This car was owned from new by my old boss, who called it “the fire engine” as it was flame orange at the time. I’ll never forget it, although he traded it for a XJS due to the 9mpg fuel consumption he was getting from the Interceptor. In those days he paid income tax at 83% when Dennis Healey was Chancellor and so he calculated that after 83% tax relief his mpg was equivalent to 54mpg 😂. Shame someone painted it blue…
Everyone who has these traded them in for xjs at the time. Much faster and better-built car due to being newer, I remember my uncle's v12 spinning its wheels at 80mph. Monster of a car. Lovely inside. Except for the back seats. Jenson looked better in my opinion but the XJS turned more heads at the time. Even during a short drive people would point and ask about the car when stopped. Plus the Jenson he had used to burn everyone's legs due to side pipes. Sounded car but always had problems and wasn't as fast
As a classic car guy I should not be laughing my head off when it starts misbehaving. I feel your pain. People think I am being friendly giving them a ride in my car but you never know when you might need a push start. Keep up the great content.
I grew up in West Bromwich (well if I ever grew up) and when us kids were bored towards the end of the school summer holidays, we would sit outside the Jensen factory and watch the cars come out for a test. We were more patient than modern kids. I've always wanted one and despite your review, I want one even more now...
My dear work colleague of 25 years, friend and fellow petrol head keith loved these. We bought him a Jensen interceptor hoodie for his 50th birthday but sadly he took own his life a few days later. At the request of his family he was buried wearing his hoodie and on his tombstone is a picture engraved of the interceptor- so for me his was a poignant video - Thankyou James.
Sorry about your friend. I misread your comment as you bought your friend an Interceptor and a few days later he took his own life, thinking "Just how bad can Interceptor ownership really be??"
Growing up in the early '70's I lived next door to a small brewery ran by 2 brothers. One drove an Aston DBS but the other drove an Interceptor that was a similar colour to this. It was such a cool car in an era of Cortinas and Minors and I have loved them ever since. Interceptor is such a cool name for a car.
The Jensen Interceptor was one of my dream cars as a kid and still is at 54. Back in the late 70's one used to drive round my home town Bridgend in South Wales. you could hear it before you seen it and knew exactly what it was. Thanks for having this car on your channel James.
I have to echo your comment. As a child I was a total statto and knowing that the Interceptor came with a 7.2-litre V8 was enough to make it ultimately cool. I never knew how rare they were, but I've a feeling that every car-loving kid in the '70s/'80s in Britain knew of an Interceptor in their area. There was definitely at least one in my Shropshire home town and I WANTED one (and still do at 51). I also wanted a (similar-looking) Reliant Scimitar GTE, just for its Essex V6 noise - and the Essex V6 was a backdrop to part of my childhood because one of my neighbours had a 3-litre Capri Ghia in metallic blue followed by a 3-litre Capri S in gold. In my boyhood eyes he was a cool guy. Oh, happy days!!
I own a ‘71 MkII and had the same “stalls when turning” problem. Solved by, 1. Replace metal fuel line from filter to carb with shielded hose. 2. Fine-tune carb, and 3. Make sure timing is correct. This also helped the dreaded hard to re-start after sitting while you went into a store. Overheating: Re-core with bigger radiator and replace the horrible Lucas fans with those from a VW Golf. They literally swap in with no hacking necessary and blow like a gale force wind. I live in Arizona and have driven in the summer (100f 38c) with no problems. You’ll notice prices all over the board. Biggest factor? Rust. These cars rot real easily and fixing that can put an owner upside-down and into six figures to restore. No rot? Pretty straight forward restoration with great parts supplies both here in the U.S. and England. Wonderful car. I fell for it when I was thirteen, bought one a few years before I retired and love it. Never will sell it.
@@buggs9950 Clarkson made some good car reviews in his better years, sadly the pressure from the Top Gear team wanting more and more outragious stunts ruined the way he wanted to do car reviews.
Back in the early 80's, a mate of mine bought a rough Interceptor for £100! Granted it was a tatty rustbucket, full of filler & a nasty burgundy paint job, but the interior was mint, and it sounded awesome. He soon got shot of it due to the fact it drank like Oliver reed!
