Launched late in 1962, the C-V8 series, like its predecessor the 541S, came fitted with aluminium door skins, a double-edged sword as their presence made the car lighter and faster while in later years was a principal factor in the almost total absence of rust.

For the C-V8, Jensen swung into line with one of its primary competitors, Bristol, by opting to power the car with a Chrysler V8 engine and transmission doing away with the older Austin/Hydramatic permutation.

Although the chassis and GRP body shell had both evolved from the 541s, with the introduction of the new powertrain the C-V8 performance was entirely transformed becoming one of the fastest-accelerating of all UK cars of its time.

Being an almost hand-made car the CV-8 had a fair share of quirks, with one of them being was that brake and clutch operation was servo assisted, the vacuum reservoirs actually being in the chassis tubes, sealed off for that purpose. 

Another talking point was the CV-8s rather ungainly slanted four-headlamp nose with a larger and smaller headlamp on either side giving the car a somewhat unbalanced look.

In the autumn of 1963, the Mk H version arrived, fitted with Armstrong adjustable “Selectaride” dampers (first use on a British car) and improvements to the ventilation, while a more powerful 6276cc Chrysler engine capable of generating 350bhp was fitted from April 1964.

Spurred on by the early positive reaction to the C-V8, in the summer of 1965, Jensen Motors released a Mk III version, bearing a number of significant cosmetic updates.

These included fitting equal-sized headlamps, a larger screen, and a gloss .rather than matt finished wood fascia panel, but there were no significant mechanical improvements.

Before the C-V8 was dropped at the end of 1966 in favour of the new Interceptor, it gained a reputation as a swift car with excellent handling.

What may have detracted from its appeal was the C-V8's unusual styling, which was far away from mainstream taste,

This was a significant factor that undoubtedly had a negative effect on sales casusing the Jensen Brothers to take a much closer look at their design philosiphies for the future.

On the upside, the C-V8's GRP body shell was incredidible durable, meaning rhat body damage thorugh corrosion was minimal over the years.