One is a formal, elegant four-door German saloon with that giant engine: the original 'banker's hot rod', indistinguishable from half a dozen of its more pedestrian siblings in all but those magic numbers on the right-hand side of its bootlid. The other car is a svelte, boutique grand tourer: American-powered and Italian-styled, but from a bravely innovative British specialist manufacturer. Only the double wing vents and a stainless-steel roof-hint at its high-tech status as the world's first four-wheel-drive high-performance road car.
But do the Jensen FF and Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3 really compare? They would have appealed to similar people: buyers more sensitive to image than cost, who had grown out of sports cars but were still keen on driving; who didn't want another Jaguar and considered themselves too young for a Rolls-Royce. At £7273 for the import-duty-inflated Mercedes and £6857 for the Jensen, these cars were pitched into the Silver Shadow class and represented about the most you could pay for an owner/driver vehicle with four seats and high-performance overtones that was also a practical means of transportation.
Unlike certain Italian exotics that were making overtures at the four-seater market, the 6.3 and FF were neither toys nor fashion statements, but working vehicles designed to ease motoring anxieties and massage wealthy egos.
For the purposes of this essay, let's ignore the disparity in the size of the rear seats and the number of doors: they were probably less of a deal-breaker than you might imagine in period.
Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
RAY HILLIER
Double-chevron oddity proves a break from the norm for this Crewe specialist
SHORT BACK & GLIDES
Eccentric enthusiast Captain RG McLeod's series of Manx-tailed Bentley Specials reached its zenith with this unique S2 Continental.
People's choice
The diminutive but multi-million-selling Fiat 850 packed a remarkable diversity of form and function into its compact footprint
PLASTIC BREAKS FROM THE NORM
Glassfibre revolutionised niche car-body production, but just occasionally strayed into the mainstream.
A SENSIBLE SUPERCAR
The cleverly conceived four-seater Elite secured Lotus a place at the big players' table, but has it been unfairly maligned since then?
"I had a habit of grabbing second place from the jaws of victory"
From dreams of yachting glory to the Le Mans podium, via a stint at the top of the motorsport tree, Howden Ganley had quite the career
Still going strong
Herbert Engineering staked its reputation on the five-year warranty that came with its cars. A century on, this Two Litre hasn't made a claim
One for the kids
General Motors was aiming squarely at the youth market with the launch of the Pontiac GTO 60 years ago, and its runaway success popularised the muscle-car movement
A NEW BREED OF HERO
Launched at the turn of the millennium, the GT3 badge has already earned a place alongside RS, CS and turbo in Porsche lore.
Brits with SIX appeal
The straight-six engine is synonymous with a decades-long legacy of great British sports cars. Six variations on the sextet theme convene for comparison
