1958 Jensen 541R

First registered in 1958, VUV is our beautifully presented Jensen 541R. Little is known of the early years but I’m sure the Jensen enthusiasts amongst us will be on hand to help piece together more of its history. We have been informed by the current owner that in 1970 it was purchased by Mr Wray. The engine failed in his ownership and he fitted a Jaguar XK150 engine.

A letter from Mr Wray with some details of the car during his ownership is present. He sold the car to Mr Curzon in 1980 and then sometime later Mr Carter appears to have owned it.

Another name is mentioned in the history, Mr Spickernell who was the named owner prior to now.

Mr Dudley, the current owner purchased the car from auction in October 2008. From memory, the speedo read 14,500 at auction. When refitted after the full respray had been completed the speedo read 15,261 so approximately 700 miles had been covered prior to restoration, enjoying the car at local shows. RNH Contracts Lotus carried out the respray at a cost of £12,228.

The Jensen engine was purchased in 2015 and the car’s restoration journey started shortly after that. The rebuilt Jensen DS5 engine was acquired from a Jensen Owners Club member at a cost of £8,220.00. The engine was a spare that the vendor had for his second Jensen 541 project. The engine had been rebuilt by Mike Byrne, a renowned Jensen specialist and certainly one of the main ‘go-to’ contacts for anything Jensen. It was then run in and set up on a rolling road by MASS Dyno and it produced 173bhp at 4000rpm, and an almost flat torque curve at approx. 220 lbs/ft. The graph and receipt are included.

The trim restoration was carried out by Bespoke Leathering Ltd. All the leather is original apart from the driver’s seat squab that was ripped and had to be replaced. Everything else was re-connolised. The carpets are all new. The headlining was not touched and is believed to be the original. The gearbox was overhauled by Klassik Transmissions who specialise in Jaguar Moss gearboxes.

The current owner has a fantastic knowledge of the car whilst in his ownership and shortly before but there is only limited history with the car, certainly in the early years.

The V5C states that it has 2 previous owners but looking through the history and names that are appearing it is likely to be more.

Since being with us we have carried out some remedial works on the car’s electrics and clutch system. We have rectified a few loose terminals and carried out a full mechanical check. We have carried out small alterations to the brake pipes and repaired a faulty fuel pump.

Receipts totally £26,018.19 accompany the vehicle along with a batch of MOT’s and a fascinating letter that was given to the current owner whilst at a car show in Knebworth by a previous owner.

Photos shot at Glevering Mill.

Company Details

In the heart of Bentwaters, a former Royal Air Force station, lies our showroom.

Viewing strictly by appointment only. Our showroom is home to Bridge Classic Cars Competitions and our selection of the finest classic cars we’re proud to present for sale.

Office hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm, Saturdays and Sundays can be arranged. To arrange a viewing please call Craig on 01473 742038 or email info@bridgeclassiccars.co.uk. Finance can be arranged by a third party. We also offer a vehicle transportation service using our own Bridge Classic Cars covered vehicle options. A 10% non-refundable deposit will be required to secure the vehicle.