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Parent Category: Motor car History

Category: Britain

Jensen Parts and Service Ltd (Jensen Cars Ltd.)

 Automotive manufacturer of West Bromwich ,Great Britain from 1984 to 1993.

Jensen Parts and Service from 1988 as Jensen Cars  was a British car manufacturer , which produced from 1984 to 1993 in small numbers a high-priced Interceptor Mark IV, the successor of the company Jensen Motors , which had been dissolved in 1976 after a bankruptcy, and as such continued for a short time the production of Jensen Interceptor .

History

Founded in 1935 by Richard and Alan Jensen, West Bromwich- based Jensen Motors was primarily a body builder; After the Second World War, among other things, the superstructures for the Austin Healey and the Volvo P1800 . In addition Jensen produced since 1946 under his own name a number of expensive sports cars, which were located in the market segment of the upper class. The last model was the 1967 presented Jensen Interceptor, which was produced until 1976 in three series. In the early 1970s Jensen got into financial difficulties, which could be temporarily remedied by a financial commitment of the US Jensen importer Kjell Qvale . The First oil crisis 1973/74 led as with other sports car manufacturers also to a substantial decline in sales, as a result of which Jensen became insolvent in 1976. The company was liquidated and the production of the Interceptor ended.

In the course of the liquidation of Jensen Motors, the previous spare parts department was removed from the company and became independent under the name Jensen Parts and Service (JP & S). JP & S was initially a subsidiary of Britcar Holdings, which belonged to Kjell Qvale. It was led by Ian Orford and was responsible for spare parts supply, repair and restoration of previous Jensen models. Already in the late 1970s, several customers ordered all the items that were needed to build a new Interceptor. Orford was then of the opinion that there was still a market for new vehicles Jensen. In 1982, Orford Jensen Parts & Services took over and prepared to resume series production of the Interceptor.

From 1984, the car was available under the name Jensen Interceptor Mark IV ( Series 4). Externally, it corresponded largely to the 1976 produced Interceptor Mark III, technically it was, however - especially in the engine - revised. The Saloon and Cabriolet, very expensive models competed with the vehicles of Aston Martin and Bristol . They achieved only a very small amount of production.

In 1988, Ian Orford sold the company to a British investor who changed the company to Jensen Cars. Orford initially remained in the company, but retired after his position had been reduced to the rank of production manager, after a short time completely back. At the end of the 1980s, consideration was given to offering a significantly revised Interceptor Mark V; however, they were not realized. In 1993 Jensen Cars was liquidated after the inability to pay.

From 1984 to 1992, only 14 copies of the Interceptor Mark IV were created, including 8 convertibles, 5 saloons and 1 hardtop coupe, another convertible was never completed.  In addition to newly-built vehicles and customer vehicles but have been restored and z. B. upgraded with new components (injection systems, electric mirrors).

The Interceptor Mark IV was an evolution of the Mark III manufactured until 1976. JP & S claimed that more than 1000 detail changes had been made to the Mark IV. 

The body was taken over largely unchanged. As with its predecessor, was a saloon called closed two-door with large glazed tailgate and a convertible available. As a single copy in 1987, a notchback coupe with the name Fixed Head Coupe wasproduced, which followed the 1975 presented and built by 1976 in about 50 copies coupe. The only stylistic independence was a discreet spoiler under the front bumper. In the interior, electrically adjustable seats were installed by Recaro . Details such as fittings, switch positions and color design could be individually determined by the customer.

The most significant technical change was the installation of a smaller engine. Instead of the used in the Mark III 7.2-liter eight-cylinder from Chrysler Jensen put the Mark IV a small-block  of the same manufacturer with 5.9 liters of displacement. The engine belonged to the LA family introduced in 1964 and was at the beginning of the 1970s, a standard engine for the middle-class models of the Chrysler Group. In the 1980s Bristol used the engine still for the models Britannia , Brigand and Beaufighter . Unlike Bristol, however, Jensen did not use a carburettor version of the engine but used gasoline injection and electronic engine management. In this form, the engine met all US emissions regulations. The power was 280 hp  approximately at the level of the previous 7.2-liter models.  concerned more technical modifications to the blower from Bosch was obtained, and the disc brakes , which were now vented.

