1958 Jensen 541R

Good As New

Our friends at Wyatt Polishing recently completed some restoration work and zinc plating for a number of seat runners and bonnet struts for the Jensens

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2020 In Reflection

It goes without saying, 2020 has been tough for everyone but there have been some positives! Bridge Classic Cars turned 16, we welcomed in more

Read More »

Workshop Walkabout

There’s been a lot going with week already and its only Wednesday! Take a look at what’s been going on s far. Range Rover Sport

Read More »

New Arrivals!

We’re always excited to see fresh classics arrive at our workshop here at Bridge Classic Cars. So, here’s a first look at the new arrivals

Read More »

Good As New

Our friends at Wyatt Polishing recently completed some restoration work and zinc plating for a number of seat runners and bonnet struts for the Jensens currently in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.

When components like this look as good as they now do, you can tell that the fully restored cars they become a part of will be as beautiful as ever.

A Brief History Of The Jensen 541

The Jensen 541 was a car produced by Jensen Motors. Each one of these cars has an individual story to tell, but the story of the Jensen 541, in general, is one that many car enthusiasts should be keen to hear.

If you want to know more about these truly iconic classic cars, then this brief history of the Jensen 541 can give you a good idea of how special (and rare) these cars really are.

October 1953 – The Launch Of The Jensen 541

At the Earls Court Motor Show of 1953, the Jensen 541 was shown to the public for the very first time. It would be another eight months before production properly started but, this was the date when the world was officially introduced to the 541.

Up until the 541, Jensen had mostly been using aluminium for the bodywork of their Interceptors (there were restrictions on the use of steel still in place as the world recovered from the second world war). When it came to making the boot lids of the Interceptors though, Jensen played around with a new material of the time – fibreglass.

When working on the idea for the 541, Jensen wanted to do something big, so they decided to make a lot more of the car from this new wonder material.

June 1954 – Production Begins

In June of 1954, production of the Jensen 541 began. At the time, you could buy your very own 541 for £2146.

October 1956 – Say Hello To The 541 Deluxe

A little over 2 years after production of the 541 began, the 541 Deluxe was introduced. As this was a more luxurious car that featured all disc brakes, the price of the car increased to £2626.

Only 53 Jensen 541 Deluxes were made in total.

October 1957 – Here Comes The Jensen 541R

A year later, the 541R was introduced. When first released, these were fitted with Austin Princess (DS7) twin-carb engines, and an overdrive gearbox. The price tag for a 541R, at the time, was £2866.

January 1958 – No More Original Jensen 541

At the beginning of 1958, the very last Jensen 541 was made.

October 1960 – From R To S

Two years later, the Jensen 541R was pulled from production too. At this point, less than 200 541Rs had been made. Jensen had now moved on to the Jensen 541S which had a larger interior, and automatic transmission as standard. Due to these upgrades, the 541S cost £3195.

January 1963 – The End Of The Road

At the beginning of 1963, production of the Jensen 541S ended. Less than 150 had been made before being replaced by the Jensen CV-8 which had been introduced the previous year (1962).

Bridge Classic Cars And The Jensen 541

Jensens have had a strong presence in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for a long time. Our team of classic car technicians have restored multiple 541s and some of our current projects include a few more too.

Considering only a few hundred of these classic cars were made, we love seeing them in the workshop. We love working on them, and we love getting them back on the road for everyone to enjoy.

Watercolour – Artwork of our 1959 Jensen 541R From Helmingham

Local artist Paul Seymour has sent us in this beautiful watercolour painting of our 1959 Jensen 541R that he sketched at our stand at this years Helmingham Hall Classic & Sports Car Festival.

We brought along the 541R which is in the early stages of its restoration with us.

We’ve even got some photos of Paul at work while he roughed out the sketch which you can see below and head over to his website and check out some of the other amazing artwork he has done and the tuition courses he offers.

Clear Out – Cleaning Out the Sills of the 1958 Jensen 541R Navy

The 1958 Jensen 541R Navy has been with the Bridge Classic Cars restoration team to have the final part of its work completed by our workshop team.

Part of the work is to clean out and inspect the sills of the classic Jensen 541R. The team have a series of areas where they know road dirt and debris can build up and in the long run cause issues so as part of its work, we have cleared out these areas.

The team also checked over a suspected fuel leak that couldn’t be identified and all was found to be ok on inspection. And with that, all levels were checked and topped off before being made ready to go home to its owner.

Good as New – Paint Repairs on the 1958 Jensen 541R Navy

The 1958 Jensen 541R Navy has been in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint shop for some paint repairs following the hinge adjustments to the classic Jensen by the restoration workshop.

