Was there ever a more star-crossed car than the Jensen Healey? The “committee” approach to its creation included several headstrong personalities with different objectives: Kjell Qvale, Donald Healey, his son Geoffrey, and at least two designers. The quest for a motor landed at Lotus’ door – maybe not the best choice for a reliable option. The car entered its market just a couple of years before the oil embargo. Jensen, with its gas-guzzling Interceptor, was just a few years from bankruptcy, for reasons that really had little to do with the tiny sports car brought out with Donald Healey’s imprimatur upon it. Arguments among the principals delayed the Jensen Healey until it was nearly too late, and then the car was only able to muster sales of about 10,500 examples. While these numbers were great for Jensen, they were also in a way not great: the car was so astonishingly unreliable that warranty claims burgeoned. Ok now that we have the bad news out of the way, here on craigslist is a 1973 Jensen Healey roadster project for sale at $5,000 in Post Falls, Idaho.
The motor is at once the jewel of this car and its bane. The Lotus 907 DOHC inline four-cylinder engine is all alloy, with sixteen valves, displacing 1973 cc’s, with a horsepower rating in the 140 area when coupled with dual Stromberg carburetors. A Rootes Group four-speed transmission was selected, and the combination propelled the Jensen Healey from 0 to 60 in just under 8 seconds. However, the 907 was known for gulping oil in immodest quantities. The “T” in the fuel line was made of plastic which had a tendency to burn up and spew fuel everywhere. Technology can solve these problems today, but of course, it all costs money. The seller of this car indicates that the car is not running and needs carb work. The air cleaners are not present in this photo.
Early interiors were basic. You had your choice of black plastic or tan plastic. This photo isn’t great, but the interior could be worse. The dash looks decent. A hardtop was a common option, and this car has a soft top as well. The seller says the soft top “needs work”.
The wheels here are original, and I think they’re kinda jazzy. Unfortunately, this car is just old enough to be burdened with the worst bumpers ever installed on a car thanks to U.S. safety regulations. While these cars were a tough sell in the day, costing a mighty bit more than an MGB or Triumph, they were quick and handled very well. Restored Jensen Healeys have gathered some fans these days. What do you think, is this worth a trip to Post Falls?
Great article about the Jensen-Healey story. I did not know how significant Mr. Qvale was to the automotive world. He was like Max Hoffman and Malcom Bricklin and others who brought interesting cars to our shores. I applaud them for taking risks that sometimes didn’t work out. That Jensen in an interesting car. Decent looking but that rear bumper has to be the worst execution of design I have ever seen. The car being so close to me is a temptation to go look at it in person. However I don’t feel a strong connection even with the interesting story behind it. I do like the Interceptor though as there is a lot that can be done to wake up a 383 or 440.
Amongst a small group of 100 presently or so, I love those cars, and almost bought one new in 73- but as the distributor was under the exhaust manifold it was a stretch to change points easily at home. I went with a TR6 with OD and upon which I put 150000 miles w/o a major breakdown, electric glitch, or fire. mirabile dictu. Sold it to my ex for 100 dollars who promptly drove it into a ditch and scrapped it. There is justice occasionally in life.
by the by Madera Concepts makes some gorgeous dashboards for JHs…take your checkbook
When I worked for a Jensen Healey dealer back in the ’70s, as I recall, those cars with the heavy bumpers seen on this on – typical of 19745 & 1975 had a Getrag 5 Speed transmission, perhaps the most reliable mechanism on the entire car. The earlier cars with the lighter bumpers had a four-speed sourced from a Vauxhall. When I met Geoffrey Healey in 1989 the little Jensen roadster was the one topic he would not talk about – he was clearly embarrassed by the whole debacle. In theory, the Lotus 907 motor was quite advanced for it’s time – DOHC architecture with four-valves per cylinder, not even Ferrari or Porsche had that . . . now even the basic econobox engine is the same!
A beautiful car that was fun to drive…when it ran.
That rear bumper. As if their ad campaign was to purposely say, “Bump into one today, it’s how we say HELLO!”
Kjell and his brother Knute were a pair of…I don’t have words. I didn’t know them well enough to drop by, but well enough to call when I needed something in their area of expertise. Anyone on the west coast with a niche or bizarre import would call them. Kjell was pitching SAAB franchise opportunities while surrounded by two stroke motors that imploded when no oil was added to the gas. I was 10 and understood what a weird sight that was. We certainly should have listened when he came proposing this unusual Japanese car – the Toyopet.
Yes, it IS a ’73, but someone put the later rubber “5mph” bumper on the rear(can’t see the front).
Saying it only needs “carb work” doesn’t make much sense as they are easy to rebuild– makes me a little suspicious now about why it’s not running.
However, assuming there’s minimal/no rust in the fender wells(a good body is the most important aspect when looking at these cars–they’re a monocoque), the mechanical aspects are fairly easy to rebuild.
These are fabulous cars. We have owned three of them. My wife’s 1973 J-H has 235K miles on the original engine (she’s the second owner) and is still running. She drives it 2-3 times per week.
