Solid Big Block Project: 1974 Jensen Interceptor

Of all the things that have been said about the Jensen Interceptor, I think maybe Jay Leno summed it best when he commented, “It’s like a Dodge Coronet that went to college at Oxford”, referring to a restored 1974 model that appeared on his Garage show.  In a period when the oil crisis was on everybody’s mind and putting a damper on performance offerings, a GT-styled car with a big block under the hood was something special to get excited about during the mid-seventies.  This one’s a non-running project, but it seems to have some decent materials to work with and is probably well worth the effort it will take to get this Jensen back on the road.

Lift the hood and most spectators who aren’t familiar with the make will be surprised to see a Chrysler 440 powering the Interceptor.  In the car’s earlier days, a 383 was standard equipment, but as this engine started to be detuned, the 440 was deemed a better choice for the later Mark III offerings.  The big block is not currently running, with no specifics given by the seller as to why, but he does say everything is all there and believes it wouldn’t take much to get it going again.  The 440 is mated to a TorqueFlite automatic, but there’s no mention of its present health state.

Our history lesson here is that this Jensen spent its formative years in Portland, Oregon, and then moved to California for an extended stay, with the seller describing it as an excellent original example.  Outside, the paint is showing some fading and cracking, but other than some sort of blunder on the driver’s door, the body actually looks pretty good for the most part.  That rear window must have won some sort of award for the most massive piece of glass filling up such a small area by comparison.

The interior appears mostly complete, with the seller calling it sun-baked, so some refreshing inside will also certainly be in order.  However, the important bones appear to remain strong overall on this one, and there doesn’t seem to be very much serious corrosion hiding, so it’s probably a worthwhile restoration candidate.  This sleek car is now in Kennewick, Washington, and can be found here on Facebook Marketplace, where the seller has set his asking price at $8,500.  Is this 1974 Jensen Interceptor a project you’d enjoy taking on?