Have owned 2 Interceptors in my time, both MK 3 s and absolutely loved them, petrol can be an issue, my black one had a blue printed engine, when pushed 5/6 to the gallon 😱🤣🤣🤣🤣 love them
Jenson's use standard 60's / 70's dodge engine parts rite? if so the balance resistor could be bad or the box for the dizzy ( that or the princes of darkness came to visit lol Lukas electric strikes again ) as on my charger that's been a problematic/pain and i fired it alongside the carb for good messier as i don't believe in 1/2 A.. way analog and modern digital control yes the 727 is good but a fuel pig or at least for the goals of that car and the stick probably got way better MPG but with a 383-2 barrel 16to20-mpg @ 60 mph is possible as i have done it more than once, with a modern manual overdrive probably 25to32 max mpg but i personally haven't tried it yet but other mopar owners have always seems weird to me Jenson used a 383 or 440 or 2-G hemi instead of a big 6 jaguar or big v12 aka so why the foreign v8? that parts at the time where harder to get and more $$
@@SoulTouchMusic93 huh ?? 16 is double digit 9mpg isn't but i rarely got that or anything close to that (on the 727 and 3.2FG and 26" tall tires all seasonal ect. ) and id have the carb and dizzy way off aka ran like crap and i was being lazybones not to get out and tune it up and a lead-foot ect. in theory me changing the transmission to the TR6070 ( .42 overdrive FG inside the transmission ) is worth at least 30% improvement from the 727 numbers
In the early 1980's I saw a nice little sportscar parked in on a street in Amsterdam. I went to look at it closely and it was a Lotus Elan. On the back I noticed a sticker saying 'my other car is a Jensen Interceptor'. I had never even heard of Jensen as a car brand. A few days later, on the same spot I noticed this impressive, sporty looking car. Coming up close, it was a Jensen Interceptor. Wow, what a car, for years after that it was my dream car. Oh, and of course there was a sticker on it 'my other car is a Lotus Elan'.
The Interceptor holds a happy place in my heart and is a key part to one of the best stories I know about my Grandad Harry. My grandad was a London bus driver (the 38 Route Master through North London) but for a short while in the late 60’s he was a chauffeur and he drove a famous person around in their new Interceptor (because the guy was too scared to drive it himself). He also asked my Grandad take it home after work, this chap had nowhere to park it. My family lived in Shoreditch, an area in the 60’s where no one had a car, or if you did it was tiny Austin, maybe a 40’s/50’s hand me down of some kind. You could could park anywhere and no one stole from my Grandads family, my uncles held a certain respect in the area, the car was safe. Without the owner knowing my Grandad use to take the local kids for rather swift rides around the, still derelict but very wide, post war streets along the Islington and Hackney borders. Because why not, it’s a car to be driven not to be driven around in (unless you are 10 and the roads are empty). But apart from all the fun and cheekiness the bit I like the most was what he’d tell me about driving a Route Master Compared to the Interceptor, that driving a Route Master at speed was way more fun, handled better and could be just as quick (when empty, at night)… “you could really chuck a Route Master around a corner and it would never fall over and get up to some good speed down Upper Street when the roads where empty. But you could, if you got it right because they would fall over, lean the bus far enough to knock the orange ball from the top of the belisha beacon at the zebra crossing on the corner of St Johns Street and Rosebery Avenue.”
I enjoyed this story! theres a famous image of a double decker being tilt-tested you may have seen; as all the weight of the engine chassis and drivetrain is very low down and the (emty of passengers) body ways comparatively little i can totally believe your grandad could really get the best of it around latenight roads!!
@@alexjaybrady thank you, I have a few fun stories about the stuff bus drivers used to get up to… and I’ve seen that picture, it’s a go to image in my head when I think of Route Masters.
@@wellstuffed1976 Haha i bet they got very skilled at driving them, and with a decent amount of power to the rear wheels... i I wonder how quickly a skillfuly piloted routemaster could do the nordschleif, assuming it could fit under the bridges!!
