1954/55 Jensen 541 Drophead Coupe

Reg Number: WPK 541

Chassis Number: 541/PT34564

Engine Number: 16B0350M Cc: 3953

Body Colour: Yellow / Black

Trim Colour: Grey

Sold for £16,000

This is one of only two Jensen 541 Drophead Coupes built by the noted coachbuilder ED Abbott and comes to the market fresh from almost half a century of dry storage.

The 541, Jensen's replacement for the Interceptor, was styled by Eric Neale and first shown in aluminium prototype guise at the 1953 London Motor Show. By the time production began in October 1954 the coupe bodywork had changed to glassfibre, made from three major mouldings and with the entire front hinged for access to the engine and front suspension. Performance from its 4-litre Austin Sheerline straight-six (and low Cd of 0.39) drew rave reviews, a Motor magazine road test yielding a 116mph top speed and strong acceleration. The first cars were drum braked but from 1956, when the deluxe version was introduced, the fixed-head featured Dunlop discs all round - the first British four seater thus equipped. In all 226 were built by 1959, after the model had been superseded by the 541R in 1957, with more power and 125mph performance.

The drophead coupe was never a factory model, but coachbuilder ED Abbott of Farnham, later famous for its Ford Zephyr and Jaguar estates, made two. Company boss Graham Sutherland had conceived these four-seater soft-tops in the vein of the Bristol 403 drophead that he had been running. Although its fibreglass front end was similar to that of the coupes, the convertible's doors and rounded rear were Abbott's own creation. Hand-crafted in aluminium, they fed into a bespoke scuttle / windscreen assembly that helped unify the handsome design (though, perhaps understandably the two cars bore various detail differences). In 1955, Sutherland took one up to show the Jensen brothers, Richard and Alan, in West Bromwich. But Jensen was busy making Austin-Healeys, and the brothers declined. A disappointed Sutherland used the drop-top for a little longer and then sold it into the motor trade, at one point being owned by Lord Strathcarron. Later it was restored and is now believed to be in New Zealand. Its twin was believed either dismantled or written off - until now.

Well, here it is after almost five decades of dry storage and with an odometer reading of just 15,967 miles (a figure which the vendor believes represents the total covered from new). First registered on March 18th 1955, the Jensen was acquired by its last keeper some six years later. Laid-up in a Kent barn during 1963, the four-seater has only recently emerged.

Remarkably the original 4-litre engine runs - the owner says it 'sounds great' - and apart from the obvious need for cosmetics and some wiring, he considers the car to be amazingly well preserved considering its age and the amount of time in storage. The grey leather interior has survived intact and would respond well to cleaning and feeding, and the coachwork remains in good order, though understandably the paintwork and electrics have suffered. Extras on this car include triple carburettors, disc brakes all round, leather interior, radio and colour-co-ordinated wire wheels, all of which leads the vendor to believe that it was destined for a show, possibly Earl's Court in 1954 or '55.