Gordon-Keeble Is A Rare 60s Grand Tourer With British Bones, American Muscle, And Italian Skin

The Gordon-Keeble GK1 wasn’t around for too long, but it’s a classic GT, that car enthusiasts are likely to remember. It was a rare combination of three cultures – Britain, America, and Italy. It was nicknamed ‘The Growler’ and was the magnum opus of John Gordon and Jim Keeble. It made its debut, for the first time, at the 1960 London Motor Show.

But the car made it to production only in 1964, and besides having gotten the ‘GK1’ badge, it was also known as the International Tourer. Under the bonnet, sat an inexpensive Chevrolet V8 engine that packed energetic performance. The car also possessed commendable handling characteristics, because of the De Dion rear suspension setup and a sophisticated square section space-frame chassis.

If the Gordon-Keeble looks pretty to you, it’s because of a certain 21-year-old Giorgetto Giugiaro and his visual aura. He headed design at Bertone many moons ago, after which, he moved to Ghia. He set up his studio only after that.

Gordon-Kebble’s Creation Was A Lightweight GT

The company marketed the car as a glass fiber-bodied, four-seater coupe. After a year of production, the manufacturer made only 80 cars, because they had to put up with the lack of supply of components, and under-investment meant the company never saw the car’s true capabilities to be a hot seller. There were 19 more Gordon-Keeble GK1s made in 1966, but with new management spearheading the project.

Having been made of glass fiber, the car was rust-proof, and that meant the Gordon-Keeble GK1 would last for many years to come. Out of the 99 cars made in total, 80 of them are still around, being driven, with some more cars undergoing restoration. At an Owners Club event, in 2014, it was reported that 49 cars turned up. Once in a while, one of these rarities also pops up for sale.

The Gordon-Keeble GK1’s Story In Detail 

John Gordon owned a stake in Peerless Cars between 1957 and 1958, and has been a stickler for power, he chose to have an American V8 powering the car, instead of a home-grown, 4-cylinder engine. Jim Keeble came into the picture later, and got in touch with Gordon, stating that he knew someone who wanted a Corvette V8 put under the bonnet of his Peerless. Gordon and Keeble, the both, worked together to breathe life into the one-off Peerless V8. But before he finished work on the car, he had left the company to design and develop his luxury GT, powered by a V8.

Gordon found Keeble immensely capable, after having noticed how he put a V8 into the Peerless, and there began the partnership, and that’s how the car got its name. The Gordon-Keeble features disc brakes at all four corners with dual master cylinders, one for the front, and the other for the rear. The steering was by work and roller.

The chassis was made through the year 1959, and the engine was a 4.7-liter Corvette V8 capable of 294 hp, being sent to the rear wheels through a 4-speed all-synchro transmission. Once the chassis was close to being finished in February 1960, the job was to look for a designer – and a very talented one. He found Giorgetto Giugiaro in his early 20s, working at Bertone whose sole creation back then was the Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint. And that’s where the Italian flair for this machine came in.

After having been floored by the GT’s response from the public at Geneva, Jim Gordon decided to set up the Gordon Automobile Company in March 1960 but hadn’t found financial backing yet. Armstrong-Siddley showed some interest, and so did Renzo Rivolta. But neither turned the idea to fruition.

Gordon-Keeble Had Been Through Ups And Downs

Gordon started looking for a factory to build it because he didn’t have one. He was finally given an empty building at Eastleigh airport, near Southampton. But things fell apart somehow, with Gordon walking out, leaving Wansford to manage the company.

In 1963, Wansford wanted Jim Keeble to join the company, in the hope of taking the model to production, and despite Gordon’s absence, they kept the name Gordon-Keeble. Williams and Pritchard were tasked with the job of building a new alloy-bodied prototype, from molds that would be used for the glass fiber body shell.

By 1964, March, the production car was ready to be shown to the press at London’s Savoy hotel. This new model was different from the original; it now came with a 5355cc V8 that produced 304hp and 360 lb-ft of torque. In place of the stag’s head for the logo, it got a tortoise, because the little creature appeared at the photo shoot of the car.

The Gordon-Keeble became a favorite among the well-heeled quickly after it went on sale, and for an introductory price of just $3,562, customers were treated to a luxurious grand tourer with electric windows, a Radiomobile push-button radio, and Britax seatbelts. But the low price also meant the profit margin was low, with each selling car just about financing the next one.

The End Of Gordon-Keeble Was Inevitable

In the autumn of 1964, four cars were being rolled out of the factory, but the future wasn’t bright at all. Gordon-Keeble became dependent on the suppliers for parts, and these guys were known for running out of stock too often. This hampered production and everything went for a toss in April 1965, because there were no more steering parts available to fit.

The manufacturer changed owners once again, and it was now called Gordon Cars Ltd. They used an old light bulb factory for production, and Jim Keeble, was back yet again, now selling as the International Touring. A year later, 20 cars were sold, soon after which, there was no financial backing, and no buyers either.