The hinge had fallen out of adjustment and caused some paint damage to the edges of the bonnet and driver’s door. Not a problem for the paint team.

After carefully colour matching the existing Navy Blue paintwork, the team then began to sand and prepare the area meticulously to get the area perfectly flat and into shape before primering could start.

After primer, the area was sanded down once more before being cleaned and masked off and the whole car was taken into our in-house spray booth for the colour to be laid down. After several coats of matched Navy Blue, the area could be clear coated and polished ready for the car to be finished by the restoration workshop.

Changes – Working on the Bonnet and Suspension of the 1958 Jensen 541R ”Navy”

The restoration technicians in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ have begun works on the 1958 Jensen 541R known to us as ‘Navy’.

The team began by carrying out several jobs on the rear axle of the classic Jensen. The rear axle strap required a repair to be carried out on it and along with that, repositioning of the brake pipe to a safe location on the rear axle.

The team then began working on preparing the front suspension to be stripped so the team can replace the perished bushes in the upper arms, making sure the front suspension is the best condition possible.

One issue that was noted by the owner of Navy, was that the one-piece fibreglass bonnet was interfering with the driver’s door when opened. The team began the process of adjusting the hinge in order to get the correct spacing and alignment for the panel and not contact the edge of the door.

Gone Through – Inspecting the 1958 Jensen 541R

The 1958 Jensen 541R ”Navy” has been into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for our team to inspect and report back on a few bits and pieces for its owner.

First off, the team have noticed a small oil leak coming from the front of the classic Jensen. Looking closer, our technicians Paul believes that this slight weap is coming from the front oil seal on the engine.

Next, Paul looked at a strong smell of fuel from the engine bay and found there to be a leak coming from the carburettors.

Also as part of the inspection of the classic Jensen, it was noted that the rubber bushes which form an important part of the suspension, have been to degraded. These are rubber and exposed to the elements so they do perish over time.

Jensen Journaal – July 2021

It is lovely to receive a copy of the Zomer 2021 Jensen Journaal in the post this week.

Several of our Jensens that we have restored have been featured in this month’s copy of the Dutch magazine, Jensen Journaal! https://jensenholland.nl/ It’s an absolute privilege, so thank you.

The magazine talks about our 1957 Jensen 541R, the 1958 Jensen 541R, the 1960 Jensen 541R and the 1960 Jensen 541S (The Prototype).

Here are our website links to the cars that were featured to find out more information on each of the restoration projects.

https://bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/category/projects/completed/1958-jensen-541r-navy/

https://bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/category/projects/completed/1957-jensen-541r/

https://bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/category/projects/completed/1960-jensen-541r-01/

https://bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/category/projects/completed/1960-jensen-541s/

Twenty Twenty: The Year Of The Jensen

Some of you may remember we mentioned our busy Jensen workshop last year, and it hasn’t slowed down in 2021. We’ve become the Jensen Specialists of the UK with a constant set of Jensen 541R and 541S projects passing through our doors on a regular basis. With projects ranging from full nut and bolt restorations to small fixes and services, we’ve been inundated with Jensen’s, and we love it!

2020 saw 8 Jensen’s in at the same time, which led to this amazing shot of them all lined up. Our technicians are now well versed in Jensen mechanics, electrics and bodywork as we’ve still got 6 of them in the workshop plus another stored at Bentwaters waiting to find a new home.

With only 193 Jensen 541R’s ever made and 127 541S’s made, and even fewer still on the road, we’ve had a large quantity of them in the workshop.

Behind The Scenes: The 1958 Jensen Photoshoot

On Monday, Mauro and Ellie took the lorry and our 1958 Jensen 541R over to Glevering Mill to shoot it for our website. This stunning British classic is up for sale with us on our website, eBay, Car and Classic and Classic Car and Camper. In great condition, our Jensen is a stunning example of British engineering.

Monday turned from an overcast morning into rain and the shoot was halted early, however we were lucky enough to be able to come back the next day to continue to shoot. Denise and Allan, who live at Glevering Mill were enthusiastic and accommodating, working with us to help get the shoot done. Tuesday brought about blue skies and sunshine, making the paintwork really shine.

You can see this Jensen’s restoration story here.

Here’s some behind the scenes of Ellie shooting the Jensen on the sunnier second shoot.

The Jensen also happened to be one of the first cars transported in the lorry with its new designs that were applied over the weekend!

