Jensen 541 R 1960

The prototype Jensen 541 was exhibited at the London Motor Show in October 1953 and production of the 541 series started in 1954. The 541 used the ‘50s wonder material - fibreglass – for its body, which was mounted on a steel chassis built of 5-inch tubes and steel pressings with cross-member bracing. Jensen’s designer, Eric Neale, drew up the streamlined Grand Tourer bodywork, which had a particularly low drag factor for its time. As a result, this relatively lightweight build (in comparison to an all-steel car) and aerodynamic shape coupled with the low-revving six cylinder, 4 litre Austin DS engine fitted (as used in Austin’s Princess and Sheerline limousines, but with some tuning work by Jensen), gave the car very good performance and it quickly received many positive reviews from the motoring press.
As a hand-built car, the 541 was only ever made in small numbers, but this gave Jensen the opportunity to quickly improve the model, first with the Deluxe of 1956 and then in 1957, the 541R – as offered here. This later variant looks very similar to the original 541 but had in fact received a number of small bodywork ‘nips and tucks’ to improve the appearance and a few significant mechanical upgrades over the original model. These included disc brakes on all four wheels (with servo) and rack and pinion steering. Performance was in the 110+ mph category. Just 193 541R models were built before being superseded by the 541S in 1960.
This car was supplied by Charles Follett Ltd. of London and first registered in June 1960. We have relatively little of its early history until it was acquired by the current owners in October 1996, who immediately commissioned considerable bodywork restoration and had the vehicle painted in its current red finish. The 541 moved to Guernsey around 10 years ago and has been subject to regular maintenance and repair work as required. After a period of storage, some light re-commissioning work has recently been undertaken to get the car ready for regular use again.
Having been built quite late in the 541R model run, the engine fitted to this car is the triple carburettor, DS5 variant with a claimed 122 bhp. Electronic ignition and a Kenlowe cooling fan have been added to the specification. In 2018, new clutch master & slave cylinders were fitted. The car starts, drives and stops as it should, running very well on test.
The refinishing work carried out in 1996 has been well cared for and the car still looks very smart in its dark red metallic paintwork. In 2016 the rear bumper was re-chromed and the steel wheels re-painted. The chassis is in a good, solid condition with both sills and associated outriggers replaced in 2015. At present it is showing some surface corrosion and a few small areas where the underseal has lifted.
The interior of the Jensen is in a good presentable condition, having received attention in the late’90s, which included the front seats being recovered in tan leather. The headlining and door cards are good and the dashboard complete. A stereo cassette unit is fitted.
This is an opportunity to acquire a relatively rare, '50s British Grand Tourer. The subject of older restoration work, the car is not concours but is in a very smart and presentable condition, running and driving well.
The Jensen is located in Guernsey and, whilst currently carrying a UK registration mark, is officially recorded as having been exported from the UK and has not been re-registered in Guernsey. As such, a UK-based buyer would need to re-import the car, which would create a UK tax liability. It should be possible to re-assign the existing UK number if desired. We can assist with both transport and importation processes in these circumstances.