In his quest to fully document the history of Jensen, Richard Calver weighs in with his third volume on the marque. His previous books were A History of Jensen: The Chassis Data (1991)and A History of Jensen: The Service Bulletins Volume 1 (2004).

Like Calver’s earlier books, this new offering is pack full of Jensen information — detailing the complete history of the marque through every single model ever produced — and the model range is impressive; ranging from Jensen’s own cars, to commercial vehicles, special one-off models and, of course, the company’s involvement with other marques.

This latter aspect produces facts relating to Jensen’s cooperation with a large number of car manufacturers. Some of these projects will be well-known to most readers — the Jensen-built Volvo P1800, development work for the Rootes Group on the Sunbeam Tiger and, of course, its long association with Austin-Healey, a relationship which would eventually culminate in the Jensen-Healey.

However, there’s also a huge amount of information relating to less well-known cars — I was not aware that Jensen had developed the prototype Lynx D-Type replica (one of the most respected replicas of this model); or that it had built a series of impressive convertibles for Austin, including a very stylish A40 Farina cabriolet. Surprisingly, Jensen once also worked with a caravan company to develop an embryonic but sadly stillborn luxury motor home — the Phantom Lounge Car.

Naturally, every Jensen-badged car is included — a timely reminder of just how innovative Jensen was. This aspect is best exemplified by the very first 4WD Jensen, a special CV8 which featured Ferguson Formula 4WD allied to Maxaret anti-lock braking — a pioneering system further refined for the Interceptor FF.

There’s even some Kiwi content, with a photograph and brief information on the late Ross Jensen’s Jensen GT — a car which I once drove briefly.

Calver’s book culminates with the story of the modern day S-V8 and C-V8, while an In Memoriam section pays tribute to the men behind the marque who are no longer with us, including company founders Richard and Frank Jensen.

An absolute must-have for all Jensen enthusiasts, and Calver promises even more Jensen books in future — if only all classic marques could have such a meticulous and passionate chronicler.

A History of Jensen: All the Models
Review book provided by the Jensen Motors NZ
Review by Allan Walton