Suspected water leak on Jensen

We have a slight water leak coming from our Jensen. We set carried out a pressure test on the radiator to check that all is well and it is so further investigation is needed.

So Close Yet So Far

This lovely 1958 Jensen 541R will soon be up for sale with us however there are a few issues that need attending to first.

First of all, the Dynamo needs to be refurbished as although it technically works fine, there’s a small charging fault with it.

There’s an issue with the water pump which has a severe leak meaning it will need rebuilding.

Carburettor Corrections

Our 1958 Navy Jensen 541R has recently been up and running however we noticed that there was a petrol leak in the float of the carburettor as well as a leak in the clutch pipe. Once these elements have been repaired, we can take this Jensen out onto the road to see how it drives. This beautiful Jensen will soon be up for sale so keep your eyes peeled!

Last week Darren focused on polishing and correcting the body panels of the Jensen, ensuring that the finishing paintwork is perfect.

James has been welding the underside of the Jensen, fixing a hole in the exhaust. This has been done by making and welding a seal over the hole.

Suspension Building For The Jensen

Our 1958 Jensen 541R is currently having its suspension fixed and rear suspension bolts replaced as the previous bolts had no locking facilities, meaning they could come loose.

The rear axel straps also need to be fitted but these will be made in our workshop first and then added. We like to make our own elements for the cars as much as we can to make sure the parts fit perfectly onto each vehicle. This ensures that every classic goes away with parts especially made for them.

2020 In Reflection

It goes without saying, 2020 has been tough for everyone but there have been some positives! Bridge Classic Cars turned 16, we welcomed in more unique and interesting cars, expanded the team and took new ventures.

2020’s Winners

This year we introduced our competitions back in May. With an uncertain year ahead of us, we wanted to provide some excitement to our followers, and what better way than to offer the chance of winning a car for less than £20! It wasn’t easy at first, but now with over 21 winners and up to 4 competition cars running at the same time, we’re doing better than ever. So far we’ve given away £561,197.00 worth of classic cars!

This week we’re delivering our latest winning cars, our 1974 VW Beetle that was won by Colin Knight and our 1995 Jaguar XJ6 who was won by Nick Nicola just before Christmas! We’re being careful to make the delivery as safe as possible, complying with tier 4 guidelines but we can’t wait to see Colin and Nick’s reactions!

1967 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Race Car Replica Completion

Its been a long restoration, but we were delighted to announce the completion of our very own project, our 1967 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Race Car Replica. Its come a long way from the decrepit shell we started with in 2017. Every detail, right down to the colour has been custom made and designed. This truly is a Bridge Classic Car. You can see it’s story here.

The Year Of The Jensen

We love every and any classic car and are in turn, we’re equipped to fix and restore any classic too, but 2020 for us was the year of the Jensen. We’ve had eight 541R/541S’s in this year, some of which are still with us being completed. With only 193 Jensen 541R’s and 127 541S’s ever made worldwide, to have so many in at all really is outstanding, let alone all at the same time.

The 541R models were manufactured between 1957 and 1960 when they were later replaced by the 541S that ran from 1960 to 1962. Whilst each car is incredibly unique with its story and bespoke restoration, they are also very similar, and as you can imagine, with 8 very similar cars in at the same time, it took a while to get our heads around which was which when referring to them.

Expanding the team

2020 saw the birth of the Trim Shop. Whilst we’d had individual trim specialists working with us before, we were yet to dedicate a department to it! Last year saw the creation of the Trim Shop, giving the speciality its own workshop and team which continued to grow throughout the year. Originally just Kath and Brian, we have welcomed a new face to the team recently. Lydia has now joined us and is another much-valued member of the trim shop. Having our own trim department allows us to continue keeping all our restorations under one roof, limiting the outsourcing as much as we can.

We’ve also had Ellie join this year, adding to the marketing department. Previously we had just Freddie, and briefly Charlotte doing our marketing, but as the company started to grow, we found the need to take on another set of hands for our marketing and visuals.

One of a kind – Chevron B20

We’ve had some very unique cars in this year, including this original 1972 Chevron B20. Its seen top racing drivers, international races and a big crash in its lifetime and nowWe’re selling this on behalf of the owner but in the meantime, we’re enjoying housing this incredible special car. You can find out more about its history on our blogs.

Introduction of editorial shoots

The latter part of this year saw us start shooting some of our cars in a more editorial and creative style. Whilst we’ve always organised high-quality shoots of all our competition and for sale cars, we decided to add models to some of the shoots to make them a bit different.

Now we have both Freddie and Ellie on shoots, it means we can also get behind the scene insights into our shoots.