The Interceptor Mark IV had a type approval in the UK and in the US. Because of the constructive proximity of the car to the Mark III, the British and American authorities renounced renewed crash tests. For a type approval in Europe such a test would have been required. For financial reasons, Jensen renounced it, so that in continental Europe for each Mark IV model, an individual approval was necessary. 

The first Mark IV was presented at the end of 1983 at the Birmingham Motor Fair, another presentation took place at the London Earls Court Motor Show in 1984. The selling price at that time was given as £ 40,000. Thus, the Jensens were slightly above the Bristol models positioned.

From 1986, the company developed a revised Interceptor model called Mark V, whose series production was scheduled for 1992. As a drive, the technicians foreseen a 5.7-liter eight-cylinder engine from General Motors , which should correspond to the engine used in the Chevrolet Corvette . Instead of the tubular frame, the car used a space frame , which should be lighter but similar torsion-resistant as the previous design. Stylistically, the distinctive rear end was retained, but the front end was redesigned. In 1988, a prototype, which was never equipped with the Chevrolet engine. The new owner of the company kept the prototype under wraps.

The production was limited to a few copies. By the end of 1987, eleven vehicles had been manufactured. 
 

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Parent Category: Motor car History

Category: Britain

Babs (Chitty Bang Bang)

Race Car manufacturer of United Kingdom From 1921 to 1927.

Babs Chitty Bang Bang and Higham Special vehicles used for racing and that set a land speed records in the 1920s .

History

Chitty Bang Bang is the name of a series of racing cars of Count Louis Zborowski .Zborowski built the race cars on his property Higham Park near Canterbury, Kent, on the basis of Mercedes - chassis with Maybach - Mercedes or aircraft engines. The Chitty Bang Bang name gave inspiration for the later Movie.

Louis Zborowski was born the son of racing driver Eliot Zborowoski and Margaret Laura Astor Carey , daughter of William Backhouse Astor . After the death of his father, he moved with his mother to the estate Higham Park in Bridge (Kent) .When his mother died, he was 16 years old and was considered the fourth richest youth under the age of 21, with a fortune of £ 11 million and land in the United States, including several blocks on Fifth Avenue in New York. 

He was one of the patrons of the car brand Aston Martin . Zborowski took off in 1921 at several races in part and won among others the Penya Rhin Grand Prix in 1922 and 1923 respectively in an Aston Martin and the Spanish Grand Prix in 1923 in a Miller 122 second place. In 1923 he took part in the Indy 500 with a Bugatti . In 1924, he died at the age of 29 at the Grand Prix of Italy in Monza .

Zborowski built four race cars in Higham Park together with Clive Gallop . The first vehicle was the "Chitty Bang Bang" The car was powered by a 23-liter Maybach engine. A second vehicle, also called "Chitty Bang Bang", had an 18.8 litre Benz Bz IV engine. The third vehicle was based on a Mercedes 28/95 hp and had a 15-liter Mercedes engine and was referred to as the "White Mercedes". The fourth vehicle had a 27-liter Liberty engine and was called " Higham Special ". In April 1926 JG Parry-Thomas set a new speed record in Pendine Sands with this vehicle.

The vehicle, originally called Chitty Bang Bang IV and also called Higham Special, was baptized by its later owner in the name of Bab. It is based on a Blitzen-Benz, but was equipped with a 450 hp twelve-cylinder V- plane engine with 27 litre displacements of the Liberty L-12 type. The vehicle was originally constructed by Count Louis Zborowski , but could not be completed until his death in 1924 and was later acquired by the racing driver and chief engineer of Leyland Motors J.G. Parry-Thomas .

