Good As New
January 10, 2023
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
1955 Jensen 541
Jensen Bonnet Strips
October 10, 2022
Our classic car technician, Clinton, has been making parts that will ultimately go on to be fitted into one of our ongoing Jensen projects. The
A Brief History Of The Jensen 541
October 4, 2022
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
More Parts For Our Jensens
September 26, 2022
There are quite a few Jensens being restored in our workshop at the moment (7 at the last count including 541s, 541Rs, and an Interceptor
Fabricating a bulk load of Jensen parts
September 16, 2022
In the workshops right now, we have 6x Jensen 541’s in various states of repair or restoration. We have 3x Jensen 541’s and 3x Jensen
Watercolour – Artwork of our 1959 Jensen 541R From Helmingham
August 16, 2022
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
Progress – Continuing Work on the Interior of the 1955 Jensen 541
May 18, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars interior team have been making progress on the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541. Each part of the interior of the
Piece Together – Interior Pieces for the 1955 Jensen 541
April 13, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim team have been continuing on the hand-made one-off interior for the 1959 Jensen 541R Princess Grey. Lydia has been
From Scratch – Rear Seat Base on the 1955 Jensen 541
April 6, 2022
The rear seat base for the 1955 Jensen 541 has been hand-cut and finished by the in-house trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars. Lydia has
Finished Up – Fitting up the Cover onto the Squab Seat of the 1955 Jensen 541
April 5, 2022
The in-house trim shop at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop has been working on finishing up the rear squab seat on the 1955 Jensen
Old & New – Finishing the Front Seats and Stripping the Rear Seats of the 1955 Jensen 541
March 25, 2022
The interior of the 1955 Jensen 541 has been in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop to have the front seats completed and begin
Handmade Details – Details for the Seatbase and Rear Quarters on the Interior of the 1955 Jensen 541
March 22, 2022
The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working on the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541. Brian, one of our trimmers, has handmade
Piece by Piece – Working on the Interior of the 1955 Jensen 541
March 17, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop has been working on handmaking all new pieces for the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541. Using their
Top Board – Making the Rear Quarter Panel Top Boards for the 1955 Jensen 541
March 8, 2022
The top boards for the rear quarter panels on the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541 have been made by hand in our in-house trim
Capped Off – Finishing the Cubby Boxes for the 1955 Jensen 541
March 4, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars trim shop have been working to finish off the handmade cubby boxes for the 1955 Jensen 541. Brian has been making
From Scratch – New Cubbies for the 1955 Jensen 541
February 21, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop has been continuing to work on the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541. This time, Brian has been
Seats and Ceilings – Foam and Panel Work on the 1955 Jensen 541
February 17, 2022
The trim team at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in our Suffolk HQ are working through the interior pieces and trims for the 1955 Jensen
Support – Finishing the New Seat Bases for the 1955 Jensen 541
February 16, 2022
The front seats for the 1955 Jensen 541 are on the workbench in the in-house trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars. Brian has been testing
From the Base – Making New Seat Bases for the 1955 Jensen 541
February 14, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop have got the 1955 Jensen 541 seats on the workbench for the cars new owner. Brian and Lydia
Repadded – New Padding into the Seats of the 1955 Jensen 541
February 11, 2022
The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars have cleaned up and repadded the front seats of the 1955 Jensen 541. Lydia has been working on
Teardown – Stripping the Interior Pieces for the 1955 Jensen 541
February 11, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars trim shop have worked on getting the original interior of the 1955 Jensen 541. Lydia has been working through each individual
Begin Again – Remaking the Seats for the 1955 Jensen 541
January 31, 2022
A while ago, we said goodbye to the beautiful Jensen 541. It was sold as a project to its very lucky new owner who plans
Good As New
January 10, 2023
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.
Jensen Bonnet Strips
October 10, 2022
Our classic car technician, Clinton, has been making parts that will ultimately go on to be fitted into one of our ongoing Jensen projects.
The bonnet strips he made can be seen in the photos below.
A Brief History Of The Jensen 541
October 4, 2022
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.
More Parts For Our Jensens
September 26, 2022
There are quite a few Jensens being restored in our workshop at the moment (7 at the last count including 541s, 541Rs, and an Interceptor MK3).
As there is a lot of work to get done on these classic cars, it’s usually very beneficial to bulk produce some of the smaller parts so they are always available if and when our classic car technicians need them.
