1965 Jensen CV8 MK2

The Jensen CV8 is a most interesting classic car. Allegedly once described as the “the best car in the world disguised as the ugliest!’’ Well, it was the fastest 4-seater car in the world and when it comes to aesthetics’ that’s a matter of personal taste and fashion. Today the styling is right in the moment with bold headlights and strong body accents and possibly the most fashionable engine size to have, a 6.3!

There cannot be any more useable or durable classic in the big British GT bracket. Super strong chassis with twin 4-inch drawn steel tubes, Fiberglass body, alloy door skins, 335 BHP Chrysler V8 engine, Chrysler Torquflite 727 gearbox, 4-wheel dual circuit disc brakes, rack-n-pinion steering, heavy duty limited slip axle, front and rear retractable seat belts, alternator, electric cooling fans, to name a few features.

The body is corrosion proof and tough. No need to break into a sweat when hail is forecast. The mechanics are super reliable, powerful and cheap to maintain. The engine and gearbox are just as happy dealing with modern traffic as on the highway going interstate. Mechanical parts are embarrassingly cheap and Jensen parts are available through a number of specialists.

Those of a certain maturity may remember Steve Forrest playing John Mannering in the TV show The Baron. With the delightful Sue Lloyd as Cordelia. Mannering wasn’t quite 007 but a bit ahead of Simon Templar, The Saint. Certainly, The Baron’s Jensen CV8 would have blown away both the Saint’s Volvo P1800 and 007’s Aston Martin DB5. No contest in the performance stakes. With only 500 CV8’s built also rarer than the P1800 or the Aston Martin DB5. You are unlikely to run into another on your travels or at any classic car event.

CV8 chassis number 104/2263 left the works at 11am the 4th of February 1965 bound for Francis Motors, Humberstone Rd, Leicester. The same Jensen dealer where the Baron’s CV8 was serviced, after its life on TV. Also finished in the same Oyster-Grey as the Baron’s CV8. I think that’s where the similarities end with the Baron’s CV8.

We have history going back to the first owner and invoices back to the 1980’s. The car had a major chassis restoration in the 1990’s and body restoration in the early 2000’s. The bills show careful and enthusiastic maintenance over the years. Including a brake upgrade with Cooper-Craft 4 piston calipers, Gas shock absorbers, suspension overhaul with uprated bushes, Oil cooler, stainless steel exhaust system, Edelbrock carburettor. Recently we fitted 5 new tyres, new hub caps, medallions and trim rings. New carpets, door handles and locks. The car will be serviced by our workshop before it goes to its new owner.

The car comes with its original jack and wheels brace. Full tool kit. Owners hand book and workshop manual. A battery isolator switch, Sexton immobiliser and car cover.

The last owner drove it from Brisbane to Tasmania and back! He said it didn’t miss a beat all the way. Proof it is still a very capable Grand Tourer.

SOLD