24h Le Mans
In 1959, there were two Jaguar-powered Costin Lister cars among the starters at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. One of them changed hands earlier this year and now the other one has gone on sale.
Driver Brian Lister founded his eponymous team in 1954. Its name is well-known among modern endurance fans thanks to the Storm, which excelled in the FIA GT championship in the 2000s (though Brian Lister actually sold his company in 1986).
In the 1950s, Lister didn’t have the funds to design a car from scratch but Brian Lister came up with the idea of “recycling” working cars and rebadging them. This is how the Lister Costin was born, based on a Jaguar D Type and named after aerodynamics expert Frank Costin (the COS in Marcos Engineering). The car was then entered for the 27th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Unfortunately, despite racing under numbers 1 and 2, neither of the two cars would make it to the finish line. Both crews - Walt Hansgen teamed with Peter Blond, and Ivor Bueb with Bruce Halford - were forced to retire with mechanical issues.
The two Lister Costin cars were more successful in historic events such as Goodwood or Le Mans Classic. The price of the car driven by Ivor Bueb and Bruce Halford is available on request from the JD Classic website.
Text Cécile Bonardel/ACO Translated from French by Clair Pickworth
PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, 20 & 21 JUNE 1959. Lister Costin #1 and #2 on the starting line.
