1935 Jensen-Ford Shooting Brake

Richard and Alan Jensen established themselves during one of the most creative periods in British coachbuilding, when independent builders could still transform standard chassis into something far more elegant, sporting, and individual. Like several notable British firms of the period, the Jensen brothers began with modest platforms before progressing into more ambitious work for marques such as Ford. Their early success with a Standard-based design helped bring wider attention to the Jensen name, and by the mid-1930s the brothers were moving from specialist coachbuilders toward manufacturers in their own right. One of Jensen’s most significant early developments came through its use of Ford V-8 mechanicals. By importing a small number of Ford chassis from North America, Jensen was able to combine reliable, powerful, and easily serviced American running gear with graceful British body design.

This 1935 Jensen-Ford Shooting Brake is the sole wood bodied example. Constructed on a Canadian Ford Model 48 V-8 chassis, it represents 1 of fewer than 30 early custom-bodied Jensen-Fords produced using modified Ford chassis, engines, and running gear. Long thought to have been originally built for a doctor and used sparingly under his care, new research has uncovered it was originally owned by a Mr. Hugh Lang of Holmwood, Dorking ,England. A avid sportsman, Hugh raced a Bentley at Brooklands in the late 1920s before being married. Recalled by Mr. Hugh Lang's four children the Jensen-Ford marque book, they recalled this Jensen-Ford was originally born a Sports Touring, before it was converted to its current body style by a coach builder in Dorking in 1948. Known within the family as "Frederick", the shooting brake body style served as the family's holiday car, embarking on various trips. 

By 1953 the original family had sold this example and it was later taxed and registered in the United Kingdom during 1957 and 1958 before disappearing from the road. By the early 1980s, it had resurfaced in poor condition in Dorking, Surrey, where it was discovered through the Jensen Owners’ Club and was featured in one of their newsletter articles. Facing the possibility of being scrapped, the car was purchased by a Jensen Club member, Bill Smith of England, who was also a piano restorer by trade. That background proved fitting, as the ash-framed shooting brake body required careful and sympathetic woodwork.

The restoration was completed in the early 1990s, with particular effort made to preserve as much original wood as possible. In 2001, the Jensen passed to another club member, who continued the restoration detailing and showed the car at club events and concours gatherings. In 2010, this sole example was acquired and imported to the United States, where it joined a collection of rare Jensen automobiles and continued to be enjoyed. The current caretaker acquired this example in 2024 and has continued to carefully preserve its restoration and rarity, keeping up with its routine maintenance, which included, flushing and cleaning the cooling system, re-gapping and cleaning the spark plugs, installing LED bulbs in the side lamps and dash lights, and performing an oil change. 

This shooting brake is very sporty and presents with green paint, exposed ash body framing, a fabric roof insert, rear-hinged doors, rear tailgate with lift window, Lucas lighting, a central Notek fog lamp, trafficators, green-painted 16-inch wire wheels, and a rear-mounted spare. The cabin is trimmed in rich red leather with matching carpeting and features front bucket seats, a rear bench, roll-up door windows, sliding rear side glass, original-style switchgear, Cooper-Stewart instrumentation, a Smiths clock, and dash controls for the Andre Hydro-Telecontrol adjustable shock absorbers.

Power is supplied by Ford’s 221-cubic-inch Flathead V-8, equipped with aluminum cylinder heads and a single downdraft carburetor, and paired with a three-speed manual transmission.

Accompanying the sale of this Jensen-Ford are copies of the Jensen Club magazine article that feature this example, previous registration documents, magazine articles, and tools. As the only known surviving example of Jensen's rare wood-bodied shooting brake, this remarkable automobile represents a fascinating chapter in the evolution of one of Britain's sporting marques. Combining dependable Ford V-8 performance with handcrafted British coachwork and a well-known history, it offers a singular opportunity to acquire a Jensen unlike any other.