Clinton has been busy handcrafting several components that will eventually go on to be part of several of our Jensens. As you can see from the photos below, he has been making bonnet hinges and rear seat location pins. Even small parts like this play a big role in classic car restoration.
Fabricating a bulk load of Jensen parts
September 16, 2022
In the workshops right now, we have 6x Jensen 541’s in various states of repair or restoration. We have 3x Jensen 541’s and 3x Jensen 541R’s.
Sometimes, when fabricating parts it is much more time and cost effective for Clinton to produce more than one item. In this instance, Clinton has been working on re-producing the rear demisters and vents as well as bonnet stops and clamps.
With so many successful Jensen restorations now complete, we have the tooling for a lot of the parts that are required on the Jensen. If you are looking for Jensen parts for your own car or need assistance with fabricating certain parts for your classic car feel free to get in touch and we’d be more than happy to assist.
Watercolour – Artwork of our 1959 Jensen 541R From Helmingham
August 16, 2022
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.
Progress – Continuing Work on the Interior of the 1955 Jensen 541
May 18, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars interior team have been making progress on the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541.
Each part of the interior of the car has been entirely made by hand by our trimmers. The team have taken each individual pieces from the kick-boards to the seat bases and turned their skill to not only the strip down but also the evaluation and rebuild. The team carefully strip everything back to their core components before any need repairs are made or wether they will need to be entirely remade for the classic Jensen.
The finish that the Bridge Classic Cars interior trim team can achieve is because of this care and skill from the earliest stages to the final product.
Piece Together – Interior Pieces for the 1955 Jensen 541
April 13, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim team have been continuing on the hand-made one-off interior for the 1959 Jensen 541R Princess Grey.
Lydia has been working on getting the centre console and rear seats finished up for this particular 541R. Finished in all matching red, this interior for Princess Grey is going to look absolutely incredible when back in the car.
Each piece has been individually cut, stitched and finished to ensure the best possible fit and final result for the classic Jensen.
From Scratch – Rear Seat Base on the 1955 Jensen 541
April 6, 2022
The rear seat base for the 1955 Jensen 541 has been hand-cut and finished by the in-house trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars.
Lydia has been made the whole piece and the foam work from scratch for this unique Jensen. Lydia used some of the original pieces as templates to create the bespoke interior pieces needed to make up the matching rear seat base.
Each of the pieces was put together and carefully pulled/stretched to get the best fit before being glued and stapled into the base board.
Finished Up – Fitting up the Cover onto the Squab Seat of the 1955 Jensen 541
April 5, 2022
The in-house trim shop at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop has been working on finishing up the rear squab seat on the 1955 Jensen 541.
Lydia and the trim team have made the new red leather covering for the squab seat from scratch specifically to fit the new foam and base intended for the interior of the classic Jensen 541.
Using what was left of the original material, Lydia created templates that she could then refine further to get the best fit and finish for the piece. After each piece had been sewn together, Lydia finished the edging for the seat in matching bright red for the final touch.
Once wrapped around the foam and base, Lydia could systematically staple the covering down to the piece carefully stretching and pulling it for the final shaping.
Old & New – Finishing the Front Seats and Stripping the Rear Seats of the 1955 Jensen 541
March 25, 2022
The interior of the 1955 Jensen 541 has been in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop to have the front seats completed and begin the strip-down of the rear seat.
The front seats for the Jensen 541 have been completed and finished in a beautiful bright shade of red. Lydia has meticulously been working on getting these seats into the incredible shape that you see here completely from scratch.
With the front seats complete, the trim team could begin carefully dismantling the fragile rear seat to use as a template for the brand new rear seats being made. Every piece of the rear seat had to be slowly unpicked in order to preserve each panel to be used later on in the process.
Handmade Details – Details for the Seatbase and Rear Quarters on the Interior of the 1955 Jensen 541
March 22, 2022
The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working on the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541.
Brian, one of our trimmers, has handmade a lot of these details for the interior of the car. Including the rounded bases of the rear quarter panels finished with hand-formed aluminium brackets. These pieces have been entirely made by the trim team and will be recovered.
The seat bases have also been worked on by the team and the wooden spars carefully cut by hand to give the best fit and finish needed for the bottoms of the seats.
Piece by Piece – Working on the Interior of the 1955 Jensen 541
March 17, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop has been working on handmaking all new pieces for the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541.
Using their wealth of knowledge when it comes to the interiors of the whole 541 family, these pieces are being made to exact measurements which takes craft, skill and precision for the best possible fit.
