Jensen Motors

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1950 emblem

Jensen Motors was an automobile manufacturer from West Bromwich in the United Kingdom that existed from 1935 to 1976. The successor company Jensen Parts and Service continued the production of sports cars in the period from 1983 to 1992 on a very small scale.

history

JNSN truck body by Jensen in the colors of the English Electric group (approx. 1938)

In 1927 the brothers Richard and Alan Jensen built their first own, sporty car body for their own use. The chassis came from an Austin 7 . From 1929 a series of similar bodies followed for the standard Avon , named after the New Avon body shop in Warwick . They entered into a partnership with Wolseley dealer Patrick Motors from Birmingham in 1930, which only lasted one year. During this time, Patrick-Jensen, a sports car on the chassis of the Wolseley Hornet, was created .

founding

Jensen-Ford V8 Shooting Brake (ca.1936)

In 1936 the brothers took over the body construction company W.J. Smiths & Sons of their late employer and renamed them Jensen Motors . The first draft was again a sporty tourer on the chassis of the standard Avon . Those in charge at Standard liked the design, so more copies followed. Other chassis were also used, such as the Wolseley Hornet or the American Ford V8 . An early design on the Ford chassis was a unique piece for the actor Clark Gable, from which several Jensen-Fords were derived in 1936 on behalf of Edsel Ford . In the years up to the Second World War , Jensen built sporty, mostly open bodies in small series for several popular models: Morris Minor , Eight , Ten and Twelve , Wolseley Fourteen and for Ford, in addition to the V8 mentioned, also for the Eight and Ten . At the time, Jensen was one of the UK's most successful coachbuilders; His competitors included Maltby’s and Thrupp & Maberly , although the latter was tied to the Rootes group.

One-offs were made on Delage and Star chassis. Jensen also built a monoposto body for racing driver Ronald T. "Ronnie" Horton for a racing sports car based on the MG C-Type . At that time, Jensen also produced a number of bodies for trucks and buses .

Even after the Second World War , production bodies were still produced for third parties, such as some Lea-Francis 12 hp “ Woodie ” station wagons , the Austin A40 Sports (as a smaller sister model of the technically identical Jensen Interceptor coupé ) and the body-in-white for the Austin-Healey 3000 .

Own cars

Jensen 3.5 Liter S-Type 3-position Drop Head Coupe (Cabriolet) from 1938

In addition, a small number of their own vehicles were created. The first they called the White Lady . This prototype with a self-constructed chassis, the side-steered Ford V8 engine and Ford gearbox received a near-series, very elegant tourer body. He still exists.

The first Jensen was finally offered in 1936 with a slightly modified Ford chassis as a 3.5 liter (also called S-Type after the first letter of the chassis number ). It was available as a drop-head coupe ( convertible ), open tourer (open, four-door four-seater with front cut-out doors and windshield also for the rear passengers and emergency hood) and as a Continental Touring Saloon ( sedan ). From 1937 a 2.2 liter with the smaller version of this V8 was added. Ford named an output of 85 PS (63.4 kW) at 3800 / min for the larger V8 (3622 cm³) and 60 PS (44.7 kW) at 3500 / min for the smaller version (2227 cm³).

In 1938 Jensen showed the slightly larger 4 1/4 liter H-Type at the Earl's Court Motor Show in London . The Ford chassis is again reinforced for this model and extended forward by an overhead- Nash -Achtzylinder- line engine cm³ with 4279, dual ignition and 120 hp (89.5 kW) at 3500 / min accommodate. All three models were built until production came to a standstill due to the war.

After the Second World War

The Jensen Interceptor from 1954, sister model of the Austin A40 Sports roadster, also built by Jensen, with a similar design.
The Jensen 541R from 1959. Only 193 of this sports car were built.
Jensen C-V8 MK II (1965)

The Jensen 4 Liter PW was built in 1946, but only a few were built after the war due to the lack of raw materials. It was available as a sedan and convertible. It was first powered by an eight-cylinder in-line engine from Meadows with 3860 cm³ and 130 hp (97 kW) at 4300 rpm. In 1949 it was revised. It got a slightly larger wheelbase , but was slightly shorter due to smaller overhangs. Jensen newly used the Austin six-cylinder engine with 3993 cm³ which was also used in the Austin A135 . The output remained unchanged at 130 hp, but was already available at 3700 rpm. It was the brand's first six-cylinder and was also used in other models.