I've had two friends who have owned these - though in truth I last saw one of these guys (Ben) around 25 years ago and the other guy (Tom) more than 40 years ago. Both guys absolutely adored their Interceptors, and Ben had it as his main car (actually his only car). I have been a passenger in Tom's Interceptor - and unlike this example, was working perfectly. I remember it being a very comfortable, pleasant car to be in... Thanks for the revue..!
Thoroughly enjoyed that, I’ve loved the Interceptor and the FF since I was a boy, there is something so classy about them that only a very few cars can manage.
Modern fuels evaporate easily so the heat from the engine is probably evaporating the fuel in the lines stalling the car. A heat shield or wrap around the fuel lines will fix that problem.
@@peterblumbach6600 A lot of old cars have this problem. I had an MGB GT that did this but it was only a problem when stopped for a while or if you drive for a lot turn off the engien and then try and start again. You had to use the throttle a bit to get the fan to start spinning and cool the engine a little. A heat chield helped a lot.
One thing that I’ll never forget is the time, in the late 70s, I saw one of these in yellow driving down the road with flames licking out from under it, driver blissfully unaware. Still a beautiful car though.
Growing up in the 70's and watching the tv program the persuaders i always wanted one of these. Harry's garage had a review of an updated ff with a humungous price tag. Great review as always james.
I'll never forget having a lift in one of these as a child in about 1973. The first time I felt a proper shove in the back from a car. The owner was getting 8 mpg so not a great oil crisis car. Great review as always.
My neighbor while I was growing up had one. It averaged between 10 and 13 mpg . I remember riding in it a couple times in the summer in 90° heat and wondering if the air conditioning was even working! She had it for years but in all the time she had it it only accumulated 38K. The nearest Jensen dealer was 85 miles away in Chicago and I remember it being on a flatbed a lot. The problems it suffered were from minor niggles to catastrophic. She said nothing worked 100% on it from the day she bought it. This lady was a car lover and several of her restored classics ran in the Great American Race Her every day run about car was an Opel Manta which my father bought for me as my first car when I got my license. I still own the Manta and I vaguely recall the Jensen being sold at her estate auction for what if I can remember correctly was the sum of $2,750 in 1985.
I still have the burn mark on my leg from my uncle Jensen's Interceptor side pipes. As a kid, I loved that car he had Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Jaguar XJS V12 and yes at the time I don't in the back seats, Jenson, Mark 1 e, type, and many 911s. That's where my passion for cars started and never stopped. Great memories of the Jensen especially when I drove it down the street age of 10 ish.
As a child of the 70's these were exotic when surrounded by old cortinas and avengers . One in particular used to pass me as I walked to school and I could recognise the sound well before I saw it . Great video.
A typical british 70's car experience, you love them and curse them at the same time. Having owned only 1 Aston Martin, which almost put me into debt, they are cars for people with deep pockets. I agree with James, upgrading the unreliable fuel and ignition systems are a must, the last thing you want in any car are old school systems that work when they feel like it. Thanks for sharing your experience with a Jensen, i am sure you will remember it fora long time.
A sympathetic conversion to injection. 250HP is probably fine anyway. No point in making this something that it is not. Unless you want to make it what it should have been, that might be fun.
Yes, Alan, I can relate. My 1961 Jaguar Mk II 3.4 was rather disconcerting, in that I could watch the rev-counter go up and see a corresponding decrease on the fuel gauge. It was a lovely car, when it was actually running... I owned it (890WTC) in 1967 and it looked beautiful in its metallic bronze with red leather interior. Unfortunately, my RAF pay was insufficient to meet the interminable garage bills, so we parted company after a relatively brief but exceedingly expensive affair.
@@chrisweeks6973 Life can be very cruel, these higly desirable cars have a way of breaking your heart and wallet at the same time. I saved for years to buy the Aston DB7, but it had all the known faults and a few more. I took it to several experts who all said that you get good and bad samples, the bad ones are money pits. After only 2 years and costing a small fortune in repairs, it had to go.
