Moulded Marvel

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Jensens aren’t known as radical cars. They were not outrageously styled relative to rival GTs from Aston Martin and Bristol, and did not stand out mechanically, either. The four-litre, triple-carburetted Austin straight-six was more than capable of pulling the car to almost 120mph, so it was quite a match for its rivals, but it lacked sporting pedigree.

Where Jensen really had an advantage was in the bodywork stakes, with the Jensen brothers having started as coachbuilders before entering full-scale car production. Combined with the influence of the 541’s designer, the learned Eric Neale, the brothers were bold enough to enter unknown territory. Glassfibre was the hot topic in car design at the time but, knowing so little about it, few manufacturers were willing to use it in bulk.

The Jensen brothers pushed the boat out. The 541 was bodied entirely in glassfibre, which proved to be strong and easily moulded into complex shapes, of which the 541 took full advantage.

Distinctive and classy, not to mention innovative – no production four-seater had ever been built from glassfibre before – the intelligent development of the 541 is told in January’s issue of The Automobile, available now.

(words Zack Stiling, pictures Ben Walsh)

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