Jensen C-V8

The Jensen C-V8 is a four-seater GT car produced by Jensen Motors between 1962 and 1966. Launched in October 1962, the C-V8 series had fibreglass bodywork with aluminium door skins, as did the preceding 541 series. All C-V8s used big-block engines sourced from Chrysler; first the 361 and then, from 1964, the 330 bhp (246 kW) 383 in³. Most of the cars had a three-speed Chrysler Torqueflite automatic transmission, but seven Mk2 C-V8s were produced with the 6-litre engine and four-speed manual gearbox, followed by two manual Mk3s. The engine is entirely set back behind the front axle line, which makes the C-V8 a front-mid-engined car. While the great majority of C-V8s were made in right-hand drive (RHD), ten were made in left-hand drive (LHD). The C-V8 was one of the fastest production four-seaters of its era. The Mk II, capable of 136 mph (219 km/h), ran a quarter-mile (≈400 m) in 14.6 seconds and accelerated from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 6.7 seconds. This 0-60 mph time was roughly as quick as the Lamborghini Miura, and quicker than many performance cars of the period such as the Aston Martin DB5 and Jaguar E Type. The upgraded Mk II, introduced in October 1963, had Armstrong Selectaride electronically adjustable rear dampers and minor styling changes. Changes on the Mk III, the final version of the series, which was introduced in June 1965, included a minor reduction in overall length, a deeper windscreen, equal-sized headlamps without chrome bezels, improved interior ventilation, a wood-veneer dashboard, the addition of overriders to the bumpers, and a dual-circuit braking system. The factory made two convertibles: a cabriolet, and a sedanca that opened only above the front seats. The 1963 Sedanca was featured in an article by Paul Walton in the June 2008 issue of Ruoteclassiche, an...