Jensen FF
| Jensen FF | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Jensen Motors |
| Production | 1966–1971 320 produced |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Grand tourer |
| Body style | 2-door 4-seat coupé |
| Layout | Front-engine, four-wheel-drive |
| Related | Jensen Interceptor |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 6,277 cc (6.3 L; 383.0 cu in) V8 |
| Transmission | 3-speed TorqueFlite A727 automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 109 in (2,769 mm) |
| Length | 191 in (4,851 mm) |
| Width | 69 in (1,753 mm) |
| Height | 55 in (1,397 mm) |
| Kerb weight | 3,808 lb (1,727 kg) |
The Jensen FF is a four-wheel drive grand tourer produced by British car manufacturer Jensen Motors between 1966 and 1971. It was the first non all-terrain production car equipped with four-wheel drive and an anti-lock braking system.
The use of four-wheel drive in a passenger car preceded the successful Audi Quattro by fourteen years, and the Subaru Leone by five years. 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 Jensen C-V8, but this did not go into production.
The letters FF stand for Ferguson Formula, after Ferguson Research Ltd., who invented the car's four-wheel drive system. The FF is related to the similar-looking, rear-wheel drive Jensen Interceptor, but is 127 mm (5.0 in) longer, and mechanically very different.
Standard FF features included front seat belts, a tachometer, and map pockets.
Although it was a highly innovative vehicle in a technical sense, the FF was not commercially successful. Its price was high — about 30% higher than the Jensen Interceptor, and more than that of luxury GTs from much more prestigious makers.
The FF also suffered from a design problem, and not one easily cured: the system was set up for a driver in the right hand seat, and no considerations had been made to making it left-hand drive. In particular, the central transfer case and both propeller shafts protruded into the left-hand seat space. The steering gear and brake servo were fitted on the right-hand side, and there was no space for them on the left. By the early 1970s, Jensen's primary markets were in overseas markets where cars were driven on the right hand side of the road (particularly the United States), and the FF could not be sold there.
...
Wikipedia