Bespoke restorations; A tribute

Another interesting and heartfelt restoration this year was our 1972 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 that we restored. In memory of their late uncle, the owner paid to have a commemorative plaque fitted by the handbrake. We also embedded one of their Uncle’s favourite cufflinks above it as well. As we always say, each restoration is special and every car carries its own stories, but this one was particularly special.

Car Show 2020

Last January, we had our open morning car show that proved to be incredibly popular. After having to cancel our 2021 January open morning show, we hope to organise one for later this year.

Suspension Concluded On The Navy Jensen

The front suspension is back together on our 1958 Jensen 541R. The modifications have concluded with the brake flex pipe has been relocated to avoid touching the wheel.

The suspension spring strength had to be reduced to allow work to be done on it to ensure the component wasn’t under too much pressure.

Suspense Builds For Jensen

The suspension on the front of our 1958 541R Jensen is currently being tweaked. The bushings need to be reamed and resized so they fit better. For this, we’re sending the parts away to be completed.

On The Home Straight

Our 1958 541R Navy Jensen is almost ready to leave again. We’re currently waiting for the wheel to come back after being cleaned as its currently sitting in overspray. We also have a few paint corrections to finish and polish as well as road testing it.

We’ve serviced it for some general faults too which we are waiting on approval or dismissal from the customer. These are faults we’ve found that don’t need immediate attention but could be corrected with a service.

Workshop Walkabout

There’s been a lot going with week already and its only Wednesday! Take a look at what’s been going on s far.

Range Rover Sport 2016

One of our directors, Gordon, had his Range Rover Sport’s tyres refurbished, ready for the cold winter months ahead. Now fully refurbished, Gordon’s Range Rover is ready to take on the elements.

Jaguars New Stripes

As seen in our blog yesterday, the 1967 Jaguar E-Type Race Car has now been finished! This has been an incredibly exciting project that has been in progress since 2016. Over the last few days, the finishing touches have been added such as the pinstripes on the bonnet and fine-tuning the engine. The bonnet itself has also be re-installed to make sure it fits after the recent engine works.

Craig’s Mercedes 500SL

Our other director, Craig, is in the process of choosing the leather for the interior and the spray finish for the fuel tank. It’s deciding details like this that make classic cars so personal to their owners.

Morris Minor

One of the more notable updates on the Morris Minor 1000 is the new hood. The trim shop has done a fantastic job yet again to make the perfect custom hood, allowing this Morris Minor to be more usable throughout the changing seasons. Our technician Scott has also been trying to figure out the reason for the play in its front wheels. The mystery is yet to be solved…

The front suspension has also been tightened, the curtesy light wiring is being installed and Adam is troubleshooting the electrics.

Grey Jensen 541R

Lots of little updates for the Grey Jensen 541R such as preparing the door rim before it goes to the trim shop, stripping the bonnet ready for paint, made the curtesy light switch by hand, installed the hand brake cables and panhard rod as well as the speedo drive.

Triumph TR5

Our 1968 Triumph TR5 is awaiting its interior but it has had its heater installed!

Blue E-Type

Our blue 1973 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 is awaiting on a new steering rack, clutch slave cylinder and bumper to be fitted. The parts have been ordered so the E-Type should be looking good as new in no time!

Ford Transit

This lovely 1953 Ford Transit is almost ready to leave us now. We’re just waiting on some new 6 volt bulbs for the headlights and then it’ll be ready to go!

Blue Jensen

We’re giving the blue Jensen a general nut and bolt service. It came in to have its clutch, exhaust and breaks replaced which have been or are in the process of being fixed.

Peony Red Jensen

The Peony Red Jensen 542S has had its seats made up. The next step is to complete the set and install them. Our trim shop never fails to impress us with their stunning interior projects.

Peugeot 504

The Peugeot 504 has now had all its interior trim completed. The last few pieces include making and fitting the hood which had to have the leather glued to the frame once made up.

Black Jensen

The black Jensen is visiting our paint shop for some touch-ups and corrections in the paintwork.

1988 Nissan 300ZX

Ady our engine specialist has taken apart both exhaust manifolds on the Nissan 300ZX.

Amphicar

The fuel pump has been rewired, two bilge pumps are set to be added, the brakes have been bled, the grease nipples re-greased and the heater has been ordered.

Range Rover TDI

A new gear stick gaiter has been made and fitted by the trim shop. Our range rover is making steady progress to be completed soon.

Black Spitfire

Although we don’t have the Black Spitfire back with us, we do have the task of replacing the half shafts. We’re hoping we can order in new pieces however we may need to take these apart instead and refurbish them ourselves.

