The FF beat the Audi Quattro to four-wheel drive by fourteen years, but its right-hand-drive-only transfer case meant it could never be sold in America.
Lead trim: FF 6.3 Chrysler 383 V8 four-wheel drive
Jensen FF1966–1971
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Jensen FF 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.
FactThe FF beat the Audi Quattro to four-wheel drive by fourteen years, but its right-hand-drive-only transfer case meant it could never be sold in America.
The Jensen FF is a four-wheel-drive grand tourer produced by Jensen Motors between 1966 and 1971 (320 produced), designed by Federico Formenti at Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera as a 3-door, 4-seat hatchback. It was the first non-all-terrain production car equipped with four-wheel drive and an anti-lock braking system, preceding the AMC Eagle by thirteen years, the Audi Quattro by fourteen and the Subaru Leone by five; the Dunlop Maxaret mechanical anti-lock system had previously been used only on aircraft, lorries and racing cars, and an experimental version was first fitted to the earlier C-V8 without going into production. The letters FF stand for Ferguson Formula, after Ferguson Research Ltd, who invented the four-wheel-drive system. The powertrain was sourced from Chrysler: the second-generation 6,277 cc (6.3 L) 383 V8 and a three-speed TorqueFlite A727 automatic. The FF is related to the rear-wheel-drive Interceptor but is 127 mm longer and mechanically very different, and may be distinguished by twin (rather than single) diagonal air vents on the front wing behind the wheel arches; standard features included front seat belts, a tachometer and map pockets. It was not commercially successful: its price was about 30% higher than the Interceptor and higher than luxury GTs from more prestigious makers, and the system, set up for a right-hand-seat driver with the central transfer case and both propeller shafts protruding into the left-hand seat space, had no left-hand-drive version and could not be sold in the United States. One experimental FF was built in 1968 with a 7-litre Hemi engine imported from Chrysler; another version had a 7.2-litre (440) engine with a "Six Pack" induction system as well as four-wheel drive.
Collectors Spotted in the Jensen FF Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Jensen FF yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FF 6.3 Chrysler 383 V8 four-wheel drive | 1966–1971 | 6.3 L V8 | 321 hp | — | — | 4WD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
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Photographs
Rivals
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