THE MORE MONZAS, THE MERRIER

Lincolnshire farmer and enthusiast Jim Hoff owns three of the six Monza FFS built, including XOW 5V, the ex-stuart Rolt demonstrator. It was the first Opel FF he bought, after he saw it for sale on a garage forecourt in Nottingham in ’89, initially assuming it to be a car someone had stuck Ford Sierra or similar 4x4 running gear underneath. “I had only heard of the Jensen FF, I didn’t know they had done a whole string of cars after that,” says Jim. “I looked at all the documents and it was very interesting. So I bought it for that reason only, really.”

With a garage housing four Aston Martins, a shed full of Fiat Pandas and his Opel Monzas, Jim’s taste in cars is eclectic, and the Monza FF satisfied his desire for something unusual to sink his teeth into. Two further FFS have found their way to him, including the only remaining manual, a silver A2-series car (above, centre). The second manual was written off in an accident. Of the other two surviving FFS, one has been missing for years after it was stolen.

Jim’s collection makes up three quarters of the likely remaining cars, therefore, and he has a supply of spares to keep them going: “I displayed the car at the NEC in 1993 and Major Rolt approached me. He ended up giving me a load of spares.” A full Senator FF engine and drivetrain sits on a pallet in one of his sheds, but it’s the general Opel Monza parts that prove to be the biggest trouble for Jim today. He has more Monzas than functioning MAF sensors, while he has had to get faulty brake calipers repaired at great expense, being unable to find replacements.