Jensen S-V8 History

Unveiled at the 1998 British International Motor Show, the Jensen S-V8 was the centrepiece of an attempt to revive the marque. The two-seat convertible was powered by a 4.6-litre Ford Modular V8 producing about 325 bhp, good for a claimed 160 mph and a sub-five-second 0–60 mph time. It was built at a new factory in Speke, Liverpool, backed by a roughly £10 million investment.

The plan called for 300 cars a year at around £40,000 each, but the venture was undercapitalised and beset by delays; only about 20 cars left the factory (with a further 18 left part-built) before the company entered administration in July 2002. The Jensen name and remaining stock passed to SV Automotive, which completed a handful more. It remains the last production Jensen.