Jensen - SP - Miscellaneous Documents - 1928 - 1928

Jensen two new cars by Hand made cars Interceptor III and S.E The StoryofJensenHandmade cars The Early Days The first car to carry the name of Jensen was built as a prototype in 1934, and went into production a year later. However, Richard and Alan Jensen built their first caT from a 1925 Austin seven in 1928. Jensen car incorporating the Ferguson Formula four-wheel drive system. A prototype was shown in 1965 and 1966 saw the introduction of the entirely new Jensen Interceptor and FF saloons. The two new cars ,ombined Italian styling with well tried American power unit and British engineering skills. The Chief Engineer of the Standard Motor Company approached the brothers and asked them jf they would do a similar job on a Standard. They agreed and the Standard project was a success. Alan Jensen supervised production of the little coupe at the Avon Coachworks. By 1931 the brothers had joined the old established coachbuilding firm of W. J. Smith and Sons Limited in West Bromwich and by 1934 had changed the name to Jensen Motors Limited. The new company concentrated initially on the design and prqduction of special bodies on such popular chassis of the day as 1J:le Ford Eight, Singer, Standard and Wolselcy Hornet; although bodies were also built on Delage, Rolls-Royce and Invicta. The lensen brothers were most impressed by the sort of performance given by American V 8 engines and not surprisingly, therefore, a prototype appeared in 1934 using a Ford 3.8 litre V 8 engine. With the considerable power of the engine-120 bhp, maximum speed was over 90 mph. The "S" entered production in 1935 and the drop head coupe followed in 1936. Production of the "S" series continued through until 1937. In 1937, with the Reynolds Tube Company Limited, they designed and constructed the World's first aluminium commercial vehicle, the lNSN. Its light construction gave it an enormous bulk capacity for its 3 ton weight. In 1938 the "H" series with the Nash 4* litre Straisht 8 ensine was intrcOu.ced, but production was postponed by the outbreak of World War 11. During the war years production was given over to the manufacture of bomb cases, aircraft seats and trailers etc. The lensen expertise came in useful also in converting tanks for amphibious use. After the war production was resumed on a limited number of "H" series cars together with a large number of aluminium bodied commercial vehicles, There was, however, a new car on the way which was introduced in 1946. This was the PW saloon, the Meadows light alloy straight 8 engine of 3.8 litre capacity around which the car had been designed never entered production and those few PW's which were made had Austin 4 litre engines. In 1950 lensen produced the Interceptor. A close coupled fixed or drop head coupe with bodywork in aluminium. The 541 car shown in 1954 was the first to be bodied in glass fibre, the first British four seater production car to exceed 100 mph and The Noreros Group of companies had acquired a major interest In Jensen Motors Limited during 1959 and in the years to 1966 the Jensen brothers gradually took a less active part in the day to day running of the company until they retired. During the years after World War II the company expanded quickly, Subl;ontra" work, particularly for the Austin Motor Company build:n:; the Austin Healey body, contributed considerably to this growth. With the introduction of the U.S.A. Federal Safety Regulations production of the Austin Healey 3000 was discontinued and the company then decided to concentrate on producing high quality luxury Jensen cars. In 1968 the controlling shareholding of the Company was purchased from the Norcros Group by William Brandl's Sons & Co. Limited the Merchant Bankers. Produ,tion of the I ntereeptor and FF was steadily In,reased and with a network of Distributors throughout the United Kingdom and Overseas. By 1970 these fine motor ,ars. so widely praised by the Motoring Press and so desired by connoisseurs incorporated all features required by the U.S.A. Federal Safety Regulations and t~ first shipment was despatched