Jensen FF
Encyclopedia
The Jensen FF was a four-wheel drive
(4WD) Grand Tourer
(GT) car
produced by the British
manufacturer Jensen Motors
between 1966 and 1971. It was the first non all-terrain production car equipped with 4WD and an anti-lock braking system
— the Dunlop
Maxaret
mechanical system used hitherto only on aircraft
, truck
s, or racing cars. An experimental system was first fitted to a CV-8
, based on the chassis of the Jensen 541S
, but this did not go into production. The use of four-wheel drive preceded the successful Audi Quattro
by many years.
The letters FF stand for Ferguson Formula, after Ferguson Research Ltd.
, who invented the car's four-wheel drive system. The FF was related to the similar-looking, rear-wheel drive, Jensen Interceptor
, but is 127 mm (5 in) longer, and mechanically very different.
The FF also suffered from a design problem, and not one easily cured: the system was set up for a driver in the right hand seat, and no considerations had been made to making it left-hand drive. In particular, the central transfer case
and both propeller shafts
protruded into the left-hand seat space. The steering
gear and brake
servo
were fitted on the right-hand side, and there was no space for them on the left. By the early 1970s, Jensen's primary markets were in overseas markets where cars were driven on the right hand side of the road (particularly the United States
), and the FF could not be sold there.
Only saloon cars were made, there were no convertible
s.
engine
imported from Chrysler
in the U.S. Further Hemi engine equipped models were not built, due to the limits of the suspension
at extremely high speeds, and the cost of importing the Hemi engine into Britain was deemed too great.
An "SP FF" version is rumoured to have been made at some point in the production run. This version was equipped with a 7.2 litre (440 cubic inch) engine with a "Six Pack" induction system (three 2-barrel carburettors
) as well as four-wheel drive. Less than ten are assumed to have been built.
comic strips regularly featured her driving an FF, until a story where two villains push it over a cliff - while mentioning to each other that it is "a shame to do such a thing to a hand-built car".
Robbie Williams and his friends drove one of the cars in the music video "The Road to Mandalay" and "Eternity"
s produced a die-cast model of the FF, available in both ready-constructed and kit form. Playart also produced a 1:64 scale FF, possibly scaled down from the Dinky model.
The Dinky car had opening doors and both the Playart and Dinky models featured an opening bonnet (hood).
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
(4WD) Grand Tourer
Grand tourer
A grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....
(GT) car
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
produced by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
manufacturer Jensen Motors
Jensen Motors
Jensen Motors Ltd was a British manufacturer of sports cars and commercial vehicles, based in the Lyng – West Bromwich...
between 1966 and 1971. It was the first non all-terrain production car equipped with 4WD and an anti-lock braking system
Anti-lock braking system
An anti-lock braking system is a safety system that allows the wheels on a motor vehicle to continue interacting tractively with the road surface as directed by driver steering inputs while braking, preventing the wheels from locking up and therefore avoiding skidding.An ABS generally offers...
— the Dunlop
Dunlop Rubber
Dunlop Rubber was a company based in the United Kingdom which manufactured tyres and other rubber products for most of the 20th century. It was acquired by BTR plc in 1985. Since then, ownership of the Dunlop trade-names has been fragmented.-Early history:...
Maxaret
Maxaret
Dunlop's Maxaret was the first anti-lock braking system to be widely used. Introduced in the early 1950s, Maxaret was rapidly taken up in the aviation world, after testing found a 30% reduction in stopping distances, and the elimination of tire bursts or flat spots due to skids...
mechanical system used hitherto only on aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
, truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
s, or racing cars. An experimental system was first fitted to a CV-8
Jensen CV8
The Jensen C-V8 is a sports car produced by Jensen Motors.Launched in October 1962, it was the successor to the similarly styled 541 series of Jensen motorcars and shared their use of fibreglass as a body material ....
, based on the chassis of the Jensen 541S
Jensen 541S
The Jensen 541S was Jensen Motors luxury GT model of the Jensen 541 series, being 4" wider than the 541R, which had the advantages of making the interior roomier and improving the roadholding...
, but this did not go into production. The use of four-wheel drive preceded the successful Audi Quattro
Audi Quattro
The Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, now part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March.The word quattro is derived from the Italian word for "four"...
by many years.
The letters FF stand for Ferguson Formula, after Ferguson Research Ltd.
