I have a real weakness for Jensen Interceptors. I almost bought a pair of them once, but the huge amount of rust in both finally caused me to come to my senses. This one looks like a really nice car with no rust at all! It’s located in Reno, Nevada and is up for auction here on eBay. Thanks to Jim S. for this Anglo-American find!
The opening bid is just below the midpoint of the value guide I examined. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen an unrestored Interceptor that didn’t at least have some rust, so that certainly is a big plus in this car’s favor. The seller says that it has only 40,642 miles, which is not that hard to believe considering these cars were generally a rich person’s toy. The seller says there is a small dent on the rear area, but I didn’t find it in the pictures.
It really looks great, even up close, although the seller does state that the clearcoat is peeling on the hood. There’s not much I’d change, but I think I’d go back with blackwall tires rather than the outlined white letter ones. That’s not very difficult (although they are brand new with only 50 miles!). Maybe we could just flip them on the wheels?
Although the driver’s seat is somewhat damaged, the interior as a whole not only looks great but it reflects the Interceptor’s somewhat quirky design idiom. I really don’t think the back seats are useful for anything other than small dogs, though!
Under the hood, we have the original Chrysler 440 V8. It’s said to be in good shape and has benefited recently from a new carburetor, tune up and hoses. There are other things that have been recently replaced as well, such as a new master cylinder, brake booster, rebuilt calipers, new rotors & brake pads. There’s also a new exhaust system, new power steering lines, a new rack & pinion & completely rebuilt front end. There’s also a 20-year collection of spare parts, including a spare Jensen-spec engine block and cylinder heads and a complete rear end. Maybe that opening bid isn’t that bad a price after all! Let us know what you think!
This and the Cobra are two imports that I would love to own. The whole idea of a small British car with a big American V8 sounds like a blast to drive! When Wheeler Dealer’s did their segment on a Jensen Interceptor they revealed that parts should not be a problem for these cars. There is a distributor in England that seems to have everything from the build sheets to parts. Of course the 440 Chrysler engine and related Chrysler parts should be easy to find for many years to come. The only thing that would turn me off would be rust, which does not appear to be a problem with this example. I’d say reverse the tires, fix the dent, and have fun!
James, Interceptors are not small cars. Check dimensions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jensen_Interceptor
Interesting! The Interceptor is larger than I imagined it is. Those are similar dimensions and weight as a Ford Crown Victoria. Ask me how I know this? I had to measure one carefully to make sure it would fit inside of a cargo trailer. Still, with a 440 engine, the Interceptor should be fast.
wow, what a find.. if only i had the money. Always been a dream to own one of these..
Two years ago, I had the joy of assembling an Interceptor 3 convertible after the previous body shop folded and the car was left in pieces. I now know every nut and bolt of the interceptor 3 convertible, to bad I’ll probably never use that knowledge again. They only built around 700 of em.
I always thought these were cool from the front end to the back of the doors, then an AMC Pacer appears
I always like the look of these and rarely see one. Anybody have an idea of the value of this one? Thanks for any help as I’m intersted in becoming the next owner.
Peter R. Click on highlighted “value guide” in the first paragraph.
This one looks really nice. Get a passenger seat from a rusted out wreck, move some of the hardware over from the original driver’s seat and off you go. I used to ferry my kids around in the FF (AWD + ABS version) and up to age 10 the rear seat behind the passenger is perfectly OK. Being on the tall side (6’4″) only toddlers fit behind my driver’s seat.
While I know it’s not the same car, but still a Jensen, a few days ago, while cleaning out one of my barns full of weird car parts [that means parts for weird cars], I found a N.O.S. set of Jensen-Healey full galvanized sills [rocker panels], never installed on a car. These rusted terribly because while they did use galvanized sheet steel, they spot welded the pieces together and didn’t re-galvanize [or even paint] the spot welds, allowing the rust to start. If you have a Jensen-Healey with rusted sills, let me know!
I’ve seen and worked on many of this cars with the 440 engine in the mid to late 1970’s in Encino,CA.. The Biggest problem with them was that the frame around the engine motor mounts would Rip, not break it, rip-it just like ripping a piece of paper. Most of these were 50 thousand miles or less cars, owned by businessmen. When I pointed it out to the owner I’ll never forget they would give me a shocked look and were afraid to drive it out of the shop. The cars with the 383 engine didn’t seem to rip the frame, the 383 engine was cut back more to meet California Smog Laws, they even felt sluggest as per the owner also.