Wow, an absolute stunner and most definitely the coolest name given to any car. That huge v8 sounds like rolling thunder. Massive thumbs up from me, what a glorious piece of automotive history.
My parents had a mk 1 1968 interceptor back in the 1980's (TBA 99) in black. It had the smaller 6.3 litre 383cu/in motor with a modest but rock solid 250bhp I use to enjoy watching the Speedo bounce around the dial 😀 We took it to Sweden following drag racing and I got to see an awful lots of petrol stations 😲
I do love the fact that you didn't edit out the language! Or indeed the issues..... They were a glorious sight on the roads in the Seventies. Great footage - thanks!
Get it set up properly. They are very reliable & keep their tune well once done properly. Not as the one I tuned, previously tuned with an oxygen sensor stuck up the exhaust, crazy. By ear, then on the road. The problem was always overheating. I cured my friends with 6 rubber 90% bends & lots of aluminium pipe. Ran them from the thermostat housing, around the engine bay & back to the radiator. An extra 6ltrs of coolant, extra cooling from the Ally pipe. No more problems. Easy to remove.
I had one many years ago. The 383 version. it was a very nice car but without the grunt you would expect from such an engine. It handled petty good and was controllable in slides. Unfortunately, someone revered into me while I was waiting to turn. I didn't realize they didn't see me until too late. They weren't insured and I didn't chase them. But it put it out of action.
My god I love the beginning of this video but how sweet are those guys? So nice for pulling over and helping you out I genuinely felt so bad for all the struggles
One of the most iconic examples of British automotive history: just superb. I’ve always lusted after these cars. Nothing looks like an interceptor. Great review and patience James. Perhaps the owners need some Ian Tyrell TLC and it will all be cool again; soooooooo cool!
the sunbeam rapier mk 2 looked from the front a bit like a jensen though not in the same league! due to its styling mainly at the back window and front it was known to us kids then as the poor mans interceptor! the jenson was beautiful the rapier looked like a kid had drawn a jenson but got all the proportions wrong.also it was a bit of a snail to drive.
Great to see the Jensen Intercepter being reviewed. It was rarer than hen's teeth when I was a young teenager, one of those cars you only saw in the London Motor Show supplements. £5,000 was a lot of money for a car in those days, and a comparison with the Aston DB6 is a good one, I can remember my father's business partner buying a DB6, whilst my father bought a Jaguar E-Type 2+2 for half the price; as a family man, you would have to take a leap of faith to opt for the Jensen.
In USA, you can buy a Holley injection systems that is relatively easy to set-up and go where the carb was. It makes old cars much faster and much more reliable.
I had one in the 70's - Interceptor III. I loved it but couldn't keep it cool. And starting when hot was a trial. But I still loved it and wish I still had it. Edit: Gt Chesterford, Ickleton, Duxford ..... A505: one time in mine, around 1975, from Duxford to the A505 clocked it at 95. Happy days!
I loved these cars when I was a kid. A family friend had one of these and I was fortunate enough to get a ride in one of these as a small boy in the late 1970's. It was the high performance 'SP' variant so felt pretty fast and I remember listening to Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' on the cassette player.
Really good Vid James. One of your best to date that I've seen 👌🏼. Also ignore the comnents of the Clarkson comparisons. You do you. It's what got you where you are today 👍🏻. Much appreciated for the upload
In the 70s I wanted a Lotus Esprit, but because it was delayed and delayed again, I bought an Interceptor III. It was a nice car, with the 440 Chrysler engine, but I was young and the car was a little sedate for me, so I sold it. Less than a week later Jensen folded . . .
Brilliant video! This is probably my all time favourite car, as my neighbour bought a bright yellow one with a vinyl roof when I was 14 or so. He gave me a lift to school once and I can still remember all my mates coming out to gawp as we pulled up. Unreliable as hell of course as you found out, but I can forgive that totally for that shape. Made my Saturday this when it popped up... 👍😁😁😁
I was lucky enough to own one of these in the 70’s. A MK1 it was lovely to look at but very unreliable, I carried a fire blanket in the car as sometimes it backfired through the carb putting petrol onto a hot engine. If you filled up at a filling station you kept your fingers crossed it would restart as the fuel in the carb would evaporate due to the heat of the engine. I fitted electric fans with an override switch to try and keep it cool. If I had one now it would be convert to fuel injection and improved cooling. Despite all its faults I loved that car. Saw it up for sale recently and was tempted to buy it.