Brian has made new seat woods, kick panels, floor supports and mounts specifically for the car.
Top Board – Making the Rear Quarter Panel Top Boards for the 1955 Jensen 541
March 8, 2022
The top boards for the rear quarter panels on the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541 have been made by hand in our in-house trim shop at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
Brian has made each individual piece by hand using original templates for the interior of the Jensen 541s. After they have been hand finished they will be retrimmed in the matching material to the rest of the car.
Capped Off – Finishing the Cubby Boxes for the 1955 Jensen 541
March 4, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars trim shop have been working to finish off the handmade cubby boxes for the 1955 Jensen 541.
Brian has been making the lids for the new cubby boxes. This involves hand finishing the recesses in the lids for the brand new hinges to get the lids to sit perfectly flat onto the bases. He also created the recess in the top to fit the ashtray, this has all been done and finished by hand to give the best possible result for the car.
Along with these pieces, Brian has created the metal base for the cubby boxes. This was then wrapped in black vinyl to match the colour of the interior of the box and give one single uniform look to the boxes.
From Scratch – New Cubbies for the 1955 Jensen 541
February 21, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop has been continuing to work on the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541. This time, Brian has been handcrafting new storage boxes for the rare and unique sports car.
Bridge Classic Cars have become the go-to for Jensen 541 restorations which include our hand-made interiors. Brian, has been working on the new cubbies for the 1955 Jensen 541. These have been entirely made from scratch by hand specifically for this car by Brian and trimmed in brand new black vinyl for the finishing touch.
These are being made as part of the interior that the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop are making specifically for the car.
Seats and Ceilings – Foam and Panel Work on the 1955 Jensen 541
February 17, 2022
The trim team at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in our Suffolk HQ are working through the interior pieces and trims for the 1955 Jensen 541.
Brian, one of our trimmers, has been working on shaping and putting together the fitted rear seats for the 1950s GT car. Each part of these rear seats is made by hand by our trim shop in-house. Every car is unique so each interior we do for a Jensen is also unique and fit specifically for that car.
This 541 is no exception. The rear seats have had their foams cut and shaped by hand to get the best fit and finish possible for the interior of the classic Jensen. Along with that, Brian has also remade and trimmed the ceiling pad to match.
Support – Finishing the New Seat Bases for the 1955 Jensen 541
February 16, 2022
The front seats for the 1955 Jensen 541 are on the workbench in the in-house trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars.
Brian has been testing fitting each part of the seat bases to make sure everything lines up and fits just right. He then made new wooden cappings to go along with the new metal frames. Once the fit was just right, the new bases could then me covered in Calico before being placed and fitted into the fibreglass bucket seats.
From the Base – Making New Seat Bases for the 1955 Jensen 541
February 14, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop have got the 1955 Jensen 541 seats on the workbench for the cars new owner.
Brian and Lydia are working through the interior of the car bit by bit and now, is the front seats. Brian has got the new seat bases for the seats as the old ones were in very rough shape. The seat bases have been made from brand new steel for the team to work from.
Bit by bit, the trim team will be working on getting the front seats totally put together and recovered for a very special car like the 541.
Repadded – New Padding into the Seats of the 1955 Jensen 541
February 11, 2022
The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars have cleaned up and repadded the front seats of the 1955 Jensen 541.
Lydia has been working on hand-forming each of the padding pieces for the front bucket seats and shaping them roughly. These all have multiple pieces but the forms needed to be just right before the seat covers are eventually made to fit the fibreglass bucket seats.
Keep a look out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more on the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541.
Teardown – Stripping the Interior Pieces for the 1955 Jensen 541
February 11, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars trim shop have worked on getting the original interior of the 1955 Jensen 541.
Lydia has been working through each individual piece to get them stripped down to the bases and components underneath to be inspected and assessed. Once they have been assessed, she can begin the work of completely remaking all the padding and covers for the interior.
Bridge Classic Cars have a long history of working on the Jensen 541 and creating the interiors for these amazing GT cars.
Begin Again – Remaking the Seats for the 1955 Jensen 541
January 31, 2022
A while ago, we said goodbye to the beautiful Jensen 541. It was sold as a project to its very lucky new owner who plans on restoring the car.
Well, now the interior is back in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop. Brian is making a brand new rear seat for the car while
Lydia is busy stripping down the original bucket seats to assess the fibreglass mouldings for any cracks or damage.
Either way, it’s always nice to see a car (or parts) find their way back into our workshop here in Suffolk.
