Our feature event is the National Rally, the first which was held in Canberra in 1983. The 2024 National Rally has just been held in Perth, Western Australia (May 3-6th). This is the first Rally to be held in Perth, Western Australia, given the close ties that have formed with the Jensen Motoring Association WA (JMA).

There were approximately 70 attendees from all over Australia, two of which drove from Sydney & Gundiwindi states to Perth. Most of the attendees stayed at the Pagoda Resort & Spa, which provided easy access to Perth and all locations on the itinerary.

For Naomi and I, this was our fifth National Rally, so it’s always an opportunity to catch up with friends we haven’t seen in person since the last rally.  For photos of the 2022 rally, click here.

On the Saturday our first stop was the “Motor Museum of WA”. Driving to the venue in our RAV4 Hybrid hire car provided the first opportunity to assess why this vehicle is so popular (I’ll publish a separate review on this) As a Melbournian this venue is instantly familiar as you see a W Class Melbourne Tram going passed the Museum. There are over 200 cars displayed at the Museum representing just about every marque and over 20000 model cars. There are a few special cares, including a 1974 Leyland Force 7 Coupe, 2014 Red Bull RB10 racing car.

On the Sunday it was the Club’s opportunity to put on a Show N Shine in Kings Square, Fremantle. The venue was perfect as it was a great opportunity to publicise the marque to the general public. Models included in the display were Jensen-Healey (Including a GT), Interceptor, FF, CV8 and 541R.

The 2025 Rally will be hosted by South Australia and will be held in Renmark. Naomi and I are looking forward to driving our Interceptor there.

Thanks to all the organisers of 2024 Rally, you all exceeded our expectations.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Links to some his other articles can be found here

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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.

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The Mercedes Club organized a tour of 4 ‘sheds’ today, allowing club members to see some of the collections that normally remain behind closed doors.

1. The first shed had four interesting cars, a lovely W111 220SE coupe in red, a Chrysler Valiant, a Jaguar Mk2 and a Mustang.   They were all in good condition.  The Jag and Chrysler had modified interiors.   The 220SE was the pick for me as it was in excellent condition.
2. The Second was a series of about four sheds and was a really eclectic collection.   Probably centered around Daimlers, but there were Singers, Lanchesters, Panhards, Saabs, Jensens and a big collection of motorbikes.   Condition ranged from good to parts cars and everything in between.   The Pick for me would have been a Lanchester Limo and the Jensen.
3. Shed #3 had a British sports car theme, with Jaguars (including a pair of immaculate 4.2 E-Types), Lotus’, Triumph, MG, Ford GT40 and more.
4. Shed #4 had an equine theme, with one shed filled with rare Mustangs and a second with Ferrari’s.

Obviously to respect the generosity of the people who opened their collection to the club today, I can’t name the location or any names, but there were some lovely cars to look at.   You could have spent hours exploring Shed #2 and still found more stuff hiding away.  The shed tour was one of the best club events I have attended in a while.

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