The Marketing Budget Version: March 2012

Last Sunday, 08 May 2011, my wife and I visited Sandwell's 33rd Historic Vehicle Show. This wasn't just a random day out there is a reason why we went and it relates to something that was mentioned in the first blog of this series (serendipity-cars). I mentioned that I had inherited some photographs (the ones featuring some old cars were shown in that blog) as a result of the death of a cousin.

Attending to my cousin's affairs caused to me to have to visit West Bromwich, a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell. In my late teens and early 20's I was employed as first a junior draughtsman and then a design draughtsman by Jensen Motors whose two factories were located in West Bromwich. The original one was off Shaftesbury Street, Carters Green and the second, larger one, was located in Kelvin Way. The latter was a spine road servicing a large industrial/manufacturing area on its south side and a large housing development on the north (town) side, developed after WWII.

1954 Jensen Interceptor

The original aluminium bodied Interceptor was built at the Carters Green factory as was its successors, the fibreglass bodied 541, 541R, 541S, all used Austin's Four Litre straight six engine. The next and last Jensen car to be built at Carters Green was the CV8. This also had a body made mostly of fibreglass but had a six Litre V8 engine supplied by Chrysler. The Touring styled, Vignale produced (at least until production was transferred from Italy to the U.K.) steel bodied Interceptor with Chrysler V8 engine was produce at the Kelivin way factory as were fully trimmed bodies for the Austin Healey BN and 3000 series (1954 to 1967), fully assembled Volvo P1800s (1960 to 1963) and Sunbeam Tigers (1964 to 1967) from components supplied by outside vendors.

Going back to my visit to West Bromwich earlier this year; I wasn't sure of the exact location of the offices I was seeking other than they were in the High Street. I parked my car at the northern end with a view to traversing the High Street until I came to my venue. I was influenced in my choice of parking place by the knowledge that it was close to where the original Jensen head office was in Carters Green. Frankly I didn't expect to find it still in existence, certainly the main factory section had been demolished decades ago to make way for the Expressway. However, to my surprise the office block was still there and being used by a department of Sandwell Council.

The original Jensen Motors Head Office, Carters Green, West Bromwich, England 02/2011

I took a photograph of the building and sent it to the editor of the Jensen Owners Club (www.joc.org.uk) magazine together with my reason for doing so and a little bit of my history with Jensen. We exchanged a couple of emails but the contact dried up, so imagine my surprise when I received an email from the editor notifying me that my letter (which was an email that was never intended as a letter) had been voted the 'Star Letter' of the last edition of the JOC magazine. As a result I was to receive a prize from the sponsors - Tool Connection. In fact I received it this morning (10/05), a very nice set of Laser 1/4 drive sockets.

Last week's email reminded me that I had intended to visit one of JOC's events this year. When I looked at their events calendar I saw that they were due to be at the Sandwell Valley Historice Vehicle Show the following Sunday (08/05). So that is a very long winded explanation of why my wife and I were at the show last Sunday!

Incidentally, in speaking to the JOC Chairman, David Newby, he told me that within the last few weeks Sandwell Council have sold the former Jensen office block to developers. The feeling is that it will now be demolished and the area redeveloped. As I say, I am surprised that it has lasted as long as it has but it does make my serendipitous siting of it even more poignant.