The Lotus 907 engine is a jewel if cared for properly. Contemporary MG, Triumph, etc. engines were stone-age technologies. Like early Ferraris, you bought the engine and the rest of the J-H was thrown in the deal for free.
The car was SCCA D Production national champ five times, including it’s first year competing.
The distributor is not under the exhaust manifold; it is under the intake manifold. Not that hard to change points — just remove the distributor. Better still, change to electronic ignition.
That’s not a factory hardtop. The factory HT is very attractive, IMHO, and has defroster grid on rear window.
Buyer should change timing belt before ever trying to start engine. It is an interference engine design. Watch for rust. Be careful closing the bonnet, it has a locking strut that needs to be released. Most of the bonnets have been bent by people who don’t know this. Join the Jensen internet discussion group.
I think the price is a bit optimistic for this non-runing J-H.
Amising side comment avout the plastic ‘t’ in the fuel line. I once towed an acquaintance’s nearly-new Lotus Elan 20 miles back to home thanks to a broken plastic ‘t’. Sounds like Lotus had a lot of them and little concern for their continued failure.
¨Little concerm¨ is putting it charitably. Their astonishing arrogance vis-a-vis their paying customers, their actual disdain for anyone having the nerve to question their ¨qualty work¨ is legendary and cost them their future. And still there are intelligent people out there who love these technical abortions..
I could never get my head around that…poorest quality fitting in a critical place, and these folks built race cars? Bank balances, too.
Why no pictures of the nose? You lift the hood but don’t show the whole body? Any chance for more?
Me and & a fellow shipmate were sailing back from another “line period” I’m the Gulf of Tonkin (1973-1974) deployment. My buddy ordered a 1974 Jensen Healy via the Navy Exchange in Guam (tax fee). He picked it up in Alameda Ca. When we got home. Within a week we took took the Jensen on a 26 hour drive through mid-California, up the back of the Sierra’s west across the mountains of Oregon and down the coast from Coo’s Bay to SanFrancisco. That car ran like a Swiss watch. Good memories, my buddy got out of the Navy and drove it home to Iowa.
“Wants” carb work? That sounds right British, boy-o!
Hey Rick, the expression “boy-o! is Welsh, not British. LOL
Never infer that a Welshman is British; if you do, be ready to duck quickly!
It’s a bitt like telling a Southern Irishman that he is part of the British Commonwealth! They have guns, you know!
Hey there! My dad was a Lancashire native and he often said “boy-o” when describing something amazing or when things had worked particularly well.
Your cautionary advice on Southern Irish and the Commonwealth reminds me of my mom (a Kent native) telling me when in doubt as to whether someone might be Australian or from somewhere in the British Isles, always ask if they’re Australian, since a Brit wouldn’t mind but an Aussie would be offended for being considered a Brit.
Or call a Canadian an American, or. Kiwi and Aussie, or an Aussie a South African….. etc, etc….
I own a 73 which I bought to fill a void created when I regretfully sold my MK 1 Lotus Cortina. These cars are a lot of fun to drive and have a very loyal and helpful following here in the US. And parts are reasonably priced and not hard to find. This could be a good buy.
This car (upon inspection) has a ton of potential, all ready let a customer know about it, it maybe sold. $5K is nothing these days, driver or engine swap, it has great lines, and the problems from back when it was built are easily corrected today, love to see it in my shop.
one fer pic?
https://www.google.com/search?q=1973+Jensen+healey&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&vet=1&fir=O-UQZl_UrFfZAM%252CFCvmwwafHpjr7M%252C_%253BfWif-X-rbIrwsM%252ChJyFrCRq-crdkM%252C_%253BkNTQ4ucsukkcUM%252Ct721U1wyaDM37M%252C_%253Buk1Wdd99szyBeM%252CSJLyJmsOkclBcM%252C_%253B9_xwRV_ZdCqtSM%252Cnts-0-50GJVX6M%252C_%253BCjUxa8FCXfum5M%252Ci3n1Pp1zXpW8oM%252C_%253BY7R-krgefPzYxM%252C16I87xEatNFPhM%252C_%253BDnCFT-rDqITIeM%252Cc9wjizYgy7ysyM%252C_%253B_igh938eUdbwFM%252CKeAHm4xUbjrNFM%252C_%253Bp3CQrq2G9fxupM%252Ci3n1Pp1zXpW8oM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kTolD_F8O1fpmTBwl8oDeechFBb9g&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiI64z7xMz4AhUjj4kEHU6ACFkQ9QF6BAgYEAE#imgrc=kNTQ4ucsukkcUM
one for info?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jensen-Healey
Can’t let sucha great 1 get by so easily~
Your Dad stole the expression from a Welshman, I’m convinced of that, or to be more politically correct a Welsh person of undisclosed gender or perhaps an individual of no disclosed sexual preference or identity who hails from Wales. And yes, I have been to Wales, so I know how they speak. Understanding what they are saying is another matter.
Bill, Queensland Australia