Jim Clark and Jenks' Porsches: Ultimate two-car garage photoshoot

F1
November 21, 2025

In this month's magazine, Motor Sport visited a garage featuring two of the most significant Porsches in racing history

Porsche 356 2

Two of the best 356s around...

Jonathan Bushell

November 21, 2025

Forever green? Jim Clark has long been associated with the British Racing colours in which he made history for Lotus, but it was with a German car that he first announced himself on the world stage.

The Scot’s distinctive white Porsche 356 was the thoroughbred sports machine that he not only drove to his first international races in, but competed and won with too in the late 1950s and early ’60s.

In this month’s magazine, we visited the diehard enthusiast who has not only the Clark Porsche, but also one of similar vintage owned by Motor Sport’s renowned Continental correspondent Denis Jenkinson.

Gallery
Gallery: Clark & Jenks’s stunning Porsche 356s
Porsche 356 lead
Porsche 356 Jenks Clark x
Porsche 356 x
Porsche Jenks Clark 356 8
Porsche 356 Clark Jenks 1
Porsche Jenks Clark 356 5
Porsche 356 Clark Jenks detail
Porsche Jenks Clark 356
Porsche Jenks Clark 356 3
Porsche Jenks Clark 356 6
Porsche Jenks Clark 356 7
Porsche Jenks Clark 356 9
Porsche Jenks Clark 356 10
Porsche 356 Jenks CLark interior
Porsche 356 2

Two of the best 356s around…

Jonathan Bushell

‘Jenks’ used his Porsche to traverse Europe while covering racing’s golden era with thrilling prose, and did so with Clark and other future champions like Graham Hill.

The journalist also competed in his ice-blue 356, making many modifications to it – a few done involuntarily as he rubbed doors with opponents on track.

Tom Pead bought and lovingly restored both Stuttgart wonders, and he told Motor Sport just why he believes both cars are so important.

“I felt the Jim Clark car was the important 356, certainly in Europe, and the Jenks car was almost equal to that – so I thought I’d be greedy and have both!” he laughs.

From the archive

“And to keep them both in the UK, which was equally as important.”

Jim Clark’s friend Ian Scot Watson purchased the secondhand 356 in spring 1957 so the former could race it on the British circuit.

He was soon trouncing opponents and blitzing lap times, and in mid-1958 the future F1 legend then took part in his first international races at that year’s Spa-Francorchamps Grand Prix. He finished fifth in a support race in the 356 and eighth overall in the main event.

The effort that went into not only making each car look pristine, but also ready to race at Goodwood, is clear to see. Pead purchased the Clark car in the late 1990s and the Jenks example in 2015.

Both needed work, but the Jenks car was particularly roughed up. A previous attempt at restoration left it with some questionable welding efforts.

“Jenks did away with the bumpers and added aluminium pieces,” says Pead.

Patricia Burke (Denis Jenkinson’s then girlfriend), Jim Clark, Ian Scott Watson, Eddie Portman, Jack Burke and Jenks, 1958 Silverstone 6 Hours Relay Race – note Clark and Jenks’s Porsche 356s.

Patricia Burke (Denis Jenkinson’s then girlfriend), Jim Clark, Ian Scott Watson, Eddie Portman, Jack Burke and Jenks, 1958 Silverstone 6 Hours Relay Race – note Clark and Jenks’s Porsche 356s

Graham Hill with pal Jenks and his Porsche

Graham Hill with pal Jenks and his Porsche

Grabbing some z’s: Motor Sport’s DSJ drove his 356 – and pen – hard as he crossed Europe

Motor Sport’s DSJ grabbing some rest next to his 356

“He had an aero screen added to it, so you can still see marks in the bonnet from the holes. When it left the factory it had spotlights, and they disappeared too – Jenks put it on a weight-loss programme when he was doing hillclimbs and sprints.

“He actually changed the gear lever and accelerator pedal because he was only 5ft tall – but I had to put those back to the original specification as I’m 6ft!”

Now though, both cars look a picture as they’re brought out for their shoot in the South East England countryside.

As rung what-you-brung examples, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Clark and Jenks’s stunning Porsche 356s

• A Motor Sport reader has reunited two Porsche 356s with intertwined histories – one formerly owned by Jim Clark, the other Jenks. James Elson travels to Essex to hear their remarkable stories

Read the fascinating feature in the latest issue of Motor Sport

Read now

 

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