1953 Jensen 541 Prototype

Lot details
Registration No: 674 TBJ
Chassis No: 14205
Mot Expiry: April 2007

Prototype to Jensen's forthcoming '541' range, 674 TBJ was hand built especially for the 1953 Earls Court Motor Show. Reputed to have cost in excess of £16,000 (a staggering amount of money when put in today's terms), its unveiling not only helped put the West Bromwich manufacturer on the map but also kept appetites suitably whetted until customer deliveries could begin in 1955. Like its production siblings, 674 TBJ employed a sophisticated tubular frame chassis equipped with Austin-derived running gear (A70 suspension / steering assembles and A135 3993cc OHV straight-six engine etc). However, while the bodywork of later cars was fabricated from fibreglass, the prototype's was fashioned in sheet aluminium (save for its GRP boot lid). Sharing the same wonderfully sleek Eric Neale penned styling as its showroom successors, 674 TBJ has appeared in many books and magazines over the years. Indeed, it graced the front cover of 'Classic Cars' magazine in January 1994 (the same issue carrying an expansive write-up on its history and nine-year restoration).
Finished in red with beige leather upholstery, it is variously described by the vendor as being in "good" (engine, four-speed plus overdrive manual gearbox, electrical equipment, wheels / tyres) or "excellent" (chassis, interior trim, paintwork) condition. In the current ownership since July 1998 - when it was acquired through an H&H Classic Auction - 674 TBJ had spent the previous four years or so on display at the Glasgow Motor Museum. Riding on wire wheels (an unusual sight for a 541), it is believed to have covered just 81,000 miles from new. Arguably the most important '541' of all and certainly a true landmark in Jensen history, 674 TBJ is offered for sale with history file including: photographic restoration record, many letters from the designer and sundry invoices / photographs going back to the 1953 Motor Show.

PLEASE NOTE: This car now has an MOT until April 2007.