Always loved the Interceptor.. but the joys of 1960s engines. I used to own and work on cars of this period. Its usually a carburettor issue. I had one mysterious issue with an old car… turned out the floats in the carbs no longer floated due to age and years of petrol. No matter how you set the carbs, it would run too rich (gumming up the spark plugs) or too lean and wouldnt idle. Managed to get new floats etc. You are right, James, EFI, modern ignition and an upgraded modern rad and water pump, solves all this stuff.
One of my bucket list cars. Just such a wonderful looking thing, very Thunderbirds. I saw one when I was a kid in the early seventies and have never forgotten the noise and spectacle of this wondrous car going down the road. Brilliant stuff James.
It's the ultimate car I always wanted to own ( if I had the money) and with looks like that,who would wonder. Think I agree with you about some modern updates to help with reliability and possibly help with fuel consumption..? 12 to the gallon is a bit daunting given the current fuel prices - bit of a difference to my Clio E tech giving me around nearly 70. Great review. How about a Sunbeam Rapier series 3a which was my second and most loved car before the rust bug got to it ?!
Had an old Chevy years ago, when it occasionally stalled for reasons unknown life became very tense wrestling with no power steering or brakes! I feel your pain but also your joy, when running they are a delight. The Jensen was my childhood dream, having watched this I think never meet your heroes comes to mind! I’ll stick with the modern stuff, but great video, well done sir!
Spoiled my ownership of a 68 Dodge Charger years ago, just couldn't get the thing reliable, only had it two short years, every time i took it out i was just hoping it would break down somewhere nice. My old 72 Firebird (sold in 2020) on the other hand was 100% reliable.
a cracking video Sir. Driving an old car is an event! You can't tell your mates about your journey in a modern car for you just get there.In a classic , you mention the breakdowns, the recovery truck drivers, the weird total strangers who want to chat to you , the way everyone seems to love you and your car and the way you never get bothered by hot looking young ladies! A Classic car makes life fun again .
I drove one recently that had been fully restored and had an LPG conversion. The automatic gearbox was so smooth. The owner complained about ongoing electrical gremlins. Nevertheless, a very characterful car, and thrilling to drive!
My dad once brought one home to make space in his workshop. Although I never got a drive in it, hearing burble as my dad reversed it onto our drive was amazing. I was around 12 years old and remember sitting in it for nearly an hour imagining driving it. It’s still a car I like the look of, but if I could afford one I’m not sure I’d buy one over other 70’s classics I like.
I worked for a Jensen dealer in the early seventies.They had problems from the word go with water ingress into the cabin I don't think we ever really managed to cure it. I guess it's OK now if you are only taking it out on sunny days
My absolute all time favourite car, the design is just perfect and it has such a presence. This is an itch that I really need to scratch at some point, cannot think of of a more flamboyant , stylish and classy way to financially ruin myself. The FF was so ahead of its time, Audi may have popularised 4WD in cars but Jensen got there first. Great review even with the little issues.
There is nothing cooler than owning an old classic, except that owning it is a life's work. Best to have a classic for bragging rights, don't drive it and keep a Toyota Avensis for your daily driver which you will actually prefer to drive 90% of the time. Great, interesting video, and good to put real life in front of the dreamers.
Epic car, epic sunny day, epic roads, heck even the breakdowns are epic! That shot of coming over the brow of the hill took me back to the late 70's early 80s. Great video. It's too sunny for the car...need uk 🇬🇧 rain for it to work.
I had a 1974 Jensen Interceptor 111 for 10 years and always accepted the 7.2 litre fuel consumption of 10mpg as normal . With proper service never, never had problems. Of all the classic cars I owned including a DB6 it was the most admired car at the petrol pumps.
