1939 Jensen Saloon

Reminds me of the one or two Full Classic MGs.  Some of the lesser known Classics are interesting - wonder if we have any other  knowledgeable Jensen forum members out there.

Thanks, Mr. Howe, for posting this rarity.  Wondering how many Model H saloons built, and if any other unbutchered examples survive, even if not as lovely as yours.  The company slogan then being "Jensens are for gentlemen,"  they thought a little more unruffled power than the concurrent Ford-powered 126" wb Model S in order.  And so, the 4.26- liter (260-c.i.) ohv, twin-ignition, nine-main-bearinged Nash 8, the Model H weighing about 400 lbs. more than the S, and strode a five-inch longer wb.   

You wonder in the below YouTube presentation what Model H stood for, "maybe Hudson."   It was arbitrary nomenclature,  and wouldn't have been for Hudson  since that was the power the competing Railton used.    While a Jensen S good for an honest 85 mph, an H was clocked by the stringent The Autocar at 91 mph, around peak speed for a unblown 1936-37 Cord or Columbia rear axled Lincoln Zephyr.   Since Jensen S & H also used Columbia, with its 4.11 and 2.9:1 ranges, about that of many concurrent Warner Gear overdrives,  your slinky saloon would have no trouble cruising at the comfortable 75 you cite, or considerably more.

  Saw your car at a show out here in the CA North Bay area in the '90s.  Glad you shared this novelty on this forum.

 Note you live in Grandfather Mountain.  Lovely realm, if the developers deterred.  As a boy in Charlotte, we used to vacation at nearby (to Grandfather Mountain)  Blowing Rock.  Beautiful place, and no more breathtaking roads than the Blue Ridge Parkway near you, with its 45-mph speed limit and complete ban on billboards,  and CA's fabled Highway One.

Three Model Hs received 267-ci Lincoln Zephyr engines, as explained in the below thread: