Jensen Interceptor

Mopar-powered English touring car

by T.J. Higgins

My 1976 Jensen Interceptor series III saloon, the “Highway Star”

Alan and Richard Jensen started building cars under their own name in 1931 when they bought out a local garage in West Bromwich, England. From the beginning, they saved time and money by building only custom bodies and interiors; they bought chassis and engines from other carmakers. Eventually they built their own chassis, but Jensen never did build their own engine. Some of the engines they used were the Ford flathead V-8, Austin 6-cylinder, Lotus model 907 DOHC 4-cylinder, Chrysler 360 and 383/440.

Jensen Motors Ltd began using Chrysler components in 1962 when the C-V8 model debuted. The first C-V8’s used the 360 engine and TorqueFlite transmission. A year later the 383 was first used and began a long association between Jensen and the wedge.

Around 1964 with sales of the C-V8 falling off, it was time for a new model. After an internal company struggle over competing designs, the design by the Touring styling house in Italy won out. Two Jensen employees drove a C-V8 to Italy and the new steel body was fitted.

The new model was called Interceptor and was an instant smash hit with the motoring press around the world when it appeared in 1966. Luxurious and fast, it was a true “gentleman’s carriage.” The all-wheel-drive FF model with anti-lock brakes also appeared in ’66 and was immediately hailed as the world’s safest automobile. Don’t believe what Mercedes and Porsche try to tell you about all-wheel-drive and anti-lock brakes. The Jensen FF was the first production car with these features. The October 1973 issue of Road & Track said the Interceptor “ranks among the world’s best cars.”

Several different Interceptor styles were built at various times during the 10-year run of the Interceptor. Along with the original saloon and FF were the SP (a saloon with the 440 six-pack), the convertible, and the coupe. The coupe had a hardtop like the saloon, but instead of the big back glass hatchback it had a trunk like the convertible. About 7500 Interceptors of all styles were built, with about 6700 of those being saloons.

In 1976 an Interceptor saloon cost about $16,000 and a convertible cost about $25,000. By comparison, a ’76 Corvette cost about $8000.

The fuel crisis of 1974 really killed Interceptor sales. Plus, an American had bought the company and was building the Jensen-Healey roadster for the American market to compete with MG, Triumph, and Fiat. Jensen never recovered from this financial strain and went bankrupt in 1976.

Today you can buy a very nice drivable Interceptor saloon for $8000 to $10,000. The other model types, being much rarer, sell for much more. A good Interceptor convertible will set you back about $25,000.

You can learn more about Interceptors at my web site http://home.hiwaay.net/~tjhiggin/hwystar.html.

A great starting point on the web for all things Jensen is http://www.british-steel.org.