Jensen 541 Batmobile.

[Frankoid]

Does anyone have any information about the Jensen 541 "Batmobile"...... It had special factory fitted rear wings and may have been an entered in the Monte-Carlo rally. It still exists and is sorn off every year, maybe the person doing it will come forward! According to Richard Calvers indispensable chassis data book, 541/365206 was blue with a beige interior and left the factory on 3/10/55. I think this may be the "Batmobile"...



https://vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Reg TKF 541

Vehicle make: JENSEN
Date of first registration: October 1955
Year of manufacture: 1955
Cylinder capacity (cc): 3993 cc
CO₂Emissions: Not available
Fuel type: PETROL
Export marker: No
Vehicle status: SORN in place

[Han Kamp]

Does anyone have any information about the Jensen 541 "Batmobile"...... It had special factory fitted rear wings and may have been an entered in the Monte-Carlo rally. It still exists and is sorn off every year, maybe the person doing it will come forward! According to Richard Calvers indispensable chassis data book, 541/365206 was blue with a beige interior and left the factory on 3/10/55. I think this may be the "Batmobile"...



https://vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Reg TKF 541

Vehicle make: JENSEN
Date of first registration: October 1955
Year of manufacture: 1955
Cylinder capacity (cc): 3993 cc
CO₂Emissions: Not available
Fuel type: PETROL
Export marker: No
Vehicle status: SORN in place

I think I read somewhere that Mike Byrne rebuilt the rear bodywork to stock. Perhaps he will react to your post?

[Frankoid]

This is a different car to the Mike Byrne car, that car had after market fins. I believe the Jensen "Batmobile" is a creation from new of another coachbuilder, E.D. Abbott (but stand to be corrected ) , possibly as a show car. They also built the 541 Drophead, and the similarly styled Bristol below..

[DaveT]

Francis, abbots of Farnham created two drop head prototypes, I am not aware that either had these fins on the rear. I have not heard of another 541 being worked on by Abbots, but please correct me if you know otherwise. Thanks Dave

[Han Kamp]

The only connection between Abbott and Jensen were 2 drop heads built by Abbot, based on the early standard 541.

1 survives (the red one) in Australia, the 2nd one is being restored in the US and is now dark blue.


Abbott never built "bat"styled Jensens according to the writer of the book about Abbott, with whom I correspond.

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541drophead.jpg (27.4 KiB) Viewed 3239 times

[Frankoid]

It looks less likely that Abbots made the "Batmobile", despite their connections with Jensens and the similarities in design with the Abbot Bristol 405. Which begs the question, who made it? It had the unique rear from virtually new. I do not think someone with a new, expensive Jensen would fiddle about with the styling, unless they were in the coach-building business themselves as it is too good to be of amature hands (In my opinion). Maybe the original owner commissioned the re-modeling of his car to a coachbuilder, with nods to the Alfa-Romeo Bat cars of the period. In doing so spending even more money on an already expensive car. I would like to know who the original owner was. Stephen Carter had an advert from the 50's for this car in his excellent 541 site stating "Jensen 541 October 1955, blue, specially designed tail, unique", so it is documented back in the day.

[DaveT]

I think we had deduced from previous threads on this subject and contributions from Mike Byrne and david Ancona, that there were at least 2 541s with the extended rear fins as per felix's picture.... Therefore it seems unlikely that it was a professional "diy" job....

[felixkk]

I did a post on Facebook- maybe somebody out there has some additional information...