JENSEN C-V8

by Chris Dugdale

The brothers Alan and Richard Jensen first made their names as body stylists in the early 1930`s. In 1934 the first car left the workshop in West Bromwich, it was based on the American Ford and powered by a Ford V8 engine of 3662 c.c. In 1937 the car was most luxurious, powered again by the Ford 3.6 V8 and unusual in that it was fitted with a Columbia twin speed rear axle, this giving six forward speeds. Later models were also available with the smaller 2227 c.c. Ford V8 units and the fine Straight 8 Nash o.h.v. engine of 4.2 litres. A couple of cars were constructed in 1939 with the very smooth running Lincoln V12 unit.

After the second world war (1950) the brothers produced their "Interceptor" model, available in both saloon and convertible versions, the latter was to my mind a most elegant car. These models were powered by the Austin 4 litre 6 cylinder engine as used in the Austin A135. Incidentally the bodies for the Austin A 40 Sports manufactured by the Austin Motor Company of Longbridge, Birmingham were actually made for the latter by Jensen at West Bromwich.

The Jensen Brothers were one of the first manufacturers to fit disc brakes as standard equipment to all four wheels of their cars as early as 1957.

The next model to be made was the "541", again power was supplied by an Austin 6 cylinder engine. The next model, the subject of this article was the C-V8 when the Company reverted to American power units, the 5.9 litre Chrysler V8 producing 305 bhp which was coupled the same manufacturers "Torqueflite" automatic transmission. A manual transmission was also available.

The final model to be made was again given the name "Interceptor" in 1967 and fitted with both 6.3 and later 7 litre Chrysler engines.

The C-V8 represented a considerable advance over the previous Jensen, the 541. Some may say that the cars appearance is somewhat fussy with bumps and bulges to the bodywork, but from the writers viewpoint this is part of the great charm of the vehicle. The body construction was somewhat advanced for its day being made from resin bonded glass fibre mounted on a chassis constructed of welded tubes and sheet metal. A unique feature is that one of the main chassis tubes was used as a large capacity reservoir for the brake vacuum assistance.

Your editor has recently had the great privilege to have been able to drive the car pictured above. As may be expected with an engine of this size, there is no lack of power and 100 miles per hour car be reached in around 23 seconds. The three speed automatic transmission is smooth and barely noticeable and very simple to use, there is however a little creep at tickover which needs the left foot on the brake pedal to check it. An unusual feature of the gearbox is that full engine braking is available on the overrun in any gear, also when moving the gear selector lever one has to depress the knob at its end in order to move it.

This car is a dream to drive, the rack and pinion steering is fairly highly geared which means the car handles in a responsive and precise manner, the downside being that it is somewhat heavy when parking

The interior is finished to a high standard with seats trimmed in unpleated hide, the backrests being comfortable and supportive, the car is a full four seater with the rear seats being well shaped and sympathetic to the person sitting thereon, although legroom is a little sparse for the taller person. This is certainly a "drivers" car with a full set of instruments on the dashboard, the scuttle is on the high side for some tastes and the shorter person may find forward visibility directly to the front of the vehicle a little restrictive but the overall view down the bonnet on a motorway is excellent. Standard equipment which came with the car was a Motorola transistor radio, headlamp flasher, a lockable petrol filler cap operated either from the fascia or the boot interior, a fire extinguisher and even a first aid kit. Another unusual feature for a 1963 vehicle is that both front seats are fitted with diagonal safety belts held to the door pillar in a chrome plated slide so that they take up a comfortable position on ones shoulder.

For those interested in the technical specification the Chrysler V8 OHV engine has a bore of 4.12 inches and stroke of 3.38 inches giving a displacement of 361 cubic inches or 5,916 c.c. in European speak. Valves are operated by push rods and rockers with hydraulic tappets. The compression ratio is 9 to 1, fuel is delivered by a four barrel downdraught Carter type AFB carburettor with automatic choke. 1000 rpm equates to 26 miles per hour in top gear. Driven carefully on a motorway or dual carriageway (50 to 60 mph) 20 miles to the gallon can easily be obtained, used locally 15 to 16 is the best that can be expected. The overall car length is 15ft 3¼ inches with an overall width of 4ft 7¼ inches. Turning circle 36ft. Maximum speed 136 miles per hour.

Price when new including purchase tax £3,392. 7s. 1d. If you wish to purchase one of these fine cars today you would expect to pay between £8000 to £16,000 depending on condition.

The marque is catered for by the Jensen Owners Club who publish a glossy magazine bi-monthly. Anyone wanting more information about the club should contact Keith Andrews, e-mail address join@joc.org.uk.