Jensen FF: the first four-wheel-drive grand tourer

The Jensen FF was a four-wheel-drive grand tourer that Jensen Motors built between 1966 and 1971. It was the first non all-terrain production car equipped with four-wheel drive and an anti-lock braking system, and it arrived years before four-wheel drive became common in passenger cars.

Jensen FF at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Jensen FF.

History of the Jensen FF

Ferguson Formula

The letters FF stand for Ferguson Formula, after Ferguson Research Ltd., the company that invented the car’s four-wheel-drive system. The powertrain came from Chrysler: the second-generation 6,277 cc (383 cu in) V8 with a three-speed TorqueFlite A727 automatic transmission. The use of four-wheel drive in a passenger car preceded the AMC Eagle by thirteen years, the Audi Quattro by fourteen and the Subaru Leone by five. The Dunlop Maxaret mechanical anti-lock braking system had previously been used only on aircraft, lorries and racing cars. An experimental version was first fitted to the earlier C-V8, but that car did not go into production.

Related to the Interceptor

The FF is related to the similar-looking, rear-wheel-drive Jensen Interceptor, but it is 127 mm (5 in) longer and mechanically very different. The most obvious styling difference is a pair of twin, rather than single, diagonal air vents on the front wing just behind the wheel arches. The frontal appearance was revised in September 1968. Only coupés were made; there were no convertibles. Standard equipment included front seat belts, a tachometer and map pockets.

Sales and the left-hand-drive problem

Although technically innovative, the FF was not a commercial success. Its price was about 30% higher than the Interceptor’s, and higher than that of luxury GTs from more prestigious makers. In the UK a reputed 320 to 330 examples were made, according to the Jensen Owners Club. The car also suffered from a design problem that was not easily cured: the system was set up for a driver in the right-hand seat, and no consideration had been given to left-hand drive. The central transfer case and both propeller shafts protruded into the left-hand seat space, while the steering gear and brake servo were fitted on the right. By the early 1970s Jensen’s primary markets were overseas, and the FF could not be sold in the United States.

Derivatives

One experimental Ferguson FF was built in 1968 with a 7-litre (430 cu in) Chrysler Hemi engine. Further Hemi-engined models were not built because of the limits of the suspension at very high speeds and the cost of importing the engine into Britain. That version had a 7.2-litre (440 cu in) engine with a Six Pack induction system of three two-barrel carburettors as well as four-wheel drive, and fewer than ten are thought to have been built. Dinky Toys, Playart and Corgi all produced scale models of the FF.

Design and features

• Four-wheel drive: the Ferguson Formula system made it the first production passenger car of its kind.
• Anti-lock brakes: the Dunlop Maxaret system came from aviation and racing.
• Longer body: 127 mm more than the Interceptor, with twin diagonal wing vents as the giveaway.
• Chrysler V8: a 6.3-litre engine with a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic.

Jensen FF versions

• FF (1966–1971): the standard coupé with right-hand drive only.
• 1968 revision: revised frontal appearance from September 1968.
• Hemi prototype: one experimental car of 1968 with a 7-litre Chrysler Hemi.
• Six Pack cars: a 7.2-litre 440 engine with three two-barrel carburettors, fewer than ten built.

The FF was developed from the Jensen C-V8 and shared its body style with the Jensen Interceptor. More cars are in the Jensen collection.

Video: Ferrari FF vs. Jensen FF – Fast Forward to St. Moritz

Video on YouTube.

Sources

• Jensen FF, English Wikipedia: four-wheel drive, brakes, versions, sales and derivatives