Jensen Club National Rally Display 2022

Today was the public display for the Jensen Club National Rally.    Not being a Jensen owner, I’m obviously not a member of the club, so I attended as a spectator.    The Jensen club is a national club, with sub groups in each state, so the annual national rally is also their opportunity to get together as a club.    This year it was held in the Blue Mountains, just west of Sydney.    The Blue Mountains is a great place to hold an event like this.  Being out of the congestion of the capital cities, there are much better opportunities for car related events.   There are also great facilities, and hotels to support a large group.

The actual display was to be held on Blackheath Oval.   However, the recent torrential rain in the Sydney area meant the oval itself was sodden, so the display was held in the parking area outside.    This worked quite well, as that area was ample size and not waterlogged.

Given Jensen cars were produced in low numbers to begin with, this display would have to be one of the biggest that would be seen outside the UK.   As you would expect, the Interceptor and its derivatives was the dominant presence at the display, but there were other interesting models to check out.   These include the 541 cars, CV8, Jensen-Healy and even and earlier car I am not familiar with.    The quality of the cars on display was excellent and event better, it was obvious that many of them see regular use.

Jensen is a marque I have always admired at British car shows, but never been closely associated with.   It was interesting to see how far ahead some of their cars were on release.   There was a 1957 541 with four wheel disc brakes and exceptional performance for the 50s.   Certainly hard to compare to the Traction Avant i used to own that was produced only three years earlier.    Then there is the FF with its revolutionary four wheel drive and anti-lock brake systems.   This was more than a decade ahead of anyone else.    The easy way to spot the FF is the twin grilles on the side of the car.

The location in Blackheath meant I was able to make a nice day trip of this event.    I took two of my kids along, and we took the scenic route there and back in my Citroen DS.    It’s been a while since I’ve done a longer drive in the car and it was the perfect day for it.   Finally,  sunny, but not too hot.   I was also able to meet up with a friend in from Victoria attending the event and take the kids for apple pie in Bilpin on the way back.   We had a great day attending the Jensen Club National Rally display.

I understand a lot of the Jensens did a lap around Mt Panorama yesterday as part of the Rally.    That would have been an impressive sight and sound for anyone at the track.