Jensen 541R
Encyclopedia
The Jensen 541R is a closed four-seater GT
-class car built in the United Kingdom
by Jensen
between 1957 to 1960.
The original aluminium prototype appeared in 1953 as the 541 at the London Motor Show, although this changed to glassfibre for all production cars. Within a year, the new 541 had already earned rave reviews from magazines, notably Autocar
, whose testers drove the grand tourer
to a top speed of over 125 mph (200 km/h). It was the fastest four-seater the magazine had ever tested at the time.
The 541R employed a low-revving four-litre straight-six from the Austin Sheerline
. The suspension system came from the Austin A70
with independent suspension by coil springs at the front and a live axle with half-elliptic springs at the rear. The 541R, introduced in 1957, differed from the 541 by using rack & pinion steering instead of a cam-and-roller system, and large disc brakes were used on all four wheels.
The car's styling was by Jensen's designer Eric Neale
, and was not only considered attractive, but was aerodynamically efficient too; a Cd figure
of only 0.39 was recorded, which became the lowest figure at Jensen. The body covered a chassis built by bracing 5-inch (12.7 cm) tubes with a mixture of steel pressings and cross-members to create a platform.
The 1957 model carried the DS7 version of the Austin Sheerline's four-litre motor equipped with twin carburetors on its right side. The cylinder head was reworked for the lifted compression ratio of 7.6:1 and a "long dwell". The engine had a raised output to 150 hp at 4100 rpm and 210 lbft. Only 53 cars were built with the engine.
In total Jensen built 193 541Rs before it was succeeded in 1961 by the Jensen 541S
. This was similar to the 541R, but with a larger body and a GM-licensed Rolls-Royce
hydramatic
gearbox, and only 127 cars were built before the model was discontinued to be replaced by the CV8
.
Grand tourer
A grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....
-class car built in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Jensen
Jensen Motors
Jensen Motors Ltd was a British manufacturer of sports cars and commercial vehicles, based in the Lyng – West Bromwich...
between 1957 to 1960.
The original aluminium prototype appeared in 1953 as the 541 at the London Motor Show, although this changed to glassfibre for all production cars. Within a year, the new 541 had already earned rave reviews from magazines, notably Autocar
Autocar
Autocar is a weekly British automobile magazine published by Haymarket Motoring Publications Ltd. It refers to itself as "The World's oldest car magazine".-History:...
, whose testers drove the grand tourer
Grand tourer
A grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....
to a top speed of over 125 mph (200 km/h). It was the fastest four-seater the magazine had ever tested at the time.
The 541R employed a low-revving four-litre straight-six from the Austin Sheerline
Austin Sheerline
The Austin Sheerline was a luxury car produced by Austin Motor Company from 1947 to 1954.The Sheerline was designed by Austin during World War Two but production did not begin until 1947 because of the commitment to war production...
. The suspension system came from the Austin A70
Austin A70
The Austin A70 Hampshire and later Austin A70 Hereford are large cars which were produced by the Austin Motor Company of Britain from 1948 until 1954...
with independent suspension by coil springs at the front and a live axle with half-elliptic springs at the rear. The 541R, introduced in 1957, differed from the 541 by using rack & pinion steering instead of a cam-and-roller system, and large disc brakes were used on all four wheels.
The car's styling was by Jensen's designer Eric Neale
Eric Neale
Eric Neale was a British car designer.-Biography:Born in Halesowen, Worcestershire and educated at Halesowen Grammar School...
, and was not only considered attractive, but was aerodynamically efficient too; a Cd figure
Drag coefficient
In fluid dynamics, the drag coefficient is a dimensionless quantity that is used to quantify the drag or resistance of an object in a fluid environment such as air or water. It is used in the drag equation, where a lower drag coefficient indicates the object will have less aerodynamic or...
of only 0.39 was recorded, which became the lowest figure at Jensen. The body covered a chassis built by bracing 5-inch (12.7 cm) tubes with a mixture of steel pressings and cross-members to create a platform.
The 1957 model carried the DS7 version of the Austin Sheerline's four-litre motor equipped with twin carburetors on its right side. The cylinder head was reworked for the lifted compression ratio of 7.6:1 and a "long dwell". The engine had a raised output to 150 hp at 4100 rpm and 210 lbft. Only 53 cars were built with the engine.
In total Jensen built 193 541Rs before it was succeeded in 1961 by the Jensen 541S
Jensen 541S
The Jensen 541S was Jensen Motors luxury GT model of the Jensen 541 series, being 4" wider than the 541R, which had the advantages of making the interior roomier and improving the roadholding...
. This was similar to the 541R, but with a larger body and a GM-licensed Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
hydramatic
Hydramatic
Hydramatic was an automatic transmission developed by both General Motors' Cadillac and Oldsmobile divisions. Introduced in 1939 for the 1940 model year vehicles, the Hydramatic was the first fully automatic mass-produced transmission developed for passenger automobile use.-History:During the...
gearbox, and only 127 cars were built before the model was discontinued to be replaced by the CV8
Jensen CV8
The Jensen C-V8 is a sports car produced by Jensen Motors.Launched in October 1962, it was the successor to the similarly styled 541 series of Jensen motorcars and shared their use of fibreglass as a body material ....
.