Phil Hayes' concours winning SP

Cars of the Month for 2010
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zacmarshall
Posts: 5225
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2005 4:22 pm
Location: Bristol, UK

Phil Hayes' concours winning SP

Post by zacmarshall »

This is Phil Hayes' SP. You can see Phil and the car on the club stand at this years NEC Classic Car Show (and don't forget to hand your ticket stubs into the staff on the stand).

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Some information from Phil about the car:
Jensen SP NLG 714L
Year of manufacture: March 1973
Colour: Tangerine
Owner: Phil Hayes
The car was originally bought from Wilmslow motors here in Cheshire by a chap in the finance business. He had an office in Brompton road, London. The service history has documentation showing warranty claims and servicing carried out by Follett?s, so the car must have spent some time down there. This owner only had the car for about 8 months; he was probably fed up with it having continuous defects and consequently plenty of returns to the dealerships, even Jensen due to various problems (not the first time you?ve heard that I?m sure). One quite lengthy letter from Jensen, advising that the car had undergone a number of improvements following complaints from the owner, actually mentions that they had road tested the car down the M5. They said after carrying out adjustments to the carbs, it had achieved 140 MPH and this is on Jensen headed paper. Can you imagine your VW dealer telling you this today? The second owner had the car for nearly 30 years and took it off the road in the early 80s where it was found by Tim Clark on blocks in a barn. I often wondered why the car was taken off the road. Maybe it was due to a recurring fault that was possibly there when I bought it, as I found that the petrol line was blocked and the front brake callipers were sticking on, but only after a short run, so this would have been a right pain causing regular break downs. (I can just hear the rants now when the car failed for the umpteenth time whilst out on a run, who knows?)
Thankfully, (touch wood) the car runs like a dream now.
I have owned the SP for over 4 years now, and have enjoyed improving the car as much as driving it. I don?t think there has been a week gone by when at least one part of the car has not been removed, cleaned, rubbed down or painted. I think that?s the important thing about restoration is that you should not try to do too much at one time; unless it?s a total chassis build up. One thing I have found is that I seem to be revisiting parts of the car I worked on previously, as I have become a little more critical about the final results and finishes. This is also due to the high standard set by other owners.
My intention from day one was to bring the car back to exactly as it was when it left the factory. I have always tried to reuse the original parts where possible rather than replace. It?s amazing how well clips, bolts and brackets clean up and of course it?s cheaper this way also.
Like most classic car owners, I don?t come from a mechanical back ground. My trade is in the electrical contracting business; although I am mainly office based, I have always got pleasure in being hands on and don?t mind getting ?me mits dirty?. You don?t need a degree in quantum physics to work on these cars; just a degree in common sense.
I consider owning one of these great cars a privilege, mainly due to the fact that they should be valued on a par with the equivalent Astons (Note the word equivalent). I also consider myself very lucky to have found such a good base to move into what can be a daunting venture, that of classic car ownership. The car could be described as ?unmolested?
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Tim SP
JOC Interceptor Variants Registrar
Posts: 2415
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 8:42 pm

Post by Tim SP »

Its aways wonderfull tinged with sadness when I see this car.
Having got it on its feet I look at it now & wonder if I should have sold mine & gone to town as Phil has.
Well thats all well & good, I knew he went to a good home & everytime I see NLG he looks even better,all this on a car that has largely seen no paint work!!!
Peter Hackett traded his 2 year old E type & a big pile of cash for it & he wife, when it was running took young James to school in it.(Peter hated it!)
The day I got it running was the first time in donkeys the booster seat his mum used was still there!
A great car which I am proud to have been a part of its re-birth & a huge credit to his new keeper! Still want it back though, blub blub!
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Martin R
Posts: 5932
Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2006 11:04 pm
Location: Chipping Norton, & Sydney Australia

Post by Martin R »

Stunning :!:

I can see I need to spend a few hour on my FF, seeing as it'll be in the company of this amazing SP at he NEC :shock:

The FF is still not 100% clean since I did the run to the Lake District...... Plus the front seats need re-fitting......
FF MK1 119/100
Interceptor MK3 136/8514
JOC Member 8905
Richie
V8 Lover
Posts: 4572
Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2005 8:08 am
Location: Near Cardiff

Post by Richie »

i probably shouldnt say so but this beautiful car has been my consistent 'members choice' at the international for the last few years...
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Martin R
Posts: 5932
Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2006 11:04 pm
Location: Chipping Norton, & Sydney Australia

Post by Martin R »

I can see why Richie - it is gorgeous, then again you're biased 'coz it's been Tangoed :wink:
FF MK1 119/100
Interceptor MK3 136/8514
JOC Member 8905
NickK
Posts: 89
Joined: Sat Jan 19, 2013 9:01 am
Location: Hobart Tasmania, Australia

Re: Phil Hayes' concours winning SP

Post by NickK »

Hi Phil an absolutley goregeous car and my ultimate specification Jensen,colour,SP, trim!
Its great that Tim rescued it and started the process of where it has got to now. well done on such a fine car!
Cheers Nick
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