This prototype was the fastest Lister

By the late 1950s, once dominant big-hitting sports racers were coming under pressure from more nimble and aerodynamic – but less powerful – machines from the likes of Lotus and Cooper. Lister had to respond, and this Streamliner prototype was the answer.

Lister had secured financial backing from Shell, but it came with the proviso that the team must perform well at the Le Mans 24-hour. The pebble-smooth styling was designed by former De Havilland aerodynamicist Frank Costin who became the team’s chief designer. The new bodywork together with the Chevrolet V8 engine – a first for a Costin-bodied Lister – made this the fastest Costin-bodied Lister.

In 1959, first owner John Ewens competed at Crystal Palace and Silverstone, before making an appearance in Whitsun Trophy at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting the following year. Soon after, it left for a Rhodesia before passing around a few other owners in South Africa. In the 1980s, the car found its way to the States where it was regularly campaigned in historic series. It’s now back in the UK following an exacting restoration by Canepa Design in California.

The Streamliner’s rarity and historical significance makes it a welcome site in the paddock, even though it didn’t actually take part in the all-Lister Scott Brown Trophy during 75MM. It has raced at both Members’ Meeting and Revival in the past.

Photography by Pete Summers