Jensen Interceptors are undoubtedly collector cars, but if you want to own the best of the best, the 440-powered editions are the ones to shoot for. However, those cars were made in far smaller quantities than the 383 examples. It’s hard to go wrong either way, but given how well a car like this one balances speed with luxury without having to shell out Aston Martin money, it’s not hard to justify the extra expense of a 440 car. This one is a true survivor, with the seller claiming it has never been restored and has resided in climate controlled storage for the last 30 years. You can find it here on craigslist with an asking price of $34,900.
Honestly, that’s a great price for any model of Jensen Interceptor that is rust-free and unrestored as this car is claimed to be. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this example sold in the short term, as the price just seems too good for it to last very long. The engine bay presents incredibly well for an unrestored car, and the seller notes the 440 is original to the car. It’s said to run quite well, with no smoking or odd noises, and it’s of course paired to an automatic transmission in the classic GT tradition. The fact that the air cleaner and radiator shroud show no signs of paint chipping or weathering is also impressive, and indicative of a car that hasn’t seen much real-world use.
The color scheme is great, too, as the Interceptors are mostly seen in more demure shades like white, blue, and black. When someone ordered this Interceptor new, they wanted it as loud and proud as possible, with signal red paint and a black leather interior to go along with that stump-pulling 440. In many ways, the Interceptor is like a poor man’s Aston Martin, unapologetically British and quite powerful, not to mention loaded with luxurious appointments. But you’ll never see an Aston of this vintage selling for under $50,000 in condition like this, so the Interceptor represents a bargain in today’s collector car marketplace.
Some of the barn find examples we’ve featured have lingered, suggesting the model hasn’t gotten so desirable yet that collectors are snatching them up in any condition that they can find, like the air-cooled 911. The seller notes, incredibly, that there are no cracks in the dash and that the wood trim is still in surprisingly good order with a nice sheen to the finish. The 440-powered Interceptor is a collector car through and through, and this one will likely seem like a steal in a very short while as the supply of numbers-matching 440 Interceptors grows smaller by the day. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Matt H. for the find.
Darn interesting car with that 440. I wonder how that car handles all that V8 power?
Better than you would think. But you wouldn’t ask this sa me question about Aston Martin or Jaguar ?
I own one, and it handles whole lot better than any Chrysler product that came with a 440.
Especially the motor homes!
Location – Puyallup,Washington.
Absolutely fabulous.
If only I had the money……
That’s a great deal on the one to have! I’ve never driven one but I have driven with this motor and stump pulling is very descriptive. Can it handle the 650 pounds?
A well sorted example rides and drives very nicely. I was very impressed the first really nice one I rode in. I’ve had 4 of them, should have kept the last one, turned out it had a 1970 440 engine in place of the original one, and it was very solid, almost no rust. Still would have been expensive to restore to a high level but was a quality driver.
Check your stats. Every Series III had a 440, and Series III production outnumbered Series I and II production combined, by a factor of two. There was a rare (232 built) “SP” model that used Chrysler’s 440 Six Pack, but this isn’t one of those.
I saw one today being trailered on the pa turnpike this morning . It looked nice 👍 I never seen one other than magazines or the internet.
Gorgeous car in red (mine is an unflattering brown like a Hershey bar), and I love seeing the values climbing a bit after a couple decades stuck much lower, but they are still a fantastic value. From the engine compartment pic, it appears to be missing the AC compressor and pressure regulators. Also based on the small faced aftermarket radio (as compared to the size of the larger Learjet 8-track that likely was original (as in my Jensen), and the non-burled wood grain, I believe the center console veneer is not original.
The first 75 Jensen Interceptors that were shipped to the US in 1971 had the Mopar 383 engines. I owned one of these 383 cars. After the initial 75 ALL Jensen interceptors came with the 440 stock. It’s way more common than the 383 cars.
Never wanted an Interceptor until I saw a resto-mod version on Top Gear. The guys liked it so much they created a 70s Bond style commercial to accompany. These are cool cars even when stock.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLp4FhDAfQk
One of my dream cars. I prefer the convertible version better but they are even harder to find, especially in the condition of this one.
440 is WAY more common than 383.I have a 71 red coupe,and 75 Vert.They drive more like my modern Bentley GT than a Mopar muscle car,and can be had cheaper than a small block Dart.This is a good one,although rstoring the interior isn’t like doing a Mustang or camaro.
I just saw an all black ’74 440 Interceptor at a car show here in New Hampshire, last weekend. It was in showroom condition.
We’ll then, with all this positive feedback you better break out the checkbook providing you have sufficient funds to back it up, which I don’t. That huge back glass window looks like heat collector to me, definitely got to have the a/c working properly. Fast you say, class you say, alright can’t argue that point.