A more modern coupe followed in 1950 called the Jensen Interceptor , and it was built until 1958. At the same time, the Austin A40 Sports , a small open sports tourer that took up the design of the Interceptor, was produced until 1953 . Jensen also received the contract from Austin to build the bodies for the Austin Healey .

In 1955 a revolutionary concept started with the Jensen 541 : the car had a body made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic , a material that is lighter than steel and therefore made the car relatively light. The disc brakes , which were installed from 1956 onwards and were not yet widespread in series vehicles at the time, were just as innovative .

In 1962, the 541 by the Jensen C-V8 replaced the place of the previous six-cylinder - inline engine of Austin with a 5.9-liter eight-cylinder engine - V-engine from Chrysler was motorized. Later was then engine with 6.3 liter engine used. The comparatively light car became the fastest 4-seater of its time thanks to the powerful engine, but polarized with its strikingly aggressive styling. In the five-year production period, 500 vehicles left the West Bromwich plant .

Jensen Interceptor

The Jensen Interceptor II (1971)

In 1966 the C-V8 was replaced by a model that was again called the Jensen Interceptor . The design came from the Italian company Carrozzeria Touring , the bodies, which were now made of steel again, were initially also manufactured in Italy , by Vignale , and later by Jensen. Initially, the same 6.3-liter Chrysler engine as in the C-V8 served as the engine . From the end of 1971, engines with a displacement of 7.2 liters were installed.

The Jensen FF (1969)

The FF was also presented in 1966 . The car was technically a sensation: it was the first car with standard all-wheel drive of Ferguson Research (as a premiere was the first time included as standard equipment here ABS from Dunlop ) - the FF stand for Ferguson Formula - and on top of the first mass-produced car in the world with this drive concept. This technical revolution did not bring the Jensen company large sales figures (only around 320 units were built) because only right-hand drive cars were built, and so production of the FF was discontinued in 1971 . However, production of the Interceptor was continued and around 7,000 units were still made, entirely by hand. The new top model was the Jensen SP (SP stands for "Six Pack"), whose engine with three double carburetors developed 385 hp. However, only 232 vehicles of this model could be sold between 1971 and 1973 because the engine did not meet the exhaust gas restrictions that have now been introduced on the important American market.

The Qvale era

The Jensen Healey (from 1972)
Prototype Jensen P66 with Chrysler V8 from 1966

In April 1970, the American Kjell Qvale joined Jensen Motors. As an importer of high-quality automobiles, Qvale was interested in a replacement for this sports car after production of the Austin-Healey 3000, the body of which, as mentioned, was manufactured by Jensen. However, the P66 prototype presented for this purpose was not pursued further. While production of the Interceptor was continued unchanged, the engineers developed in collaboration with Donald Healey a two-seat roadster that of a four-cylinder engine from Lotus was driven by 2 liters. From 1972 to 1976 the Jensen-Healey was produced with a number of slightly more than 10,000 copies. The vehicles of the first series in particular had to struggle with quality defects, which was also due to the inadequate testing of the engine that was later used in the Lotus Esprit .

Jensen Interceptor III Convertible (1974)

The introduction of the open Jensen Interceptor Convertible in 1974 can also be traced back to the influence of Qvales. The equipment and design were tailored to the American market, where more than two thirds of the 500 vehicles built up to 1976 were sold. More expensive and even more luxurious than the saloon, the cabriolet was a car of the rich and famous. Customers included numerous celebrities, including Frank Sinatra and Winthrop Paul Rockefeller . At the end of 1975 the Interceptor model range was supplemented by the "Interceptor Coupé". However, only 47 vehicles of the two-door notchback, which was developed on the basis of the convertible, were completed.

The lack of success of the Jensen-Healey, which was planned as a volume model, led, in connection with the oil crisis, to financial difficulties, which led to the fact that in 1975 an application for bankruptcy was filed, but business was initially continued.

