This 1971 Jensen Interceptor is a tempting project with a reasonable Buy-It-Now of just $6,250, but there’s a few reasons for that. The seller regrettably is throwing in the towel on this classy Interceptor, acknowledging that it’s more work than he can take on right now. You can see why in the listing, as it does have some rust issues to sort out, which could cause some inner conflict when deciding if it’s worth restoring. The 383 drivetrain is said to spin freely, so at least the engine has hopes of being a quick and painless revival; the same can’t be said for the body. Find it here on eBay with the option to submit a best offer.
This is a tough one, as the Interceptor is quite complete and would otherwise be deserving of restoration if it weren’t for the rot issues. You can’t help but wonder when cars like this come up for grabs if it’s because the owner truly is overwhelmed, or he/she is realizing there’s too much work involved in bringing it back to life. As you can see in the top photo and the one here, the Interceptor has rust blistering in a few significant areas, including the edge of the hood and the hatch, and the seller adds the front valence and left door, along with other low-lying parts of the body.
Now, the good news is the interior remains in decent shape, despite some obvious separation of the upper portions of the leather upholstery. The seller claims it has a decent dash and gauges, which it certainly appears to based on these photos. The three-spoke steering wheel is always a sharp look in a car like this, and it helps distract you from some of the door panel damage seen here. The seller notes that it has been sitting for years, and the cosmetic flaws seen here seem to reflect that of a car left sitting exposed to the perils of the sun. Still, the seat bottom cushions look supple, and the center console, armrest, and back seat all present better than the exterior would suggest.
The seller claims the Jensen is “….99.9% completely there including original fire extinguisher, Holly carb , air cleaner , seats, trim, re-chromed bumpers and more,” and there’s some good details there. The freshened up bumpers are a plus, as are the original carburetor and air cleaner set-up. The trunk appears to be full of spare parts, too, so perhaps there’s some bonuses related to NOS parts or original equipment spares. While this is a major project, the asking price seems to reflect the work needed to bring it back to life – but the question for Interceptor enthusiasts is whether this Jensen should be woken back up.
Drivable Jensen Interceptors without outward signs of significant rust don’t sell for much more than the asking price for this car. Combine that with the sellers claim that it “must go now” and a dramatic reduction in price is likely.
This looks to have been exposed to salty ocean air for a considerable length of time. Every nook and cranny where water condenses shows rust. Against the owners wishes, this is a parts car.
Steve R
Should have gone a long time ago
The body has already left the room…..
There’s no upside here. Parts car only.
The bubbles under the vinyl are not reassuring…
Item location:
Deerfield Beach, Florida
I thought i have seen this before. He has some Dino banner signs cheap. I agree with others just a parts car now.
With the existence of companies specializing in custom coachbuilt bodies these days, I’m thinking that this Interceptor could be the basis for a restomod project similar to the Viperceptor SE project from 2010. That car had a Viper V-10 as the engine of choice, hence the Viperceptor name.
In my own case, if I had the money and means, I could modify this car to take the power of the Hellcrate Redeye engine that Mopar recently offered.