to the U.S.A. in May of that year. Today An Anglo-American consortium headed by Kjell H. Qvale pur- was the first to have disc bra~n all four wheels. The 541 evolved into the 541R which, in 1960 gave way to the 541S. By the end of the 19505 Jensen could see the need for more power to meet current traffic conditions. A V g engine was the obvious choice and Jensen went to Chrysler for the new engine. Originally of 5916 cc. and now of 6276 cc. and 7212 cc. the Chrysler engines have proved powerful, quiet and completely reliable. The Jensen CV8 with Chrysler V 8 engine was announced in 1962. With this car safely in production Jensens' interest was caught by the enthusiasm for·four wheel drive of Harry Ferguson Research Limited and an agreement was signed for the joint development of a chased a majority shareholding in the company early in 1970. World famous car designer Donald Healey joined the board as Chairman and plans were made to build a new Healey sports car as an addition to the current Jensen range in 1972. In October 1971 the Interceptor Ill, FF 111 and the Jensen SP were introduced, the SP is the high performance version of the Interceptor Ill, with its 4.40cubic inch 7'2 litre engine with 3 two barrel carbureltors this is the most powerful Jensen built. Its louvred bonnet and Vinyl roof panel distlnguish it from its two stable-mates and air conditioning, Sun Dym glass and self-seeking stereo radio are but a few of the features filled as standard. Introducing the Interceptor III • .1.- ~. The cars you can see in this leaflet are the Interceptor Ill, which is not a new car but a new kind of car, and the SP which is new and is a faster version of the Interceptor Ill. The Interceptor III has a powerful Chrysler 6.2 litre engine. In 1966 Jensen with the help of Vignale of Turin designed the Interceptor. The shape has not changed much since 1966 but we have added many things to make the car more comfortable for the driver and his passengers. There is enough room for four people inside the Interceptor which has rea! hide upholstery and Wilton carpets. Neatly sunken into padded recesses are dialsthe two larger ones behind the hide covered adjustable steering wheel are the speedometer and tachometer. Other dials show the battery voltage, water temperature, oil pressure and fuel level. There are four eyeballs which swivel to direct the supply of fresh air from the outside. A three speed booster fan is provided. Windows can be lowered at the push of a button. The fuel door opens electrically, Ihe aerial for the four speaker radio is electrically operated and the lock for the passenger door is controlled by a switch on the driver's door. A thermal delay allows the interior lights to stay on long enough after the doors are closed for the driver to unlock the steering column and fasten his safety bell before driving away. The Interceptor III has inertia -- reel single handed seat belts for the front seats with a warning light as a reminder to use them. Jensen cars are painted in fourteen different colours and there is a choice of five colours for the hide upholstery as well. Some gay others dark and majestic. Each Jensen owner chooses his own colours at the same time as his optional equipment. That is why we call ourselves Jensen Hand Made Cars. and • • • • • • • • • • . SP The SP is a new car. It is almost the same as the Interceptor III but has a larger engine. It still has a Chrysler V 8 but the more powerful 7.2 litre. The $P is easily distinguished by its distinctive vinyl roof and louvered bonnet. With air conditioning, which is installed, each car has its own private climate. On a hot day the refrigeration cools the air, on a cold day the 4t kW heater warms it. Sun dym safety glass is fitted to help cut down glare and night time dazzle. Powerful air horns are fitted for motorway conditions but a switch is provided to change to normal horns in towns and cities. A four speaker radio is installed -the Lear Jet self seeking radio/tape player which receives both medium wave and VHF programmes including stereo broadcasts. Stereo entertainment may also be played from 8 track cartridge tapes. It is as good as having a private band, pop group or 101 string orchestra in the car whilst driving along. Obviously, this is not quite possible even with armchair seats and private ashtrays! However the stereo effect makes it feel just like that. With all these special features plus all those of the Interceptor Ill, the SP is in a class of its own. Finally, you may have wondered why we call it the SP. SP stands for Six Pack which is another way of saying 3 twin barrelled carburettors. A specification for both Interceptor III and SP is given below. Specifications Interceptor ITI S.