The Jensen Owners' Club

Hi everybody,
can someone have a look and tell me if the informations on the number plate are corrrect ?



Looking at Richard? s website there? s no SP starting with 140.

Looking forward to some feedback.

As you state in your profile, it's a 'Jensen Interceptor III 140/8614' so it's not an SP.

A 140 is US spec, so presumably the SP mistake was made when it was imported to your country?

140/8614, engine N0. 3C11592/140, silver grey, black roof, black interior,
extras - Learjet am/fm radio cassette player, vinyl roof, louvred bonnet, wood console.

Ex-factory 7.5.73, to FRG.

Frohe weinacht!

the shown numberplate looks pretty much like a german standard universal plate. As it is fixed with Phillips screws (no rivets) it may have been stamped and fixed by the first german owner after the car has been imported from the US (VIN 140-xxx). The "SP" might be added by accident or intention but i heavily doubt that this plate was issued by the factory.
rgds
Thomas

Int Mk III
2211-1490

Certainly not a factory plate. At that time we had a dealer in Wiesbaden, so it could have been supplied originally to a member of USA forces, hence the USA spec and why it is shown in Calver as being delivered to Germany in the first instance.
It woud be worth checking to see if Martin Robey have a chassis file for this car.

thomaslk wrote:the shown numberplate looks pretty much like a german standard universal plate. As it is fixed with Phillips screws (no rivets) it may have been stamped and fixed by the first german owner after the car has been imported from the US (VIN 140-xxx). The "SP" might be added by accident or intention but i heavily doubt that this plate was issued by the factory.
rgds
Thomas

Int Mk III
2211-1490

The plate looks like it is fixed onto the fabric near to the top of the wing. The Jensen plates were all fixed lower down on the inner wing/wheel arch adjacent to the oil filter.

The plate looks like it is fixed onto the fabric near to the top of the wing. The Jensen plates were all fixed lower down on the inner wing/wheel arch adjacent to the oil filter.

RHD cars yes, LHD cars however had it on the opposite site near the expansion tank, but still not on the location in the picture.

Oddly enough german magazine Auto Motor und Sport tested a car called the "S" in 9/73, which was nothing more than an Interceptor mkIII. The pictured and tested car had NO Interceptor III badge in the grille and was in US spec, with lucas sidemarkers on the wings. In the article was a table where it was compared with its predecessor, called the Interceptor II, so calling it just the "S"model probably was a marketing ploy by the german Importer. Still doesn't explain the SP plate, but at least now only the "P" needs explaining, so half way there...

i checked the mentioned AMS article and it is really surprising/confusing.
The tested car appears like an US MkIII (sidemarkers) but is equipped with km/h speedo and has no "Interceptor III" label in the grille - like budgerian already mentioned. The press guys named the candidate consequently as a "Jensen S" (no Interceptor) - named "SP" in the UK" (??).
In the technical data section of the article the high compression (10,3:1) as well as the 3x2bbl carb setup is mentioned but the car in the pictures (HH-KM555, City of Hamburg registration) is obviously a std 4bbl.
The car was equipped with a Telefunken telephone set in the center console (extra costs for this option was 13.500DM - the buying price of a small Mercedes at that time). Performance was stated with 350HP - just as on the numberplate in question. Importer was GHS-Motors GmbH, Hamburg, Lokstedter Weg11.

rgds & Happy Holidays

Thomas

Int MkIII
2211-1490

I have 140-prefix J-series car.. It has side markers and the plate near radiator read about the US emission requirements or so. Ex-factory to the Netherlands and it has been in Europe all the years. It has a KPH speedo.

Tweber's "SP" was typically optioned like cars delivered to the USA, not as mine. Does it have a MPH speedo?

Hi everybody,
the first official registered owner of the car is Matthias Kollinger also known here in the forum (number plate was HH-CN 1486) and the second owner from which I bought the car 3 weeks ago is Martin Jäckel (known as the Jensen specialist here in Hamburg).

There is a rumour that the first owner was Vicky Leandros (a famous singer in elder times). Would be happy to get more info´ s on the history.

@ Thomas: if you could scan and mail me the AMS article that would be superb.

Happy holidays for everyone here.

Best,

Tim

@ ade1030: it has a kph speedo

@ all: I posted a couple of pictures in the members car section so that you can have a look at it

Vicky Leandros, "come what may" eurovision song contest.
Shaun.

In some European countries there were special import licences for low sales volume cars, usually in the form of exemption from full technical
homologation; these countries ncluded France and Belgium. In Spain there were restrictions on imports of all fully built-up cars to encourage local manufacture, only one of each model from each manufacturer could be imported. This is how the Jensen S came about in France and Spain and maybe Germany as well.
So this car, which Calver shows as originally exported from UK to Germany, may well be one of them. This would not explain the missing badge on the front grille nor would it necessarily be the reason for the identification plate shown in the engine bay. It would be interesting to know if there is a plate on the door aperture(s).
Unfortunately I cannot remember any details of this car, but I think we would have known about Vicky Leandros' ownership if that were true. It seems that the probability of US forces ownership is definitely not the case.
It would be a great help if Gerd Schaeffer, of GHS Motors Hamburg fame, could be traced as he would have a lot of useful information to give us.

Happy Christmas everybody.
Tony

https://www.ebay.ch/itm/114200049663" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

„Vicky Leandros with her sportscar“

Whow - the tread comes alive after nearly ten years. Nice picture showing Vicky in a Jensen with an old german export license plate.
rgds
Thomas