I had one for a weekend for my 40th. I loved it - you quickly learn to keep an eye on the temperature. Sadly the boat has sailed as regards owning one - my SD1 will have to do.
No better way to spend a sunday morning than to watch a review of a Jensen interceptor :-). A real highlight of its day with that combination of style and specs; an Aston Martin rival, but so much more at the same time. Thanks for this review. Seems like the breakdowns can be cured quite easily if the owner were to look at more modern technical solutions; I would say that's the benefit of owning a 1960/1970s car 50 years later, that there are ways to make it more reliable than when new.
I had to smile when you said, that you can, within reason, throw it into a bend. I owned the earlier mk2 with the smaller engine. I was harassed by a "Boy Racer" on a road in South West Scotland. The A713 through Parton. I let him past and he clearly thought his brand new Golf GTI would show the old, even then, Interceptor, a clean pair of heels. Nae luck! Golf on 3 wheels and being driven extremely well. Could NOT get away from the Jensen though. She was on rails and I had to lift off the throttle early due to the weight of the car carrying me on. I'm not a fast driver, but that car was just incredible in every way and I never realised what I had until long after it was sold. This is the first of your videos that I've come across and I very much appreciate that you're driving other people's cars, and you can't give them a 'good howkin', as we'd say round here. But it came over well that you could feel the potential of the car. Had you not had the problems you encountered, the so called low power of the Chrysler engines is something that I've never really understood, when the pure grunt of the engine produces so much torque that you can fire a 2 ton beautiful piece of luxury down the road at incredible speeds with such ease. If you ever need an engine warmer upper, please get in touch. Thanks again.
I used to ride past one of these on the way to school. Spoke to the owner because I’d never seen one… turns out he parked it because it kept breaking on him but he loved the look of it 😂.
Thanks for the review, warts and all. I drive an 80 year old vehicle, but touch wood she's pretty reliable. There is certainly no other car like an Interceptor🙂👍
Back in the 70s, our GP, Dr Scatchard, in Harrogate, N Yorks, had one. Also, since it was the 70s, this was also when GPs did home visits, and that's when I discovered he had the coolest car ever! He was also a very cool GP too.
Australia, Victoria, Neerim South, 1974. There was a two small (very very small) mechanic shops. One of those had a V12 Jag E Type, with bonnet up with fan belt failure, but outside was Jensen Inceptor III. The owner had three of then. As a young person I was there to buying a Repco 10 speed pushy (push bike) from the owner but that Jensen … that Jensen stayed with me.
My father owned one of these in the 70's, same color but we lived in Canada. We used it as a daily driver and yes the backseat only fits children. Ours had the chrysler 383 in it and from what I remember we never had any issues with it. Cool Car I just saw one restored in Dubai which reminded me of it.
The FF looks similar but has a small wheelbase stretch, around 100mm, if memory serves.technically they were different models, not versions, but that's up to what you decide.
Cool. And when 😂 it’s broken down at the side of the road you have even more time to admire it’s looks. Loved these since being a kid in the seventies. And imagine being able to say you drive an Interceptor, a real Mad Max name for a car if ever there was. Brilliant. There’s one on display (albeit maybe not the finest example as it’s white with black wheels at the mo) at The Great British Car Journey. Recommend a visit there to any petrolhead (and I’ve no affiliation to them other than being a very happy visitor and driver of their Roller.) Yes, you can even drive some of their cars. Great video James. The issues only added to the fun as a viewer (and you kept your sense of humour throughout).
I remember having bought a car which, when new, came with EFi. It was a 1986 Rover 216 Vanden Plas, and the previous owners decided to swap out the fuel injection for carburettors. Can't say I blame them much - my previous car was also a 216 VdP of roughly the same vintage, and it ended its days howling like a scorned valkyrie at idle because of the shonky electronics. Still, better than having to get out every few miles - in wet Wales - to tap on the Heath Robinson fuel pump they fitted.
Great review, one of the two cars which you only have say, I drive an Interceptor or a Stag, which I think must be the coolest thing, love the car, being a 70s guy👍
I was taken for a drive in an Interceptor around Canberra. This was quickly followed by a drive around in his Monteverdi 375/4. The Monti truck me an extended Jensen but the finish of the interior was better in the Jensen. Both are great cars and fun to own.