Jensen Parts and Service

The company "Jensen Parts & Service", which was supposed to look after the service and spare parts market, emerged from the bankruptcy estate. In addition to full restorations, the company offered a revised Interceptor between 1983 and 1992, sold as the Interceptor IV and powered by a 5.9-liter V8 from Chrysler. Only 15 vehicles left the factory. Plans for an Interceptor V were not pursued when the company was finally liquidated in 1993.

Revival 1998–2002

The next attempt to revive the brand, whose naming rights were acquired in 1997 by the two engineers Keith Rauer and Robin Bowler, failed in 2002 when the production of the roadster Jensen S-V8 (0-100 km / h approx. 5 s, 325 hp, € 70,000) after 20 units were built. Incomplete vehicles were sold to SV Automotive in 2003, which had completed another 12 Jensen S-V8s by 2005.

Jensen International Automotive and Jensen Motor Group

In 2007, the small series manufacturer V Eight Ltd presented a revised version of the Interceptor with the model name Interceptor S in cooperation with the restoration company Cropredy Bridge Garage, which specializes in Jensen . The vehicles were rebuilt on the basis of original bodies with modern manufacturing processes using new components. To improve driving performance and handling, a modern V8 engine (305 kW) from General Motors, other brakes, 17-inch rims and a modified chassis were used. Except for a modified front apron, the design largely corresponded to the original vehicles.

A new vehicle announced by V Eight Ltd, model name Interceptor SX , was never completed and the company filed for bankruptcy. Jensen International Automotive, founded in 2010, took over the rights to the Interceptor S. Sir Charles Dunstone holds a stake in the company. Since then, the vehicle has been offered as the Interceptor R with further changes .

In February 2015, Jensen Motor Group, a company owned by former Aston Martin shareholder Tim Hearley, announced that it would be launching a completely new model with the model name Jensen GT in 2016 . In addition to the Jensen Motor Group, Jensen International Automotive will also be involved in this restart of the brand.

Models

Remarks

Jensen S-Type Open Tourer (1937)
  1. ↑ This information can be found (partly) in Nick Walker's book (see literature), partly in the standard work MG by F. Wilson McComb (is not available; the passage can be found online here  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ).@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / books.google.ch  

swell

  • Roger Gloor: Post-war car , 2nd edition (1981), Hallwag AG, Bern and Stuttgart, publisher Automobil Revue , ISBN 3 444 10263 1
  • David Culshaw, Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975 , Veloce Publishing PLC, Dorchester (1997), ISBN 1-874105-93-6 (English)
  • Nick Walker: AZ of British Coachbuilders, 1919-1960 ; Bay View Books, Bideford, Devon, UK (1997), ISBN 1 870 979 93 1 (English)
  • Calver, Richard: A History of Jensen: All the Models, Melbourne, 2007, ISBN 978-0975129111 (English)

Web links

Commons : Jensen  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Calver, Richard: A History of Jensen: All the Models, Melbourne, 2007, ISBN 978-0975129111 , pp. 2ff.
  2. ^ Richard Calver: Jensen History. Retrieved May 30, 2015 .
  3. ↑ Anderson, Keith: Jensen & Jensen-Healey, 1998, ISBN 0-7509-1808-X , pp. 145f. (English)
  4. ^ The tragic tale of the Jensen S-V8. The Telegraph, June 14, 2003, accessed October 10, 2012 .
  5. ^ Calver, Richard: A History of Jensen: All the Models, Melbourne, 2007, ISBN 978-0975129111 , p. 390.
  6. ↑ The Jensen Interceptor p. December 20, 2007, accessed on May 30, 2015 (English).
  7. ^ Jensen International Automotive: About us. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on May 31, 2015 ; accessed on May 30, 2015 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.jensen-sales.com
  8. ↑ Ulrich Feld: jensen-interceptor-s-this-car-is-an-interceptor. October 26, 2012, accessed May 30, 2015 .
  9. ↑ A legend reborn? Auto Bild, February 25, 2015, accessed May 30, 2015 .