Topic: Solved - NEH 3408: AJS-Jensen prototype London Show car 1932 - "The Chamberlain Special"

[nicanary]

Is it the Star "McEvoy Special" bodied by the Jensen brothers?

No, nothing to do with McEvoy, but you're right that it was bodied by Jensen.

You'll see above that I had amended the answer and opted for a different marque, but clearly I was heading in the wrong direction. So many small sporting cars of that era had a generic appearance, that it's difficult to tell without being able to see the radiator grille.

Is it an early Standard Avon ?

[Carnut]

It's neither a Morris nor a Standard...

[nicanary]

Is the car from what was then a major manufacturer? You have already confirmed that the maker is now defunct.

[Carnut]

Is the car from what was then a major manufacturer? You have already confirmed that the maker is now defunct.

They were never a major car manufacturer, no.

[nicanary]

OOhh I'm all beside myself with this one! It was built as a prototype by the Jensen Bros. for a maker who was not a major player. I'm guessing it was based on an existing chassis, and those wheels indicate something fairly mundane.

I've made a shortlist of possible names, but there's nothing that stands out and screams at me. A proposal for a mini-Railton?

[Carnut]

OOhh I'm all beside myself with this one! It was built as a prototype by the Jensen Bros. for a maker who was not a major player. I'm guessing it was based on an existing chassis, and those wheels indicate something fairly mundane.

I've made a shortlist of possible names, but there's nothing that stands out and screams at me. A proposal for a mini-Railton?

No, not a Railton.

[4popoid]

Might this be a Jensen prototype for a Batten from about 1935?

[Carnut]

Might this be a Jensen prototype for a Batten from about 1935?

No, it's not a Batten and you're a few years out with the date..

[4popoid]

You say I'm a few years out.  Since Jensen started in 1934, is this car from the 1940's?

[targhediferro]

Armstrong-Siddeley 12/6 sport prototype?

[woodinsight]

Star Little Comet Sports by Jensen 1932?

[nicanary]

I've already tried the Star, Malcolm.

I'm going to try a different approach - it's a 0ne-off built on the chassis of a not-well-known marque, so I'm going to assume that this marque produced cars using proprietary engines. Ford engine?

[Carnut]

Armstrong-Siddeley 12/6 sport prototype?

Not an Armstrong-Siddeley

You say I'm a few years out.  Since Jensen started in 1934, is this car from the 1940's?

Although Jensen Motors was only founded in 1934 the Jensen brothers were very small-scale coachbuilders before that date..

Star Little Comet Sports by Jensen 1932?

I've already tried the Star, Malcolm.

I'm going to try a different approach - it's a 0ne-off built on the chassis of a not-well-known marque, so I'm going to assume that this marque produced cars using proprietary engines. Ford engine?

As nicanary says we've already discounted Star, but you are right with the date - 1932!

And yes, you're right nicanary in that the marque used proprietary engines; not Ford though.
And I didn't say that the chassis was a not-well known marque, but that it was not a major car manufacturer.  The name is well enough known!

[nicanary]

1932 Triumph Southern Cross prototype? Coventry-Climax engine.......

[Carnut]

1932 Triumph Southern Cross prototype? Coventry-Climax engine.......

Nothing to do with Triumph.
But it does have a Coventry-Climax engine!

[targhediferro]

British-Salmson?

[nicanary]

Swift Cadet ?

[Carnut]

British-Salmson?

No...

Swift Cadet ?

...and No!

[nicanary]

Some kind of prototype Crossley?

[Carnut]

Some kind of prototype Crossley?

No, it's not a Crossley.

[woodinsight]

AJS?

[Carnut]

AJS?

Bingo!  It was based on the AJS 9 and was the only one bodied by Jensen as a prototype for a production model that never came to fruition, and was shown at the London Show in 1932.

Now there's just one of the remaining questions left; it has a name that it seems to have been known by, though it's unclear why.

Locked for you to see if you can find it.

[woodinsight]

AJS?

Bingo!  It was based on the AJS 9 and was the only one bodied by Jensen as a prototype for a production model that never came to fruition, and was shown at the London Show in 1932.

Now there's just one of the remaining questions left; it has a name that it seems to have been known by, though it's unclear why.

Locked for you to see if you can find it.

I can't find much information on this particular prototype except that it was shown on the Willys-Overland Crossley stand at the 1932 Olympia Show. It was listed as a 1,5 litre model.
I guess you're looking for a model name but I can't find it at the moment.
Please unlock it for others to have a guess........

[Carnut]

OK, but I've given you a point for getting the fact that it's a 1932 AJS-Jensen.
The name I'm looking for is not a model name as it didn't have a specific one; it's the ******** Special (and don't count the stars!), so there's another point available for whoever comes up with that.

[Tom_I]

From what I can gather the model was to be called the AJS Twelve.