Mystery Jensen?

[Barrie]

It's been suggested to me that this is some form of post-war experimental Jensen.
Does anyone know?
If it's not a Jensen then what is it?

[VFK44]

Lost their magic touch with that one!

[Barrie]

I know, fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.

But what is it?
It's driving me nuts!

[Chris_R]

KLR 777.
KLR - is a London registration first issued March 1949.

[Torquemada]

Lools like a very squashed and unhappy Daimler Conquest

[VFK44]

Place your hand across the middle of the screen, so only the ends of the car can be seen. Suddenly, you have two moderately good looking cars - a striking front end and a completely different modest rear end. But it's when they suddenly have to join together in the middle - oh my poor eyes!

[Barrie]

To me it looks like a cartoon car: bunched up in the middle.
It's that chrome strip at the bottom which gives an optical illusion.

I've found out what it is.........
1949 Lagonda 2-1/2 Litre by Leacroft Ltd.

[VFK44]

Phew! No Jensen involvement in the looks then.

This is a picture of how it looked as "standard", slightly frumpy but inoffensive:


I could post a picture of the saloon version but that had four doors and possibly a longer wheelbase, all of which made no end of difference to the proportions.

[Keith]

Phew! No Jensen involvement in the looks then.

So from your cryptic post Steven, you're saying the first pic that Barrie posted is a Lagonda, but the coachwork is not by Jensen?

[VFK44]

Barrie says it is by " Leacroft Ltd."

I have confirmed Leacroft Sheet Metal Works, of Egham, Surrey built a body on this chassis and I doubt that they would have involved the Midlands company of Jensen in any way as they were an independent body builders. The role of stylist and body designer were usually one and the same in such a small firm (although owners would often submit a picture of how they wished the car to look when finished). Obviously, the above is just "best guess" - if anyone wants to research it go ahead!

The first owner was Mr. G. Arpino. Did he have any connection with Jensen?

Note that I have not ruled out the idea that Jensen may have been involved with using this car to develop, say, suspension, but it seems increasingly unlikely that they had involvement with the way it looked.