Jensen C-V8 Number 104/2175 - Princess Grey With Bright Red Interior - Registration GMY 201B
Owner History of 104/2175
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1965 ORIGINAL OWNER A.PHILLIPS (LONDON) LTD, 21 RUSSELL ST, COVENT GARDEN
1968 Douglas H.G.WEST, UXBRIDGE ROAD, HAMPTON HILL, MIDDX 1973 PALACE GARAGE, PALACE ROAD,Kingston upon Thames 1973 Colin Thomas Simpson WELLS, MILL GREEN ROAD, HAYWARDS HEATH 1987 TED WELCH, Hempstead, Saffron Waldon, Essex 1997 Peter HARDY Lawn Farm, KIPPERS LANE, WITHERSFIELD, HAVERHILL, Suffolk. 1999 to 2010 Richard David COLES, Manor Street, Wistow, Cambridgeshire. First RegisteredThe registration GMY 201B Lets us know that the year was 1964 and the 'GM' locates the first registration to Maidstone in Kent. The G referred to 'Garden of England' which is what Kent is known as and the 'M' is for Maidstone. Maidstone is just 39 miles from where we live right now so pretty close to home. GMY201B was supplied new by Charles Follett of Maidstone and has the original dealer plates on the sills. The Dealer plate is for Hampstead so we are trying to unravel this. If it was registered in Maidstone by the Charles Follett dealership there, why does it have a Hampstead dealer plate?
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Charles Follett Dealer Plate located on the sill steps of GMY 201B
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The original Green/Buff log book showing the first owner to be a Fruit and Veg company based in Covent Garden London. A. Phillips (london) Ltd. They must have been doing very well in the fruit and veg business to afford a C-V8 at the time! There must be a box of documents with photographs somewhere in the world relating to this company and its activities! Trying to find it is the issue:-)
The first owner 1964
The first entry in the log book is A Phillips (london) Ltd. I managed to track down someone who worked at A. Phillips (london) Ltd via Linked-in. A very helpful chap called Phil Myers who now works as a business consultant. Here's what he had to say..
In 1964 A Phillips London were a firm of produce wholesalers operating in London's Covent Garden Market. I joined them in 1977 and I would guess and say that the Principal originally bought the car. He was Morris Jackson who passed away in the late 1980's. Obviously 1964 predates the era of the multiple and therefore the traders handled quite huge volumes of produce, much of which came from RSA via the Cape brand and Morry (the principal) was a legend in this respect. He became a wealthy man and lived in Purley - South London / Surrey. Clearly he liked his cars, it was a new 7 series BMW every 2 years when I was with him. He was a bit of a Father figure to me and I think it fair to say that he looked at me as the son he never had (well certainly while I was making him even more money ...) His wife was a well known lady who wrote the astrology piece in one of the British daily newspapers. His (step) daughter is Jackie Page, she could still be with us but she would be in her late 70's. There are books relating to the market for that period and I know one shows a photo of Morry - he looks like a gangster with his crombie and trilby - of course he was a very nice man.
Enjoy the Jensen! Regards, Phil Myers
In 1964 A Phillips London were a firm of produce wholesalers operating in London's Covent Garden Market. I joined them in 1977 and I would guess and say that the Principal originally bought the car. He was Morris Jackson who passed away in the late 1980's. Obviously 1964 predates the era of the multiple and therefore the traders handled quite huge volumes of produce, much of which came from RSA via the Cape brand and Morry (the principal) was a legend in this respect. He became a wealthy man and lived in Purley - South London / Surrey. Clearly he liked his cars, it was a new 7 series BMW every 2 years when I was with him. He was a bit of a Father figure to me and I think it fair to say that he looked at me as the son he never had (well certainly while I was making him even more money ...) His wife was a well known lady who wrote the astrology piece in one of the British daily newspapers. His (step) daughter is Jackie Page, she could still be with us but she would be in her late 70's. There are books relating to the market for that period and I know one shows a photo of Morry - he looks like a gangster with his crombie and trilby - of course he was a very nice man.
Enjoy the Jensen! Regards, Phil Myers
Picture: Morris Jackson. The first owner of Jensen C-V8 GMY 201B - Morris is the man in the Trilby.
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A picture of the first owner Morris Jackson taken by Clive Boursnell
So I tried to trace down the pictures that Phil Meyers described and I did find them in a photographic book by Clive Boursnell forwarded by Peter Acroyd. On page 163 there was a picture of Morris Jackson the first owner of my Jensen C-V8. It is an amazing picture and I managed to get in touch with the Photographer Clive who has run me a print off. Clive spent between 1968 and 1974 taking pictures at Covent Garden Market. Here's what Clive said "Morris had the Jenson in Covent Garden and I do have shots of some posh cars, BUT, he would not have left it parked on the street, far too risky". Cars got covered with flowers cardboard and fruit and veg. The chance for it to get damaged was high. Clive also told me this "I was one of the first people in the UK to test drive the Jenson Interceptor 1968-9? photographing for Ambassador Magazine". (I will try to get the story on this).
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Clive Boursnell was born in London and has had a varied life. He was a child actor and dancer in film and television, a woodsman in Windsor Great Park, a dairyman and a miner in Canada and a professional mountaineer and assistant glaciologist in the Canadian Arctic. Since the mid-1960s he has worked in photography for newspapers and magazines including The Sunday Times, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Country Life, Country Living and BBC Wildlife and organisations such as the National Trust, English Heritage, The Royal Academy of Art and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, amongst others. He is currently the chair of the Garden Photographers Association.
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The pictures above and right are of the print Clive Boursnell did for me and kindly signed confirming Morris as the original owner of my C-V8.
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Potential 5th owner 1998 -Peter Hardy
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1997 Peter HARDY
A big thanks to Adrian (A Jensen Owners Club Member) for spotting GMY201C in a Jensen Owners Club magazine for sale section from May 1998. Many thanks also go to him for sending me the magazine too! A very kind gentleman. According to the logbook, the changed hands in 1997 so it looks like this owner only kept the car for a year or so! The ad is on the right. Belwo is the cover of the JOC magazine.
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Pictures of GMY 201B from an ad when the car was for sale. Probably 2010
Jensen Factory Files - Many thanks to John Staddon of the Jensen Owners Club
All Jensen C-V8 factory files are held by the Jensen Owners Club. Many thanks to John Staddon who dug mine out and sent me a copy. What was on file is below. Apparently, they used a diagram of the Volvo P1800 for the Jensen C-V8 to mark imperfections in the paint and body. The Volvo P1800 also being styled by Jensen and Eric Neale.
