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© ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT THE JENSEN FF MUSEUM & ARCHIVE
If you have a particularly interesting image of your FF, then why
not send it to us and we will include it within the gallery !
THE MIRACULOUSLY SAVED 'SWAMP CAR'
The so-called 'Swamp Car' gained its name after 119/123 was brought back
to the UK from the Bahamas. The car had been involved in a crash during
the 1970s, and the owner; having realised the cost of shipping the car
back to Jensen Motors for repair would be more than the car was worth;
left the remains of the FF at the back of his boat yard, by dense undergrowth.
Here the car remained slowly decaying and being taken over by vegetation.
With spiralling classic car prices, 119/123 was brought back to the UK
and offered for sale, the car looking as though it had been dragged out
of a swamp (hence the name many enthusiasts gave to this car). By the
time 119/123 had been shipped to the UK and released by customs, the boom
had bust and no one wanted to purchase such a derelict FF. The upper two
photographs show the remains of 119/123 after the car had been shipped
back from the Bahamas to the UK at the beginning of the 1990s. By the
middle 1990s, 119/123 was becoming dangerously close to being scrapped,
but was acquired by Jensen FF enthusiast John Wild. In 2006, 119/123 was
shipped to New Zealand for its new owner, and restoration work started
immediately. The bottom photograph shows the newly manufactured chassis
tube arrangement, with original front sub-frame bolted in place.
A lucky car indeed !
NORWEGIAN SNOW
119/183 had quite a chequered early career. Not long after purchase, the
car was involved in a particularly bad crash. The crash was so severe
that the car was written off for insurance purposes and sold for salvage.
As with so many Jensen FFs, 119/183 was lucky. Purchased as salvage, the
car's new owner contacted Jensen Motors, purchased a new chassis/body,
and proceeded to rebuild the car to its original condition. Later the
car was sold, and it was shipped out to the USA. It was brought back to
the UK and after a variety of owners ended up with Jensen enthusiast,
Michael Murray Grant. After his death, 119/183 was purchased by Per Eie
from Norway, after lamenting the sale of his previous FF, 119/053.
PURPLE HAZE
119/195, the last MK.I FF, was sold to Jimi Hendrix Band drummer, Mitch
Mitchell. Coming into money after the release of 'Purple Haze', Mitchell
purchased 119/195, which was ordered in a special metallic purple colour;
perhaps in honour of the money making single. Staff at the Jensen factory
called 119/195 'The Hendrix Car', even although Hendrix himself is thought
to have rarely had the opportunity to drive the Jensen himself. In fact
it wasn't a well known fact, but Hendrix had never even passed a driving
test - in the UK or the USA. 119/195 had more than one crash within its
life, one being particularly severe. The crash had happened shortly after
Hendrix's death, and 119/195 was virtually written off. Jensen Motors
did rebuild the car, and Mitchell decided to have the car resprayed in
a vivid red instead of back to its original metallic purple. Once reunited
with its owner, 119/195 wouldn't remain with him for long. After changing
owners a couple of times, 119/195 was imported into Australia where it
has remained ever since.
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