Jensen 541R
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jensen 541R | |
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| Manufacturer: | Jensen |
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| Production: | 1957-1960 193 made |
| Predecessor: | Jensen 541 |
| Successor: | Jensen 541S |
| Class: | Grand Tourer |
| Body style: | 2-door 4 seat coupé |
| Engine: | 3993 cc Sraight-6 |
| Transmission: | 4 speed manual |
| Wheelbase: | 105 inches (2667 mm) |
| Length: | 176 inches (4470 mm) |
| Width: | 63 inches (1600 mm) |
The Jensen 541R was 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 in 1957 with the 541R. 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 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 car was steered using 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 210lb/ft (285.6 N m). 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 Rolls-Royce automatic gearbox. Performance declined and the styling was less appealing compared to its predecessor, and only 108 cars were built before the model was discontinued to be replaced by the CV8.
