Fire Destroyed MK3 Interceptor LHB 218L

[Martin B]

Dear All.

After having my Interceptor LHB 218L worked on at some considerable expense for 18 months, it was destroyed in a fire at the paint shop in West Dean West Sussex on the 22nd April after arriving there only six days previously. A theory for how the fire started is that Kerosene was being stored on the premises and a fire broke out at approximately 9.15pm on the 22nd April with temperatures reaching 800 degrees. This caused the building to collapse with the mezzanine floor and roof coming down on my Jensen. The fire was so hot that the wheels melted completely as well as my car being crushed.

Fortunately the whole of the interior of the car including engine and gearbox are safely stored in my workshop. Because my Jensen went into the paint shop as a rolling shell, it was not insured. I am therefore trying to recoup some of the £48,000 I have to date invested in the car by the sale of the interior.
The first batch of parts are being sold now and a detailed list is available under the section, Parts for Sale. Alternately I can be contacted by mobile or email, details below.

My contact details are as follows: Mobile 07785 325344 email: martinbohling1@gmail.com my Postcode is PO18 8JE which is Bosham near Chichester, West Sussex.

Regards Martin

[Series3Jensen]

Hi Martin

Very sorry to hear about the loss of your car

Can you confirm the Chassis No of your car that was very unfortunately destroyed in this fire - for my records
I note that you also own Chassis No 128/4847 although from the notes that i have on this car, was nothing like as in good order as the car you have lost

Regards

JIm Smith
Mem No 1639
136/8791 RJF 17 owned since September 1978

[Martin B]

Hi Jim, the chassis number of the car !28/4818. As it turns out the other car is in better shape than LHB 218L

[johnw]

Hi Martin,

I'm the last person in the market for parts or projects at the moment. I saw a picture of your car on the paint colour thread completely stripped. On castor wheels. Looked really good from what you can see on a photo. It is still a credit to you that you got it to that level.

I guess it will be the subject of an insurance claim reading your post so could be tied up for months. It would presumably be a claim under Contents or Business Insurance, rather than car insurance as this is not road traffic accident damage. I am just thinking about the remains of the chassis, for possible use on a CV8, body panels aside, assuming the chassis survived.

Under the DVLA points system for retaining car identities, if someone was to build a CV8 classic race car from the chassis, a couple of race seats, a manual transmission, you get the idea. There are at least 2 people making new CV8 bodies, "Tony" in Holland doing faithful copies in fibreglass or carbon fibre is one. The constructor would need 8 points from the below. We might assume they would want a non original (manual) transmission:

Your vehicle must have 8 or more points from the table below if you want to keep the original registration number. 5 of these points must come from having the original or new and unmodified chassis, monocoque bodyshell or frame.

Part Points
Chassis, monocoque bodyshell (body and chassis as one unit) or frame - original or new and unmodified (direct from manufacturer) 5
Suspension (front and back) - original 2
Axles (both) - original 2
Transmission - original 2
Steering assembly - original 2
Engine - original 1

[MikeWilliams]

Why does the paint shop's public liability insurance cover it?

My Interceptor was damaged at JP&S a couple of weeks before they went into administration (c35 years ago?) and that's how I got it repaired. Their insurers were Norwich Union and after a Solicitor's letter they paid in full.

Mike

[DPP]

Im sorry to hear this and hopefully the lessen for others is to always have your own insurance policy in place, with my own restoration projects I update the value if any work of significant value is carried out in between renewal dates.

Any workshop should have their own insurance in place and if anything went wrong you can claim on your insurance, then your insurance company will look to recover the money from the workshop. Even if they have inadequate cover you will still be paid.

Even if this fire had not damaged the shell a fire or theft of the stored mechanical and trim parts could also have caused severe financial loss.

[Martin B]

Sadly it is difficult to insure a rolling shell. Underwriters are reluctant to insure something that's value is changing on a weekly/monthly basis, so my body shell was not insured. Of. course I have a claim against the paint shop and it looks like they are under insured so it looks like I will have to bear the loss, hence why I'm keen to sell the interior and parts which were safely stored in my workshop. I could of course pursue the individual who owns the paintshop in a County Court action, but that would be time consuming and expensive.

[johnw]

I would seek specialist advice. Claims and liabilities will have different priorities and rights. If I am under insured and hit another vehicle, the other car won't get less. I might get nothing. Cover of a guests property in a hotel safe is not related to the amount the hotel building is insured for, etc. Back in the day there were insurance agents that went round insuring cars, businesses, selling life policies. They would know. Even the insurer of your other Jensen, Adrian Flux, Haggerty. maybe ring them and say you would have been insuring this next year but this happened. What can I do?