AutoCult Jensen Freighter (1955) (Great Britain) "K & R Walsh Bros."

About the Original

The right Balance of Length, Weight and Speed

As in 1955 the maximum permitted speed for trucks over 2.5 tons was raised by 10 mph; from 20 mph (32 km/h) to 30 mph (48 km/h); in Great Britain, the British manufacturer Jensen already had a suitable truck in its range for the future demand.

The leader board of the company Jensen Motors Ltd.; located in West Bromwich; did not hesitate and promptly used this legislation amendment to recollect its truck; the Jensen Freighter. With the slogan “A 30 ft vehicle weighing under 3 tons for 30 m.p.h. travel” the essential features were put straight. The truck attracted attention especially through its simplicity. Its simplified chassis and driver’s cab enabled a large number of different body possibilities, like towing, pick up, bus and box structures. Even the integration of the driver’s cab into the bodywork, as it was common for then-furniture trucks, was feasible. To save weight, the chassis was made of aluminum and the roof plus the front fairing of the steel driver’s cab were fitted with the light material GRP. The front contrasted with other trucks through its unique radiator cutout in shape of the linguistic abbreviation of Jenson; the lettering “JNSN”. In the end this visual ingenuity became the Jensen’s distinctive mark. In addition the low position of the driver’s cab and the angular, two-part front window with integrated vent windows contributed to the fact, that the Jensen Freighter attracted attention everywhere. The truck was invariably equipped with a Perkings-P6 diesel engine with a 4-speed transmission.

The Jensen Freighter had no successor, as both company owners rather focused on sleek passenger cars than on a robust truck.