SEA770: 541 with V8 (331 hemi)

[Frankoid]

It could be a large semi-detached house, or a small gap between buildings. I imagine with the name "Avondale", dale meaning valley, the house banks onto the river Avon. This could explain his patent for a "Boat Mooring Device"

http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US2912954

[felixkk]

Found it! (I think)

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On Tiddington Rd, junction Elgin Gardens

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[Frankoid]

Thats the place alright. When the car is done you know where you will have to arrange a photo shoot !!

[VFK44]

http://www.bing.com/maps/?mkt=en-gb#Y3A9NTEuNjUyNDAxfjAuMDU3MTAwJmx2bD02JnN0eT1yJmVvPTAmcT02MSUyMFRpZGRpbmd0b24lMjBSb2FkJTJDJTIwU3RyYXRmb3JkLXVwb24tQXZvbiUyQyUyMFVuaXRlZCUyMEtpbmdkb20=

61 Tiddington.JPG (157.41 KiB) Viewed 1575 times

Right next to the river, opposite a golf course. Probably worth more than Richard Jensen's mansion, even if it is technically, as Felix said, a "row house" or end of terrace of 3 houses.

[Richard Calver]

This imposing house, which originally stood on four acres with servants’ quarters and outbuildings, presents today largely as it did in Alan Jensen’s time. However, a garage has been built closer to the main dwelling and the grounds have been subdivided into three lots so that two newer houses now stand close to the original residence. The Director of Peugeot-Talbot (UK) lived there in the 1980s. I went there in the 1990s to take photos from the footpath. A woman came out and asked me what the f**k I was doing. I told her. She said she would call the police. I showed her a diplomatic passport. She went inside. I haven't been back. Life at the top, eh.

[VFK44]

Thanks for your succinct summary of "life at the top" Richard. Records indicate the house has not been on the market since 1995 at least, so it's not looking good for getting an invitation for a photoshoot.

This was only just along the road from the 541 60th Anniversary location in Stratford. Perhaps we should have turned up with 30+ 541s and pulled into her drive to see what the reaction was!

[felixkk]

I wish I had a diplomatic pass. Can you drive a fast as you want? The toughest part about that photoshoot would be finding two of those dogs and getting them stand in the right position.

60th in Stratford-Upon-Avon. I had asked Dave Turnage whether he knew where the house was, but he didn't know. Just as well as it sounds! Nice to know where the photo was taken which is so continuosly present in my life.

[PaulMcElhinney]

Apparently Alan Jensen used to moor a motorboat on the river at the rear of his garden. It had a petrol engine fitted. He bought a Perkins diesel engine and had a couple of the boys from the Carters Green factory install this in the boat.

[felixkk]

Interesting comparison between the 541S and the 541R chassis. The picture of the R chassis is that of SEA770. It seems that there was clearly more space made in the 541S for the engine., this would be entirely coherent with the dimensions of a Hemi engine.

It is thought that the steering column may have been rerouted through the lower, crudely cut, hole in my chassis.

Additionally, the two front chassis members (last picture) in the 541S also seem to be placed outwards by a cm or two leaving more room in between.

541R:

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541S (100/1013, 5871 VT, pictures coutesy of http://www.bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/1961-jensen-541s/):

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541s_chassis_detail_02.jpg (30.21 KiB) Viewed 1449 times

[Frankoid]

Fascinating stuff. All this detective work would make Sherlock Holmes proud ! Has SEA770 a steering rack, or has a steering box ever been fitted?

[felixkk]

Not yet, but there is little alternative than to route it through that existing hole. Sherlock Holmes !

[felixkk]

Reading through the comments in Jay Leno‘s C-V8 film I came across this one:

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Is there even a bit of truth in this I wonder? What Classic Car is he is referring to?

[VFK44]

Healey certainly owned a Corvette powered 541. I believe it was, unusually, supplied new (or new-ish) from the factory without an engine specifically for Donald to convert. It had a 2-speed gearbox, and was still around a few years ago.

[johnw]

I wish I had a diplomatic pass. Can you drive a fast as you want? The toughest part about that photoshoot would be finding two of those dogs and getting them stand in the right position.

Are diplomatic chauffeurs exempt too?
Maybe visit a taxidermist for the dog problems. A good one should be able to work to a photo.

[felixkk]

Healey certainly owned a Corvette powered 541. I believe it was, unusually, supplied new (or new-ish) from the factory without an engine specifically for Donald to convert. It had a 2-speed gearbox, and was still around a few years ago.

You mean Francis‘ 541S, I assume. But Andy Hanovera mentions an R in 1960. Francis’ S I think was later. Francis was speculating if Healey was involved with SEA770, but that would have been early 1958, maybe even late 1957 (based on the minutes of the meeting you supplied). Likely that he got the date and model confused, but I wonder which article in Classic Car he is referring to.

re dog problem: my father in law has a stuffed baby deer, or would that be weird? (No he didn‘t shoot it, it was a mowing accident)