by ajm541s » Fri Jun 15, 2012 9:45 am
Regrettably the 'myth' concerning an LHD version of the FF is hard fact. The problem we had with the FF was due to the Ferguson unit not being able to be run upside down, which it would have had to do if a mirror image conversion was used. With the chassis as designed by Jensen this was the only possibility in order to make room for the steering in an LHD configuration. Believe me, we were well aware that, despite the stiff price, the LHD export market was of considerable value to us and which might well have been sufficient reduce unit cost and prolong the life of it and future models.
With a monocoque chassis and smaller engine block the story is very different, as this Mustang proves. However, still nobody took it up, which I suspect was mainly due to cost and weight penalities.
Could Jensen have designed a better chassis? Most likely yes, but at the time the only affordable way of producing the FF was by converting the Interceptor chassis. While it was not a commercial success in itself, the value of the FF in terms of publicity for the company was enormous, far better than any amount of advertising we could have paid for.
Tony Marshall
JML 1967-74
JOC 7828