Ferguson Research Ltd.
Harry Ferguson Research Limited was a British company founded by Harry Ferguson who was mostly known as "the father of the modern farm tractor"...
, who invented the car's four-wheel drive system. The FF was related to the similar-looking, rear-wheel drive, Jensen Interceptor
Jensen Interceptor
The Jensen Interceptor was a sporting GT-class car hand-built in the United Kingdom by Jensen Motors between 1966 and 1976. The Interceptor name had been used previously by Jensen for an earlier car made between 1950 and 1957...
, but is 127 mm (5 in) longer, and mechanically very different.
Reception and sales
Although it was a highly innovative vehicle in a technical sense, the FF was not all that commercially successful. Its price was high — about 30% higher than the Jensen Interceptor, and more than that of luxury GTs from much more prestigious makes.The FF also suffered from a design problem, and not one easily cured: the system was set up for a driver in the right hand seat, and no considerations had been made to making it left-hand drive. In particular, the central transfer case
Transfer case
A transfer case is a part of a four-wheel-drive system found in four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive vehicles. The transfer case is connected to the transmission and also to the front and rear axles by means of drive shafts...
and both propeller shafts
Driveshaft
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, propeller shaft, or Cardan shaft is a mechanical component for transmitting torque and rotation, usually used to connect other components of a drive train that cannot be connected directly because of distance or the need to allow for relative movement...
protruded into the left-hand seat space. The steering
Steering
Steering is the term applied to the collection of components, linkages, etc. which will allow a vessel or vehicle to follow the desired course...
gear and brake
Brake
A brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes....
servo
Servomechanism
thumb|right|200px|Industrial servomotorThe grey/green cylinder is the [[Brush |brush-type]] [[DC motor]]. The black section at the bottom contains the [[Epicyclic gearing|planetary]] [[Reduction drive|reduction gear]], and the black object on top of the motor is the optical [[rotary encoder]] for...
were fitted on the right-hand side, and there was no space for them on the left. By the early 1970s, Jensen's primary markets were in overseas markets where cars were driven on the right hand side of the road (particularly the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), and the FF could not be sold there.
Appearance
The FF may be distinguished from the Interceptor by a few styling cues, the most obvious being the twin (rather than single) diagonal air vents on the front wing, just rear of the wheel-arches. The frontal appearance was revised in September 1968.Only saloon cars were made, there were no convertible
Convertible
A convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle...
s.
Derivatives
One experimental Ferguson FF was built in 1968 with a 7 litre (426 cubic inch) HemiHemi engine
A Hemi engine is an internal combustion engine in which the roof of each cylinder's combustion chambers is of hemispherical form.- History :...
engine
Internal combustion engine
The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...
imported from Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
in the U.S. Further Hemi engine equipped models were not built, due to the limits of the suspension
Suspension (vehicle)
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
at extremely high speeds, and the cost of importing the Hemi engine into Britain was deemed too great.
An "SP FF" version is rumoured to have been made at some point in the production run. This version was equipped with a 7.2 litre (440 cubic inch) engine with a "Six Pack" induction system (three 2-barrel carburettors
Carburetor
A carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
) as well as four-wheel drive. Less than ten are assumed to have been built.
Appearances in media
Modesty BlaiseModesty Blaise
Modesty Blaise is a British comic strip featuring a fictional character of the same name, created by Peter O'Donnell and Jim Holdaway in 1963. The strip follows the adventures of Modesty Blaise, an exceptional young woman with many talents and a criminal past, and her trusty sidekick Willie Garvin...
comic strips regularly featured her driving an FF, until a story where two villains push it over a cliff - while mentioning to each other that it is "a shame to do such a thing to a hand-built car".
Robbie Williams and his friends drove one of the cars in the music video "The Road to Mandalay" and "Eternity"
Models
Dinky ToyDinky Toy
Dinky Toys are die-cast miniature vehicles which were produced by Meccano Ltd at Binns Road, Liverpool, England - makers of Hornby railway sets, named after founder Frank Hornby.- Pre-war history :...
s produced a die-cast model of the FF, available in both ready-constructed and kit form. Playart also produced a 1:64 scale FF, possibly scaled down from the Dinky model.
The Dinky car had opening doors and both the Playart and Dinky models featured an opening bonnet (hood).