~ Engine: Cylinders 8, Configuration 90 o y, Bearings 5, Capacity 6276 c.c., Bore 108 mm., Stroke 86 mm., Compression ratio 8.7: I, Fuel tank capacity 20 gallons (Imp.) 91 litres. Engine: Cylinders 8, Configuration 90o V. Bearings 5, Capacity 7212 c.c" Bore 110 mm,. Stroke 95.3 mm., Compression ratio 10.3: I, Fuel tank capacity 20 gallons (Imp,) 91 litres. Trall$mission: Control automatic, manual over-ride Gear ratios: 1st 7.05 : I 2nd 4.16: I 3rd (Top) 2.88 : I Reverse 6.32 : I Transmission oil cooler. Transmission: Control automatic, manual over-ride Gear ratios: 1st 7.05 : I 2nd 4.16: I 3rd (Top) 2.88 : I Reverse 6,32 : I Transmission oil cooler. Open propeller shaft to hypoid limited slip rear axle. Steering: Power assisted rack and pinion 15 in. hide covered adjustable steering wheel. 3.4 turns lock to lock turning circle. 38 ft. Steering column lock. Steering: Power assisted rack and plO Ion 15 in, hide covered adjustable steering wheel. 3.4 turns lock to lock. Turning circle 38 ft, Steering column lock. Brakes: Girling hydraulic self adjusting ventilated disc brakes on all four wheels lit in. front, IOf in. rear. Self·adjusting mechanical handbrake on rear wheels. Operation through servo and tandem master cylinder to separate front and rear hydraulic systems with load conscious valve 10 prevent rear wheel lock-up. Brakes: Girling hydraulic self-adjusting ventilated disc brakes on all four wheels lit in, front. 101 in, rear. Self-adjusting mechanical handbrake on rear wheels. Operation through servo and tandem master cylinder to separate front and rear hydraulic systems. Suspension: Front: Independent coil and wishbone with telescopic dampers. Stabiliser bar. Rear: semi elliptic dual rate springs, telescopic dampers and live axle located by Panhard rod. Suspell$ion: Front: Independent coil and wishbone with telescopic dampers. Stabiliser bar. Rear: Semi elliptic dual rate springs, telescopic dampers and live axle located by Panhard rod. Wheels and Tyres: Dunlop ER 70 VR 15 tubeless radial tyres on 6t in. diecast aluminium wheels. Spare wheel carried underneath boot floor. Bevelift type jacking system. "'heels and Tyres: Piretli GR 70 YR 15 radial tyres on 6t in, die-cast aluminium wheels, Spare wheel carried underneath boot floor. Bevelift type jacking system. Heating and Ventilation: 4t kW. fresh air system incorporating through.flow fresh air ventilation. Electric .demister for rear window. Air conditioning optional. Heating and Ventilation: air system incorporating through-flow fresh air ventilation. Electric demister for rear window. Sun dym glass. Air Conditioning. 4t kW. fresh Instruments: Speedometer, tachometer, voltmeter, oil pressure. water temperature and fuel gauges. Instruments: Speedometer, tachometer, voltmeter. oil pressure. water temperature and fuel gauges, Dimensions: Dimensions: Length: Width: Height: Wheelbase: Ground Clearance: Weight: 15 ft. 8 in. 5ft.9in. 4ft.5in. 8ft.9in. 5t in, 4()(M) Ib, C~J Length: Width: Height: Wheelbase: Ground clearance: Weight: 15ft.8in. 5ft.9in. 4ft.5in. 8 ft.9 in. 51 in. 4050 lb. Head Office: Jensen Motors Limited Kelvin Way West Bromwich Tel: (021) 553 2041 Telex: 33526 Jensen Motors Limited London Office: Jensen Motors Limiled Kimbolton House 117 Fulham Road London S.W.3 Tel: (Ol) 5812561 Telex: 915903 u.s, Correspondence: Jensen Motors Inc. 1200 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco California 94[09 Tel: (415) 776 7700 Telex: 470338 Design"" & Print"" by WhitOMadS, Wolverhampton. England.