Is Lister working on a modern Knobbly?

There was a time, back in the 1950s, when the Lister name was just as synonymous with racing and sports car victories as Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and other famous marques. It was thanks to the performance of Lister’s Knobbly race car, which was driven by some of the all-time greats, including Stirling Moss.

Lister’s history has been patchy over the last half-century, with a minor resurrection in the 1990s reintroducing the name to sports car racing, but more recently the company has found success with continuation examples of the original Knobbly.

Now, though, it’s time to explore a modern successor.

Lister on Friday posted a teaser for the Knobbly concept, which is rumored to make a debut on March 5 at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show.

There’s a clear evolution in the design, right down to the side-mounted exhaust which also features on the original. Elements like the massive wheels filling the arches and carbon fiber aero are thoroughly modern, though. Should it be built, the modern Knobbly wouldn’t look out of place challenging the latest speedsters like the Lotus 3-Eleven and Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2.

Lister didn’t provide any details on what might be powering its Knobbly concept, though the company has an impressive arsenal thanks to its new tuning work of Jaguar cars. Concurrent with its Knobbly program, Lister has also developed tuned versions of the Jaguar F-Type and F-Pace. Both models feature Jaguar’s 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 dialed up to 670 horsepower. We’ll remind you that the original Knobbly also ran Jaguar power.