The Forgotten History Of James Bond And Jensen Motors

The forgotten history of James Bond and Jensen Motors is something of an alternate reality. Jensens could be broadly categorized as cars that James Bond would consider driving. Like the Aston Martins that Bond drove in many of the movies, Jensens were also bespoke British cars, handcrafted one at a time to each customer's wishes and specifications. 

One major difference between Jensens and Aston Martins could be found in their engines. Where the Aston Martin used its own internally made engines (at least until 2017, when Mercedes-AMG became an engine supplier), the classic Jensen FF used a Chrysler power plant imported from the U.S. 

Another major difference between Jensens — one of 15 defunct car brands we wish still existed — and Aston Martins was in their drive systems. While many Jensens were front-engine rear-drive cars, like the Astons, there was also a Jensen FF model with all-wheel drive and antilock brakes. This was back in 1967, before anything other than a dedicated off-road vehicle had such a system. More on that model later.

So even though there were no James Bond movies that presented James Bond behind the wheel of a Jensen, there have been several other connections over the years between James Bond and the Jensen brand. Let's explore them.

Sean Connery purchased a Jensen CV8 following the completion of his fifth film role as James Bond in 1967's "You Only Live Twice". As someone who liked to get a deal, Connery chose a used Jensen over a new one, saving half of the purchase price (Connery paid 2,000 British pounds, which today is 46,390 pounds, or $57,924. Connery's CV8 was finished in bright green with a tan leather interior. After a short period in Connery's possession, the CV8 had several other owners. It later became part of the Jensen Museum's collection, was restored, and was then put up for sale.

The Jensen CV8 was made as  500 cars over three series produced from 1962 to 1966. It carried a fiberglass body on top of its steel chassis. Its 5.9L  Chrysler V8 produced 305 horsepower in the 1962-64 Series I car. This increased for the Series II and III cars to a 6.3L Chrysler V8 putting out 330 hp. The CV8's power traveled through a three-speed automatic transmission and a live rear axle to the rear wheels. A small quantity of CV8s were built with a manual transmission from 1964 to 1966. 

In the 2013 James Bond book "Solo," written by William Boyd and set in 1969, the British superspy drives a Jensen FF. There has been an ongoing debate about whether the Bond films' producers should have selected the FF over the Aston Martin as the ideal car for Bond to drive.

The Jensen FF,  with 320 produced from 1967 to 1971, was the successor to the CV8. While it looks similar to the Jensen Interceptor, it is quite different, thanks to its four-wheel-drive system, developed by Ferguson Research and marketed as Ferguson Formula (FF). This made the FF the world's first production car to have all-wheel drive. The FF was powered by a 6.3L Chrysler V8 with an output of 330 hp, mated to a three-speed automatic transmission driving all four wheels.

One easy way to tell them apart is that the FF has two sets of vents behind the front wheels, whereas the Interceptor has a single set. The FF is also 5 inches longer and has some styling differences in its front end. 

The FF was equipped with antilock brakes, another world's-first distinction. But an error made when its all-wheel drive system was developed meant that a left-hand-drive version for export was not possible, thanks to the space the system took up on the FF's left side.

Before he became James Bond in 1973's "Live and Let Die," Roger Moore did a star turn in the British TV series "The Saint." Based on author Leslie Charteris' Simon Templar character, "The Saint" ran from 1962 through 1969. In the show, Moore drove a Volvo P1800 sports car – but this Volvo was built by Jensen at its West Bromwich plant, because Volvo had no capacity to build it at its Swedish factories. Additionally, the car's unibody panels were produced in Scotland, so British-based production made sense. 

The appearance of the Jensen-built Volvo P1800 in The Saint provided great publicity for Volvo. The show went on to be very successful, being shown on NBC in the U.S., and later in syndication. 

The use of Roger Moore's Volvo P1800 – at least, the one Jensen built in the UK — came to an end after production of Volvo's sports car was moved to Sweden in 1963. The car was now known as the P1800S and had detail changes that necessitated some updating. After a transition period during which both cars were used, Templar's car was "blown up" during an episode and replaced by a 1965 model, bringing things up to date. Later changes introduced the 1967 model P1800S, which ran through the end of the series.

There is one other Jensen-"Saint" connection to note. A series of 1980s feature-length Saint stories starred Simon Dutton, who drove a Jensen Interceptor.