chevrolet – frequently abbreviated to the “Kelischev” – later garnering the nickname “The Black Beast of Foggy Bottom,” referencing the Boden-owned race shop location.
Absent a buyer, BHL115 remained in the Auto Engineering race shop for years, where a young Stan Hallinan would occasionally stop by, ever hopeful that his budget and their price would converge. Eventually, in 1962, he was able to strike a deal and acquire the Lister for $5,000. While Mr. Hallinan enjoyed BHL115 on occasion, his stewardship was defined by preservation rather than extensive use. Following several track outings and road drives, the Lister was carefully retained within his collection. When a winter freeze later damaged the engine block, a replacement unit was fitted, while the original was thoughtfully preserved.
One of the car’s most notable later appearances came at Lime Rock in 1992, where Brian Lister attended a reunion of the marque. Reportedly delighted to encounter one of his creations more than three decades after its construction, Lister noted the car’s remarkable originality, having seen so many of its counterparts altered through years of active competition.
After many years and attempts from other collectors to acquire BHL115, Mr. Hallinan ultimately retained the car until his passing. In 2013, his stable of cars was sold and this example passed to its current owner, a prominent collector of 1950s sports cars who proved to be an equally sympathetic caretaker. He entrusted the respected team at CKL Engineering to revive the Lister. During the restoration, its fuel-injected engine was rebuilt and mechanical aspects were prepared for use, while the long-sidelined powerplant was rebuilt and mounted on a display stand. The car’s rich ivory paintwork received a careful polish, and the interior finishes were gently and expertly treated and cleaned. All these refinements revived BHL115 to the condition that the youthful 27-year-old Hallinan had once seen in 1962.
Any car that remains in such remarkably preserved condition after 64 years is rare, and this genuine Lister Knobbly ranks among the rarest of its kind. Not to be confused with the numerous continuations built in later years, fewer than 25 cars were constructed in period, making surviving examples far rarer than even the likes of the Jaguar D-Type. Among those that survive, many – including some of the most famous – have faced questions of provenance. Having competed at the highest levels in period and later serving as popular fixtures on the historic racing scene, numerous Knobblies have undergone significant repairs and restoration work over the years, leaving many with limited material originality.
BHL115, therefore, stands apart as a benchmark example, distinguished by its strong provenance and exceptional level of originality. Widely regarded as one of the most famous surviving Lister Knobblies, it remains remarkably original and provides a rare chance to acquire one of the marque’s most celebrated competition cars. Returning to the US in 2026, this exceptional Lister-Chevrolet offers a wide range of opportunities, from any concours preservation class to a multitude of prestigious touring rallies such as the Colorado Grand, where it will surely be welcomed. In the words of Brian Lister, upon being reunited with BHL115, it is “absolutely the most amazing time warp car I’ve ever seen.”
Text & Image: Gooding Christie's
