Jensen Motors Limited was a British car manufacturer renowned for its luxury, high-performance vehicles. It was founded in 1936 by brothers Alan and Richard Jensen. Over time, Jensen transitioned to producing its own cars, becoming an icon of British automotive engineering.
Jensen achieved many notable firsts, including pioneering lightweight alloy truck construction and fiberglass car bodies. In 1954, the Jensen 541 became Britain’s fastest four-seater saloon. The company was also the first to introduce four-wheel disc brakes on a production car, followed by seatbelts as standard equipment. Additionally, Jensen produced the world’s first high-performance road car equipped with permanent 4WD and anti-lock brakes.
The company was based in West Bromwich, England, and built a reputation for blending British craftsmanship with American power, until its demise in 1976.
Jensen cars were a favourite among the rich and famous, attracting notable figures such as Tony Curtis, Harry Morcombe, Cliff Richard, Frank Sinatra, Jack Nicklaus, Ginger Baker, and Sir Hardy Amies, the Queen’s courtier.
Richard Calver, born and raised in Australia, dedicated his life to building an extensive archive of Jensen Motors documentation. His passion for the brand began when he acquired a well-worn Interceptor II, which he aptly named ‘Ferrett.’ During his postings abroad, Richard spent his holidays in the loft at Jensen, copying records – often without the aid of a photocopier. His vast collection, which included factory records, production data, service bulletins, and historical materials, ultimately established him as the foremost authority on Jensen cars. Richard authored several invaluable books on the brand, including The Genome, a comprehensive record of every Jensen ever produced. This detailed work catalogues information such as chassis numbers, colour, country of sale, and other key details.
Reading, labelling, and preparing the vast collection of letters, photos, brochures, and other valuable items for scanning has been a significant undertaking by Jensen Car Club of Australia. The Jensen Car Club of Australia, of which Richard was a member, is working to digitise as much of the archive as possible before it is permanently loaned to the British Motor Museum.
DatacomIT feels fortunate to be entrusted with the digitisation of Richard Calver’s invaluable Jensen archive. As a leader in digitisation and digital preservation, DatacomIT was chosen for its expertise in handling rare and historically significant materials with the utmost care. We have carefully scanned this extensive collection to the National Archives of Australia (NAA) specification, providing both archival and access copies for use here in Australia. This effort also supports the eventual donation of the original materials to the British Motor Museum on permanent loan, ensuring that this important collection is preserved for future generations.
