Last Hand Built Cars by the Jensen Brothers

The Jensen Article

by John Neville Cohen

 
Page 2 of 4.

 

Classic Car Show Awards

For so many years these Jensen cars have not been expensive by comparison with any other classics of the period.  Very strange really when one considers that, at most of the important classic car shows in the past, Jensen have won all the best awards.

Up against all the well known prestigious makes, the Jensen Owners Club, together with Dave Horton's famous CV8, have won; 'Car of the Show', or 'Best of the Master Class' and 'Best Club Stand' and so on.  There can hardly be a worthwhile classic car award that has not been won by a Jensen!


Pioneers

These awards are not really so surprising as the Jensen brothers based at West Bromwich made extremely fine hand built cars.  They were also pioneers; the first to provide disc brakes all round; first with four wheel drive (on a CV8); one of the first to use the wind tunnel for body design.

They were also well known and respected for their advanced ideas on safety.  The 541S was the first car with seat belts, as standard, they also provided very soft padded areas above and below the dashboard.  Door handles, and window winders, were all in recessed panels out of harms way.

Our Jensen 541S Manual Drive John Neville Cohen

They won the silver medal for coach work at Earls Court, and with the 541R, in 1957 according to tests by 'The Autocar' they had produced the fastest four seater car of the day.

Over the years their glass fibre and polyester resin coach work has stood up to the test of time remarkably well.


Maintenance

Service and maintenance of these cars proves a lot easier, than with many other classics, and this statement applies to some of the more modern cars.  There is a very enthusiastic owners club that provides valuable technical information.  Most spare parts are also not too difficult to find through the Jensen Owners Club.

The chassis is built like a tank and the glass fibre body cuts out all those rust problems.

 


Photos of Our Special CV8

The Special CV8 Jensen John Neville Cohen


The Special CV8 Jensen interior John Neville Cohen


 The Special CV8 Interior viewed from the rear. John Neville Cohen


The Special CV8 Interior four seater sports car. John Neville Cohen


John Neville Cohen's Special Jensen CV8 from above


Our CV8 featured on the front cover of The Jensen Owners club for the 25th Anniversary Issue. John Neville Cohen



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High Power

The well proven straight six 4 litre engine is in a class of it's own, set with triple SU large carburettors and linked to the Jaguar Moss 4 speed synchromesh gearbox, with overdrive, add to this, servo assisted Dunlop disc brakes all round. - Provides one hell of a lot of motor car!

The CV8 is an even more powerful car still, but not a British thoroughbred as it has a Chrysler V8 engine.  There are certainly not many cars from the early '60s that can still be used as a daily car some 35 years later.

 

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