RE: Spotted: Jensen SV8
Discussion
I have owned an S-V8 for 3 years after many Porsches, Morgans and Triumphs, it is very fast, sounds fantastic and looks far better in the metal than on any photo, mine as carbon fibre trim instead of the Ali'strips and looks far better. I take it to classic and sports car shows and to motor racing venues up and down the country and it gets far more attension than almost any other car you can name, every one has an opinion on the car, no one calls it ugly, women say it is a sexy car, men tell me it looks butch or cool.
With out any driver aids, except power steering it is a real drivers car you have to get to know it to drive it well, it grips astonishingly well, the ride is best on fast A roads rather than country lanes, the power delivery across the rev range from the wonderful Cobra engine is so addictive and the Tremec gearbox a joy to use and best of all I know I am driving a near unique British hand built car with superb performance and style, a bad car? No way, it is so close to being a great car it is definetly under developed but there is nothing wrong with the concept, a modern day AC Cobra think Morgan Aero or the latest +8 not TVR.
Is £35k expensive for a hand built low volume metal bodied British sports car with assued classic status in the future? £35k for the million pound Jensen will seem cheap!
With out any driver aids, except power steering it is a real drivers car you have to get to know it to drive it well, it grips astonishingly well, the ride is best on fast A roads rather than country lanes, the power delivery across the rev range from the wonderful Cobra engine is so addictive and the Tremec gearbox a joy to use and best of all I know I am driving a near unique British hand built car with superb performance and style, a bad car? No way, it is so close to being a great car it is definetly under developed but there is nothing wrong with the concept, a modern day AC Cobra think Morgan Aero or the latest +8 not TVR.
Is £35k expensive for a hand built low volume metal bodied British sports car with assued classic status in the future? £35k for the million pound Jensen will seem cheap!
F1GTRUeno said:
I must be the only one who thinks it looks better than the Interceptor.
Granted it still looks terrible but I really, really dislike the looks of the old beast, don't see why people go so mad for them.
Nope, you're not the only one... I've never seen what anyone sees in the Interceptor and whilst the SV8 isn't the prettiest of cars, I've seen a lot worse.Granted it still looks terrible but I really, really dislike the looks of the old beast, don't see why people go so mad for them.
I wouldn't give 35k for one, but I'd happily run one for a while given the chance.
When did you last see five S-V8's in one day? When did you see one S-V8 on the road? Have you ever seen an S-V8 anywhere other than in a photo?
Only 22 or 23 factory cars + 15 or so completed by others from what was left after the factory closed, most have been salted away in private collections around the world, the numbers left in the UK go down every year.
There will never be another car like the S-V8, no one would be able to finance such a project again. The £10 million it cost in 1999 would be loose change in 2013. It would surley cost £50 million + now to build such a car from scratch, which is why it will be remenbered as the last brave attempt to build a hand built metal bodied sports car in the UK.
Only 22 or 23 factory cars + 15 or so completed by others from what was left after the factory closed, most have been salted away in private collections around the world, the numbers left in the UK go down every year.
There will never be another car like the S-V8, no one would be able to finance such a project again. The £10 million it cost in 1999 would be loose change in 2013. It would surley cost £50 million + now to build such a car from scratch, which is why it will be remenbered as the last brave attempt to build a hand built metal bodied sports car in the UK.
douglyjon said:
When did you last see five S-V8's in one day? When did you see one S-V8 on the road? Have you ever seen an S-V8 anywhere other than in a photo?
Only 22 or 23 factory cars + 15 or so completed by others from what was left after the factory closed, most have been salted away in private collections around the world, the numbers left in the UK go down every year.
There will never be another car like the S-V8, no one would be able to finance such a project again. The £10 million it cost in 1999 would be loose change in 2013. It would surley cost £50 million + now to build such a car from scratch, which is why it will be remenbered as the last brave attempt to build a hand built metal bodied sports car in the UK.
I've actually not seen five SV8's in one day, I have seen three parked side by side though - although I guess JOC events are cheating Only 22 or 23 factory cars + 15 or so completed by others from what was left after the factory closed, most have been salted away in private collections around the world, the numbers left in the UK go down every year.
There will never be another car like the S-V8, no one would be able to finance such a project again. The £10 million it cost in 1999 would be loose change in 2013. It would surley cost £50 million + now to build such a car from scratch, which is why it will be remenbered as the last brave attempt to build a hand built metal bodied sports car in the UK.
You're right though, cars like this, the Bristol Fighter, and other cars of its ilk will rarely be created again in the future. Modern legislation, type approval and safety regulations make development cost simply too high.
I went out in my S-V8 yesterday (yes the sun was shining!) drove and sounded fantastic, the sound from the V8 and the Tremec close ratio gearbox were a joy to behold, but I dygress we called into the Jag show room to check out the F type
I liked it great car, the V8 especially caught my eye but £90K! made my eyes water! You know what the ethos of both cars are the same, the technology is a generation and 14 years apart but if Jensen could have survived would they not be building a F type competitor now?
I liked it great car, the V8 especially caught my eye but £90K! made my eyes water! You know what the ethos of both cars are the same, the technology is a generation and 14 years apart but if Jensen could have survived would they not be building a F type competitor now?
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