JENSEN
(1935 - 1976)
It was common practice for would-be automotive engineers
to tinker with the ubiquitous Austin 7, but Alan and
Richard Jensen went one step further than most, removing
the body entirely to fit their own race version to
the chassis, at the time the brothers still mere apprentices
in the Birmingham motor industry.
Their hand-crafted
Austin would catch the eye of the Standard Motor Company’s
Chief Engineer, leading to them being given the contract
to create something similar on a Standard chassis.
In 1931 the brothers joined W. J. Smith & Sons
body works in West Bromwich, and in 1935 the first
of their designs was revealed, an open tourer powered
by a 3.5 liter Ford V8. Dubbed the “While Lady”,
most commentators consider this to be the first true
Jensen.
In 1936 William Smith would pass, and the company
would be renamed Jensen Motors. Profits from wartime
contracts would ensure the company was financially
able to get a good start after the war, their first
iteration being the 1948 Jensen PW, a large luxury
saloon aimed at the well heeled. 1950 would see the
introduction of the Interceptor, featuring a sleek
streamlined appearance and constructed from light alloy
it was powered by Austin’s 4 liter six.
The 541,
first seen in prototype form in 1953, entered series
production in 1955 and, like the Interceptor, it was
powered by the Austin six, but was revolutionary in
its use of a fiberglass body. Desirable as long range
touring cars, 541s continued in production until 1962
when a much more powerful Jensen grand tourer made
its debut.
The C-V8 boasted a 6 liter Chrysler engine
and was one of the fastest four-seaters around; production
had reached 500 by 1966 when the decision was made
to contract the firm's next body design out to Italy.
The Jensen brothers were not too happy with the decision,
and given their ill health and age decided to call
it a day.
Later that year two new steel-bodied Jensen’s
made their debut at Earls Court, the Touring-designed
Interceptor and the similarly styled but radically
different FF, a four-wheel drive variant with Maxaret
anti-lock braking. Financial problems would see the
company taken over by Brandts Bank in 1968, then in
1970 another takeover by American Kjell Qvale, he wanting
the company to develop Donald Healey’s new sports
car.
Prototypes of what would become the Jensen-Healey,
with a Lotus 16-valve engine, were running in 1971,
the year in which the FF was phased out and up-rated
versions of the Interceptor were introduced. Now Jensen-Healey,
the company entered production in 1972 and for a time
things looked positive, but the oil crisis combined
with ongoing reliability and quality control issues
would take its toll on the company. The writing was
on the wall, and in 1975 the receivers were called
in.
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