Ferrari-style covered headlamps were designed in, then deleted before production over lighting concerns, leaving the front end compromised for decades.
Lead trim: C-V8 383 (6.3 L) Golden Commando V8 (330 bhp)
Jensen C-V81962–1966
- 0spots by members
- Unclaimednobody has spotted one yet
- 0sets it belongs to
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Jensen C-V8 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactFerrari-style covered headlamps were designed in, then deleted before production over lighting concerns, leaving the front end compromised for decades.
The Jensen C-V8 is a four-seater GT car produced by Jensen Motors between 1962 and 1966 (499 built), designed by Eric Neale and launched in October 1962 with fibreglass bodywork and aluminium door skins like the preceding 541 series. All C-V8s used big-block Chrysler engines: first the 361 and then, from 1964, the 330 bhp 383, most with a three-speed Chrysler TorqueFlite automatic, but seven Mk II C-V8s were built with the 6-litre engine and four-speed manual gearbox, followed by two manual Mk III. The engine sits entirely behind the front axle line, making the C-V8 a front-mid-engined car; while the great majority were right-hand drive, ten were left-hand drive. It was one of the fastest production four-seaters of its era: the Mk II, capable of 136 mph, ran the quarter-mile in 14.6 seconds and 0–60 mph in 6.7 seconds, roughly as quick as the Lamborghini Miura and quicker than many performance cars of the period such as the Aston Martin DB5 and Jaguar E-Type. The upgraded Mk II of October 1963 had Armstrong Selectaride electronically adjustable rear dampers and minor styling changes; the final Mk III of June 1965 had a slightly shorter overall length, a deeper windscreen, equal-sized headlamps without chrome bezels, improved ventilation, a wood-veneer dashboard, bumper overriders and dual-circuit brakes. The factory made two convertibles, a cabriolet and a sedanca that opened only above the front seats. The front was initially styled with covered headlamps like those of the Ferrari 275 GTB and Jaguar E-type Series 2, but the covers were deleted for production over concerns about headlamp effectiveness, leaving the front end compromised and controversial for decades. In 1964 a C-V8 towed a 400, Alpine and Musketeer caravan at over 100 mph (a world record of just over 102 mph), and a C-V8 Mk II featured in the 1965–66 ITC series The Baron.
Collectors Spotted in the Jensen C-V8 Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Jensen C-V8 yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-V8 361 (5.9 L) Golden Commando V8 | 1962–1964 | 5.9 L V8 | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| C-V8 383 (6.3 L) Golden Commando V8 (330 bhp) | 1964–1966 | 6.3 L V8 | 330 hp | 460 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
The Celica XX, Japan's name for the A60 Supra, introduced the world's first in-car navigation computer.
The CTR Anniversary looks like a 911 but Ruf built its carbon monocoque from scratch, no Porsche body underneath.
The 228's coupe styling hides a sedan underneath: Maserati stretched it onto the longer four-door Biturbo chassis to make room for its biggest V6, which is literally where the name comes from — 2-door, 2.8 litre.
Switching to fuel injection let this V8 finally shed its trademark bonnet bulge — and only 405 of these flat-hooded Series 5 cars were built before the whole model retired in 1989.
Japanese buyers got a secret weapon in their MX-6 — the JDM-only KL-ZE V6 made about 40 more horsepower than the engine sold in the exact same car in North America.
An American tuner, Callaway Cars, built twin-turbo conversions of the GTV6 that boosted its V6 by fifty percent to 230 hp — turning Alfa's grand tourer into something far quicker than the factory ever intended.
Audi TTS Coupe · TTS Coupe (2016–2023) · 2016–2023.
A product of the DaimlerChrysler merger, the Crossfire shares 80% of its parts with the Mercedes-Benz SLK — German bones under American badges.