The Joys of the Jensen

We love classic Jensen’s here at Bridge Classic Cars. So much so, that we have five in for restoration work as we speak!

Along with our projects, we also recently sold our 1962 Jensen 541S. This stunning Jensen was officially verified by Concours d’Elegance and the Jensen Owner’s Club with a incredible score of 386/400. More on this incredible car and it’s mounting accolades can be found here.

We’re always delighted when a beautiful classic finds a new home and leaves our showroom. As much as we love seeing these gorgeous cars every day, we’d much prefer them to be driven and adored by their new owners.

Meanwhile, in the workshop, our Jensen restorations are well underway. First up, our classic car technician Dave has been building a fabricated rear gearbox mount for our 1958 Jensen 541R.

Dave’s also been working on our black 1960 Jensen 541R. “I adjusted the plate mods for the steering column” he explains “the steering wheel was in the wrong position, so now it can be centralised in the dash.”

The fuel pumps have also been repaired by Dave along with the repairing the fuel leaks from the carburettors, achieved by tightening all the bolts.

Lastly, Ady our engine technician has been reconditioning the distributor on our 1961 Jensen 541R. “I’ve also cleaned and balanced the conrods,” Ady explains.

There’s still lots to do across all our Jensen’s. Each car brings it’s own history and therefore, it’s own challenges. And there’s nothing we like more here at Bridge Classic Cars than a challenge!

Workshop Walkabout

We took a walk around our busy workshop this afternoon to see what all our technicians are working on right now.

First up we have Paul, who’s looking into an oil leak from the 1967 Jaguar E-Type. “I’m taking the sump off to further inspect where the oil’s coming from” he explains. “It’s quite possibly that the crankshaft seals that have gone.” With some further inspection, we’re sure Paul will figure out the issue.

Here we have Tamas and Andrew, both working on different parts of our 1963 Morris Minor 1000. Tamas is preparing sections of the car ready for assembly, in this picture he’s working on the foot well. Meanwhile, Andrew is sandblasting various parts for the car.

John our Workshop Manager has been working on the dashboard fittings on our 1960 Jensen 541R. “I’ve been fitting the glove box” explains John “along with the cooling fan control unit.”

And lastly we have Dave, who’s been working on a new gearbox mount for the 1958 Jensen 541R. “I’ve made the part already” says Dave “but no doubt there’ll be several versions I make before I find one that fits perfect.”

There’s always lots happening in the workshop here at Bridge Classic Cars. The team are a little camera shy, but it’s nice to catch them off-guard doing what they do so well!

Dave’s Diagnosed Our Poorly Jensen 541R’s Gearbox Issue

Having come into the Bridge Classic Cars Workshop with severe running issues, Dave was tasked with taking a look at exactly what was causing the fault in this beautiful Jensen.

Suspecting the fault to be within the gearbox, dave lowered the gearbox out of the car. Upon closer inspection, it was clear to see the issue. The drive plate splines were not the correct size and specification for the Jensen’s gearbox.

A drive plate is a plate that fits onto the flywheel, which in turn is mated to the gearbox. The splines within the drive plate are machined to perfectly fit the flywheel. It appears that an incorrect drive plate has been fitted.

The next step will be to source a correct Clutch assembly. There is wear on the pressure plate so John has advised to replace this while the gearbox is out.

New Arrivals!

We’re always excited to see fresh classics arrive at our workshop here at Bridge Classic Cars. So, here’s a first look at the new arrivals joining us this week.

First up, it’s our 1996 Nissan Patrol. In for a paint job, re-chroming and body preparation.

Our 1958 Jensen 541R has arrived with us with gearbox issues. The specialist technical team are on hand to diagnose the faults and get her back up and running.

These Ford Escorts are both sitting comfortably at the Hanger in Bentwaters.

The light blue Ford Escort RS Turbo belongs to a customer, she’s being kept with us in our secure storage facility where we watch over many of our customers prized possessions.

The other is our very popular 1979 Ford Escort RS2000 that believe it or not, is a competition prize where one lucky winner will be handed the keys to this beauty! For more information on our competitions click here.

Lastly, this stunning 1971 Triumph Spitfire has come to us to sort a couple of problems out. Firstly, to investigate a strange noise coming from the engine along with fixing some oil leaks.

It’s great to follow a classic cars journey from their first day with us, to when we say goodbye.

Make sure you check back on our current projects page for all the latest updates on everything we’re working on at Bridge Classic Cars.