Parry-Thomas made an engine conversion, changed the carburettors systems and built specially developed pistons. To achieve improvements in handling characteristics and aerodynamics, he changed the bodywork and body shape a few times. With the so modified vehicle he reached on April 28, 1926 in Pendine Sands a top speed of 273.6 km / h and set a land speed record for wheeled vehicles according to the rules of the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR). In early 1927, the body shape was changed again, so that the rear wheels were partially disguised. In another record attempt on March 3, 1927 Parry-Thomas lost control of the vehicle, he had a fatal accident and Babs was destroyed. As the cause of the accident, the health condition of Parry Thomas is stated, a previously suspected technical defect was excluded during the reconstruction of the vehicle.

After the Higham Special was buried on the beach near the accident site in 1927, Babs was rescued in 1969 by a lecturer from the Technical College of North Wales in Bangor and then rebuilt and restored over a period of about 15 years. Babs is on display today at the Museum of Speed in Pendine 

Chitty I 

The first model had a Mercedes chassis and a 23-liter six-cylinder Maybach engine. The power transmission was by chain and the top speed of the four-seater was at a race in Brooklands at 162.14 km / h. After a conversion to two-seater the car reached a top speed of about 190 km / h, but crashed and was destroyed. The vehicle was rebuilt and then sold to Arthur Conan Doyle. Later it came into the possession of his sons. 

Chitty II 

The Chitty II was built on a Zborowski self-engineered chassis and was powered by a Mercedes 18.8-liter six-cylinder in-line engine with 220 hp. The body came from the local bodybuilding company Bligh Bros. The car was run several races until it was sold to the Crawford Car Aviation Museum in Cleveland. Today it is part of a private collection.

Chitty III

The Chitty III was rebuilt on a Mercedes chassis. However, this was modified and powered by a performance up to 180 hp Mercedes six-cylinder engine. The car reached a maximum speed of 181.34 km / h in Brooklands. In January 1922, Zborowski, his wife Vi, his friend and mechanic Clive Gallop and Pixi Marix and several other mechanics took part in a Sahar crossing with the Chitty III . The vehicle remained first owned by Zborowski and was later moved to Stuttgart, because Zborowski wanted to join a racing team of Mercedes.

Chitty IV 

The Higham Special was based on the Blitzen-Benz, but was equipped with a 450-horsepower twelve-cylinder V-engine with 27 litres of Liberty. The vehicle could not be completed until the death of Zborowski in 1924 and was later acquired by the racing driver and chief engineer of Leyland Motors, JG Parry-Thomas.

Parry-Thomas christened the vehicle " Babs ", made some changes and modifications, setting 1926 in Pendine Sands a land speed record of 273.6 km / h. Destroyed and later rebuilt, the vehicle is today exhibited at the Museum of Speed in Pendine.

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Parent Category: Motor car History

Category: Britain

Horstmann Cars Limited

Automotive manufacturer of Bath, Somerset;United Kingdom From 1903 to 1929.

Horstmann Cars Limited , was a early British manufacturer of automobiles in Bath, Somerset .

History

The company was founded by Sidney Adolph Horstmann, son of a 1850 Westphalian immigrant watchmaker and inventor Gustav Horstmann . Horstmann received more than 100 patents  and in 1856 the exact micrometer invented. It is now in the Science Museum in London . His  watchmakers - and The jewelery business later traded under G. Horstmann & Sons.It went on in 1925 in the Horstman Gear Company . 

Sydney Horstmann worked around 1900 with the engineer Richard John Baynton Hippisley on a three-wheeled automobile with a single-cylinder engine . He invented a continuously variable vehicle transmission and founded the following year the Horstmann Gear Company for evaluation of the patent. The company made a good name with movements , chronometers and mechanical timers . 

