The Jensen Owners' Club

Frankoid wrote: ↑Fri May 20, 2022 8:14 am I wonder if this car will get an electric engine.... (€135,000,000 )

https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/UC22 ... 0c2971a03a

Absolutely beautiful but sadly already sold. Maybe next time....

ELECTRIC BENTLEY.

To do 0-60 in 1.5 seconds requires an acceleration of 1.76g.
That's 1.76 times the acceleration due to jumping off a building.
And quite why Bentley are going to drop production of ICE cars in ten years is unfathomable to me as so far only the UK is aiming at going all-electic for new cars by 2030.
Still, they have far cleverer people than myself working there.
I'm sure they know what they are doing.

Adrian
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https://electrek.co/2022/05/18/bentley- ... -sec-0-60/
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I'm puzzled why Bentley, Rolls etc haven't gone electric already.

A century or so ago, Bentley claimed to make the "Silent Sportscar", now they finally might do so.
No combustion engine can compete with the silky smooth, silent, linear, instant torque propulsion that an electric motor can offer... exactly the qualities expected of a luxury car.

One of the downsides of electric is weight. But to Bentley, as producers of "the world's fastest lorries" that's never been a concern has it.

The other downside at present is a lack of public charging infastructure, though not in the city centres that are the natural hunting ground of such cars. So this is hardly likely to be a concern of a Bentley owner who will have home charging and frequent venues which offer charging.

I'm surprised therfore that luxury cars are still powered by combustion.

But I'm sure they know what they're doing.

I just wish I had the means to consider one... combustion or not!

Richie,
You obviously know something about electric cars, as you own a Tesla, but have you driven a modern S-Class Mercedes, Bentley, or Rolls-Royce recently?
They are near-silent and the small noise level they do make is quite pleasing.
I predict the law banning sales of new diesel or petrol cars from 2030 will not be implemented, for a variety of reasons.
An old Bentley Flying Spur or Bentley GT can be had for around £20,000-00 now.
Adrian
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2nd hand Bentleys etc are a bargain aren't they. But the purchase price is of course merely the down-payment...
I'm sure a modern Bentley is indeed uber refined etc. But no piston engine is going to be as silent, smooth and effortless etc as an electric. And those qualities are what luxury is all about.
PS - I don't own the Tesla - unfortunately.
And, to get back to where this thread started, whilst I'd never want a combustion car for tomorrow, I do want to properly enjoy those of yesterday. So, for me, the Gordon Keeble needs a V8.

whilst I'd never want a combustion car for tomorrow, I do want to properly enjoy those of yesterday

I had the chance to accompany a friend in their Dallara Stradale down to the factory near Parma a few weeks ago, where we had a tour of the factory. 850kg, 800kg downforce, 3.25s 0-100, 2.3l 4zyl Ford engine, 400HP, normal gear shift. Easy to drive. No doors, no windscreen, no roof on our car (it rained continuously on the way home ). Driving that car puts a smile on your face, although mine would have a windscreen, roof, and doors. Not much sound from the engine, consumption was quite moderate- apparently. Dallara is all about weight, aerodynamics, downforce- nothing else matters. Cool car. They might be coming out with an electric one, that will be an interesting comparison. You can rent the car at Rent a Classic (do it!)...

https://www.rentaclassic.swiss/de/oldti ... -1093.html
https://www.auto-illustrierte.ch/de/dal ... henk--1258

"Driving that car puts a smile on your face"

I'll bet it does

One that takes a long time to fade too I'm sure.

I've had a good hour hooning around in a Tesla Plaid in the USA (until we flattened the battery).

Other-worldly speed, under 2 sec to 60 mph with a boot and seating for 5 but would I buy one ? Nah.

It was effectively an appliance, the silly fighter plane steering wheel fine on the freeway but hopeless parking and the impracticality of the charging network - of rather the lack of once back in NZ ...

I'll keep the fumes, noise and vibration of a 440 a little longer

I think its doesn't matter to discuss electric vs. petrol.

I have a Smart E for inner city drive and commute between my home and my workshop. Nothing can beat this one in the city, a perfect car for this scenario.

I also have a Gordon Keeble. And I am a member of the GKOC.

And I am following the development of this conversion for quite some time, it has made a great part of the discussions between the Club Members, as you might imagine.

But the owner is convinced that he wanted to do it and so be it. It is his car, it is his decision, it is not our heritage as there are nearly 90 cars still around, none of which is in its original state. Some were transformed into suburbian race-cars, most of them got the plastic interior replaced to leather, some are rotten to the core, nearly all of them were repainted at least once during theit life, others got other engines mounted ....

The car still looks like a Gordon Keeble and will never be retransformed due to the massive structural changes.

I would not do this to my cars as I think it is changing the fun of driving these cars but if the owner enjoys it and gets his dividend in a big grin on his face while driving: so be it.

And when I look at the Jensen community: how many 541s, C-V8s and especially Interceptors have been modified? I remember the C-V8 with the Opel engine

Where are the electric Interceptors?

Jens wrote: ↑Tue May 24, 2022 9:44 am
Where are the electric Interceptors?

They are coming:

https://autotechnician.co.uk/inside-the ... ison-lord/
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https://www.diyelectriccar.com/threads/ ... on.204581/
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Hi Jens
I may be being a bit cynical, but was the owner of the Gordon Keeble given an incentive (possibly by the TV programme), to change his car on TV?
I just cannot help but feel that the establishment is pushing electric vehicles in an effort to get us "on side".
As I said in my earlier post I have no problem with modern electric vehicles, but, if the concern is for the environment, then there are much bigger polluters to consider before we start blaming car users of any type.
Diesel trains belching clouds of smoke, HGVs, aircraft, military weaponry etc. I do not see much being done about these issues, are they too difficult perhaps, with more powerful lobbyists?
I just get the feeling that car drivers, classic and modern, are an easy target for the authorities.
Classic car drivers must contribute a miniscule effect to the environment so why even consider electrification?
Richard

The Establishment want to deny car ownership to ordinary working people.
The 'environment' is a red herring.
And this is just their first step.

This is a nice 8-minute video (about my max attention span) which shows the component parts of an electric conversion.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HoqoL1EyAHk

The same vehicle in action.
17 minutes!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B38t7o4zyjU

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ifIdJ9G7Sxw