Jensen541

01

Origins

The Jensen 541 of 1954 clothed a big Austin four-litre six in something genuinely novel: a glassfibre body, at a time when the material was barely proven, over a stiff tubular frame. The result was light for its size, slippery, and capable of carrying four people at over 115 mph — among the fastest four-seat cars in the world in its day. Its signature detail was a pivoting oval flap ahead of the radiator, closed for speed and opened for cooling, operated from the cabin. The 541R added rack-and-pinion steering and more power; the 541S grew wider and gained, unusually early, standard seatbelts and an optional automatic. Around 850 of all types were built to 1962. It set the template Jensen would follow for two decades: unfashionable engines, advanced bodywork, effortless pace.