It is not uncommon for car enthusiasts to sit together and discuss the great cars of our times. During these conversations, names will pass their lips that have long ago secured their places in the history books and captivated enthusiasts in such a way as to guarantee the interest of people reading ten, twenty and even fifty years from now. Think of them now: Bugatti, Chevrolet, Rolls Royce, Volkswagen, Ferrari, and Jensen. They all roll off the tongue and make us aware that here is a medium that deserves our attention. The classic ... hang on, did that just say "Jensen"? Yes, yes it did. What gives?
It is a little-known, but wonderful car that has been greatly admired by a seemingly small number of people. The Jensen 541S has never had the mass appreciation that is reserved for vehicles such as the Ferrari Testarossa, nor the Bugatti Veyron, and yet it is a car that is very much loved by those who own them or have spent some time either driving or learning about them. And this is not down to some kitsch ironic love, either, it is all in respect of just how good the 541S has proven to be since its heyday of the 1950s. Perhaps the reason for its lack of profile among all but the hardiest car buffs is that there were only 127 made. There may not be many of them, when it comes to quantity, but those that were made and those that survive bear testament to the quality.
So what do people love about the Jensen 541S? As the above text suggests, it does have its admirers, and those admirers are very devoted to its charms. Among those charms is its price - both when it was first commercially available and now (if you can find one to buy) it has been excellent value, even undervalued in many people's opinions. Being hand built, there are also precious few maintenance problems to worry about, to the extent where it is one of the few classic old automobiles that can still serve as a car for day-to-day use. Many people who own classic cars may not actually want to drive them frequently, but having one that you can use regularly is a positive for most.
As much as anything, the love for the Jensen seems to stem from the fact that the construction was truly ahead of its time. The Jensen brothers - from their factory in the English West Midlands, created some of the first cars with disc brakes, some of the very first four-wheel drives, and they used wind tunnels to aid their ideas on body design long before it was typical. Their ideas on safety as well showed that they thought more about what they were doing than many of their rivals. The 541S was the first car to have seatbelts as standard, and the dashboard was padded in case of collision. Unlike many cars even now, the inside door handles were kept somewhere where triggering them accidentally was impossible. For these reasons and more, the Jensen 541S hovered up the awards when it was new - and although not so many people know, it is still pretty incredible today.
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