God bless America
Parts still available? Back in the late 70’s there was one outfit that specialized in Jensen parts, wonder if they are still around? Owner was getting older back then. I had a pale yellow 73 model, loved it.
Delta Motorsports in Arizona? I used to have a 74 Jensen Healy
Inspected this car personally as it was near my home and I have a Interceptor II that truly is unmolested. This car is not original. It has been painted (owner said it was painted 10 years ago, it looks like 10 days ago) and shows evidence of body work. Supposedly it came to the NW via Gullwing Motors in NY. The a/c system has been removed and the entire under hood area has been spray painted black…as well as the interior, yes the black leather has been painted. I could see quickly that the upper control arm bushings are in need of attention and so on and so on. The wiring looks to be a mess in the fuse panel area. I did not start it or drive it, I didn’t see the point. This thing is a hooptie.
If the wiring is bad on these cars it’s going to be a never ending nightmare. The huge engine in a tight bay fries the under hood wiring for a start. Lucas wiring system,need I say more ? Wiring was biggest problem with my 73 and this was in 78 !!
Looks nice for the price, posted 7 days ago, and no sale yet?
A car like this needs to be on a site that routinely reaches a national, or even global audience. Craigslist simply does not work well beyond the local area in finding serious buyers for a Jensen Interceptor. This story should help get the word out.
Weren’t these also a Malcom Bricklin project? His name springs forth in the geneology of many import brands.
Bricklin was not involved with Jensen. Jensen predates him by quite a long time and by the 70’s was controlled by automotive importer Kjell Qvale.
I had two Qvale Mangusta’s.
In 1985, we had one in for service at Maserati Baltimore for (wait for it) electrical repair :) Stunning automobile in either beige or light yellow, I don’t recall. The owner took excellent care of the Interceptor and enjoyed it well. Sadly, I was unable to wrestle a test drive…
“and it’s of course paired to an automatic transmission in the classic GT tradition.”
Exactly what tradition is that. Real GT’s have a stick. DUH!
I’m in Tacoma, went to look at this car. It is very questionable. Underhood looks like someone just spraypainted everything black, upholstery in interior looked the same way. It did have a nice dash pad, but that’s about it. Exterior paint looks like it was painted about yesterday, not super great. I passed. Buyer beware, they always look worse in person!
No hp, torque ratings 1/4 mile..? Even the worst 4cyl front drive junk usually gets this listed out even though pretty much redundant. I don’t know much about these and was really looking forward to seeing how this muscle car.?.. was going to fare. I like the engine, I like the interior, I like the exterior for about the 1st few feet scrolling across the the car starting at the front and then it just keeps getting uglier and more awkward on the way to the back. Sorry to the people that like this look but I tried and looked again and again to appreciate the back half of this otherwise pretty cool car but cant do it . They were doing so well and then ugly duckling it’s like 1 guy designed the front half and quit then they got the guy in charge of utility trailer design to finish it lol maybe not that bad but doesn’t look like the back half of a car with the name INTERCEPTER + A 440 . Still love to take it for a drive tho even if it is a GT… 5 spd be pretty awesome/ scary behind that big 440 however many hp it might be… I didn’t notice if it was dual or single exhaust but dual would be pretty sweet. Seems like it would be a beast of car.
All of them had dual exhaust. These were very high cost, hand crafted cars costing the same as the Aston Martins they competed with in the market. A ton of top grade Connolly leather upholstery and Wilton wool carpet in every one of them. Nothing from 1974 has very good HP/torque or 1/4 mile times since it was the first year of the then new anti-smog requirements. The interceptor actually switched to the 440 from the 383 of earlier years trying to offset the huge power reductions from those smog controls. The thing to remember is that it’s so easy to rebuild to a much higher spec. They are kind of a very civilized beast, as featured in Fast and Furious 6, or check out my Jensen doing a exhibition autocross @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Dfi0LaRrwE
I recall Tony Fransciosa drove an Interceptor on the TV Series “SEARCH” in 1972/73 as Tony Bianco (OmegaProbe Agent) where I first became aware of this car…..loved it ever since….
Nice, never had the pleasure of driving one. I bet it goes pretty good.
I just finished bringing back to life an Interceptor II. It is a 383 car that has been unmolested. The car rides and drives very comfortably, have road tripped it several hundred miles have hit 130 and it was still pulling, all that with a/c, power windows and so much leather in the interior you’d think you were in John Wayne’s living room. It is a much better car than I would have guessed. Jensen did their homework.
Located near Seattle, WA