In 1903, Sydney Horstmann exhibited a Light Car (a former vehicle class between Voiturette and small cars ) at the London Motor Show . The vehicle was built until 1912 at the Horstmann Gear Company , but only in small quantities. ]

The automobile division became an independent enterprise 1913 as Horstmann Cars Limited . It was presented to the public on the occasion of the London Motor Show this same year.  After the outbreak of the First World War , and after a very short production time, the car construction was suspended. In the course of the First World War , the Briton Horstmann changed the name of his farms from Horstmann to the English spelling Horstman .

After the war Horstman -Automobile appeared again . All had light bodies and a sporty impact. The four-cylinder engines were sourced from Anzani and Coventry Climax . They were quite successful in motorsport and were also at club races in Brooklands . 

In 1922 Sidney Horstmann invented the Horstmann drive , a suspension for military tracked vehicles. There is an unexplained link to Horstman Ltd. in Bath, which produced camshafts and other precision parts for mechanical engineering . This company was acquired by Simms in 1955 and moved to Lucas Industries in 1969 . 1975  was separated and Weyburn Engineering, the remaining part became the still existing Horstman Defense Systems .

By 1929 ended production the company was dissolved in 1930. between 1915 and 1929 around 3000 automobiles built

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Parent Category: Motor car History

Category: Britain

Marlin Sports Cars Ltd

Automotive manufacturer of Trobridge Devon;United Kingdom From 1979 on.

Marlin Sportscars from Trobridge Nr Crediton in Devon build sportscars as kits and factory built cars since 1979. 

History

Marlin have been successfully producing hand crafted spec list their west country workshops for a quarter of a century The first rolled out to high acclaim in 1979.That car featured many innovations and since then Marlin have always been at the leading edge of new concepts. later cars such as the Marlin Berlinetta and now with modern, lightweight, road cars or race and trackday versions.

The Marlin

 The Marlin is vaguely reminiscent of the early Zagato Alfa Romeos but is an original design made from glassfibre over a steel chassis. A range of engines, including Triumph Spitfire/Vitesse, Triumph Herald,Morris Marina and Alfa Romeo can be fitted happily into the engine bay by the buyer who has to build the car himself from a kit. As of 1984, Marlin have offered a much larger 2 + 2 Berlinetta with similar lines and a removable hard top and designed specifically for Ford Cortina mechanicals, with V6 engine options. Around 150 cars per year emerge from the works, making Marlin one of Britain's major specialist companies. 

Tech specs V6 2994 cc: - Top speed 115 mph - Power 138 BHP

The 5EXi

The 5EXi was developed in response to the need for an ultra-competitive mid-engine 'Elise' beater This dynamic two-seater sportscar uses Marlin's radicalnew lightweight spaceframe chassis. Matched to the superb Rover K & T series engines, the performance of this car is simply breath-taking.Marlin's design team have produced a package that will deliver better performance and handling than other well-known sportscars of this type and at a lower cost!

Tech specs - 0-60, 3.8s.• Weight, 530Kg.• MPG, 40.O/Length, 3550. 0/Width, 1690. Top Speed. 150+

Tech specs - 0-60. 4.2s.• Weight, 850Kg • MPG. 34.Engine Options, Rover - 'K' series 1.1 later.-l .81tr. Rover 'T' series 'Tomcat engine' 2.01tr. Turbo.

The Sportster

The Sportster - available in Track or Road trim. A race bred, road mannered, 30's styled - full on barnstormer! This car was developed as a competitive, yet spacious luxury alternative to '7' inspired sportscars.The long thrusting bonnet makes you feel like you’re piloting a pre-war GP car. But two up, this car still packs enough storage space to be a real practical winner.nHandling is legendary, due to the unique ground hugging semi-monocoque peripheral frame, which has been highly acclaimed for many years as 'the best chassis in the business' Blisteringly fast & sure footed, - with BMW reliability!

O/Length, 3650. O/Width. 1650. Top Speed, 150+.Engine Options. BMW 6-cyl. 21tr.-3.31tr., Rover V8,3.51tr,-5.21tr. Other Inc. Vauxhall, Datsun, Triumph.