In his quest to fully document the history of Jensen, Richard Calver weighs in with his third volume on the marque. His previous books were A History of Jensen: The Chassis Data (1991)and A History of Jensen: The Service Bulletins Volume 1 (2004).
Like Calver’s earlier books, this new offering is pack full of Jensen information – detailing the complete history of the marque through every single model ever produced – and the model range is impressive; ranging from Jensen’s own cars, to commercial vehicles, special one-off models and, of course, the company’s involvement with other marques.
This latter aspect produces facts relating to Jensen’s cooperation with a large number of car manufacturers. Some of these projects will be well-known to most readers – the Jensen-built Volvo P1800, development work for the Rootes Group on the Sunbeam Tiger and, of course, its long association with Austin-Healey, a relationship which would eventually culminate in the Jensen-Healey.
However, there’s also a huge amount of information relating to less well-known cars – I was not aware that Jensen had developed the prototype Lynx D-Type replica (one of the most respected replicas of this model); or that it had built a series of impressive convertibles for Austin, including a very stylish A40 Farina cabriolet. Surprisingly, Jensen once also worked with a caravan company to develop an embryonic but sadly stillborn luxury motor home – the Phantom Lounge Car.
Naturally, every Jensen-badged car is included – a timely reminder of just how innovative Jensen was. This aspect is best exemplified by the very first 4WD Jensen, a special CV8 which featured Ferguson Formula 4WD allied to Maxaret anti-lock braking – a pioneering system further refined for the Interceptor FF.
There’s even some Kiwi content, with a photograph and brief information on the late Ross Jensen’s Jensen GT – a car which I once drove briefly.
Calver’s book culminates with the story of the modern day S-V8 and C-V8, while an In Memoriam section pays tribute to the men behind the marque who are no longer with us, including company founders Richard and Frank Jensen.
An absolute must-have for all Jensen enthusiasts, and Calver promises even more Jensen books in future – if only all classic marques could have such a meticulous and passionate chronicler.
Jensen 541
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Jensen 541 was first exhibited at the London Motor Show in October 1953[4]: production started in 1954. In October 1954 a cabriolet version was introduced.
The 541 used fibreglass bodywork mounted on a steel chassis and was fitted with a six cylinder, three SU carburettor version of the 4 litre Austin engine and four speed transmission with optional Laycock de Normanville overdrive.
The body consisted of three major mouldings and the entire front was rear hinged and could be raised for engine access. The doors were aluminium. Suspension was independent at the front using coil springs with a Panhard rod located rigid axle and leaf springs at the rear. A choice of wire spoked or steel disc wheels with centre lock fitting was offered.[3] At first the car had servo assisted 11 in (279 mm) drum brakes but from 1956, when the deluxe version was introduced, it featured Dunlop disc brakes both in front and rear - the first British four seater thus equipped.
It was also a luxurious car with the well equipped interior featuring leather seats as standard. The individual seats in front separated by a high transmission tunnel and the rear seats had a small centre armrest and could also be tilted forwards to increase luggage space. Standard colours (1955) were black, ivory, imperial crimson, moonbeam grey, Boticelli blue, deep green and Tampico beige.[3]
By employing light weight materials, Jensen managed to make the car significantly lighter than their contemporary Interceptor model, with a dry weight of 1,220 kg (2,690 lb) as against the older design's 1,370 kg (3,020 lb)[4]. Performance benefitted.
In 1957 the 541 R was introduced, and in 1960 the 541 S arrived with wider bodywork and revised grill styling. Production of the Jensen 541 ended in 1959 and the 541 S early 1963 when the range was replaced by the C-V8.
[edit] Performance
The Jensen 541 was a fast car with a claimed 135 bhp (101 kW) and top speed of 109 mph (175 km/h) (both subsequently increased) at launch.
A car with overdrive tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1955 had a top speed of 115.8 mph (186.4 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 10.8 seconds. A fuel consumption of 20.6 miles per imperial gallon (13.7 L/100 km; 17.2 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £2146 (with the optional overdrive) including taxes. The basic car cost 1821[3]
