Some barn finds are exciting because of the dust, the mystery, and the feeling that a forgotten machine has somehow slipped through time. This one is exciting for another reason, too: the car itself was years ahead of its era. Hidden away since the late 1990s, a rare Jensen FF MkI has now re-emerged after roughly three decades of inactivity, still wearing its original finish, carrying its history, and reminding enthusiasts just how bold British engineering could be in the 1960s. When the owner, Mr. Pickard, passed away in 1997, his family made a simple decision. They parked the car in a garage, shut the doors, and left it untouched. That quiet choice turned the Jensen into a true time capsule.
To understand why this matters, you have to go back to 1966. At the London Motor Show, Jensen introduced the stylish Interceptor, a grand tourer shaped by Touring of Milan and blessed with real presence. But while the Interceptor drew admiration, the true technical showstopper was its lesser-known sister model, the Jensen FF. On the surface, the FF looked closely related to the Interceptor. Underneath, though, it was doing something the industry had barely dared to attempt in a production road car. The “FF” stood for Ferguson Formula, and that name signaled one of the most important breakthroughs of its time.
The Jensen FF became the world’s first production car with four-wheel drive, a remarkable achievement that arrived around fifteen years before Audi would turn Quattro into a household name. Its system sent power to both axles, with a roughly 37/63 front-to-rear split, helping the big GT deliver its performance with more control and confidence. And that was not the end of the story. The FF also introduced Dunlop Maxaret anti-lock braking to a production car, making it one of the earliest road-going pioneers of ABS technology. In the late 1960s, that was borderline science fiction. Today, features like all-wheel drive and anti-lock brakes are taken for granted. Back then, Jensen was building the future and wrapping it in a handsome British body with Italian flair.