Hard to believe in mid sixties to mid seventys for every 1 car model Germany made we made 20, we hade the best range of cars on the planet and trucks. Fabulous days, first one of these I seen I was 7 years old, in 1974 a top shelf car in its day, keep this fabulous content coming.
I used to see them (or the same one) around Coventry in the sixties and early seventies and had no idea of the make. I tried to describe them to friends but to no avail. I think that I didn't find out until the early nineties and I still like their form. They remind me of that hit by Mungo Jerry: 'In the Summertime'.
Getting even more Clarkson-esque in delivery, I see. That is a praise, by the way. Also, one of the most fun video from you that I've watched. And yes, everyone wants to drive in a car named Interceptor. Only appropriate with the recent release of a certain US Navy movie sequel.
Very good blog about the joys of owning a Jensen Interceptor! (probably similar to the those of driving an Aston Martin DBSV8! hint hint!) Had friend whose father owned a steel grey one from new and took us out in it at various times. Those looks and the rear window! It really is in a class above everything else! Back then if someone drove an Interceptor, you knew they had a lot of money! Thank you, James, you really have brightened my day!
This car was owned from new by my old boss, who called it “the fire engine” as it was flame orange at the time. I’ll never forget it, although he traded it for a XJS due to the 9mpg fuel consumption he was getting from the Interceptor. In those days he paid income tax at 83% when Dennis Healey was Chancellor and so he calculated that after 83% tax relief his mpg was equivalent to 54mpg 😂. Shame someone painted it blue…
#Jensen #Interceptor #ClassicCar WE HAVE THIS CAR
Orange with a white interior? Your old boss clearly had exceptional taste.
Everyone who has these traded them in for xjs at the time. Much faster and better-built car due to being newer, I remember my uncle's v12 spinning its wheels at 80mph. Monster of a car. Lovely inside. Except for the back seats.
Jenson looked better in my opinion but the XJS turned more heads at the time. Even during a short drive people would point and ask about the car when stopped.
Plus the Jenson he had used to burn everyone's legs due to side pipes. Sounded car but always had problems and wasn't as fast
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The Interceptor really was a car ahead of its time. This one kept dying because it has an early version of stop-start technology :P
Yep... 1970s strikes 🤣
As a classic car guy I should not be laughing my head off when it starts misbehaving. I feel your pain. People think I am being friendly giving them a ride in my car but you never know when you might need a push start.
Keep up the great content.
I grew up in West Bromwich (well if I ever grew up) and when us kids were bored towards the end of the school summer holidays, we would sit outside the Jensen factory and watch the cars come out for a test. We were more patient than modern kids. I've always wanted one and despite your review, I want one even more now...
My dear work colleague of 25 years, friend and fellow petrol head keith loved these. We bought him a Jensen interceptor hoodie for his 50th birthday but sadly he took own his life a few days later. At the request of his family he was buried wearing his hoodie and on his tombstone is a picture engraved of the interceptor- so for me his was a poignant video - Thankyou James.
Sorry about your friend. I misread your comment as you bought your friend an Interceptor and a few days later he took his own life, thinking "Just how bad can Interceptor ownership really be??"
Ha ha no - he never got around to buying one - it was his dream car !
I'm very sorry to hear of your loss Steve
So sorry to hear that, but glad that you were able to honour him in that way.
That’s sad mate. All the best.
Growing up in the early '70's I lived next door to a small brewery ran by 2 brothers. One drove an Aston DBS but the other drove an Interceptor that was a similar colour to this. It was such a cool car in an era of Cortinas and Minors and I have loved them ever since. Interceptor is such a cool name for a car.
I think that's why cop cars in the U.S. are also called "Police Interceptors". 😁
a ready supply of free 'alcoholic gasoline' perhaps?
My Interceptor is very reliable, does not overheat or cutout and I cover roughly 2500 miles per year.
It also returns around 17-18MPG.
The Jensen Interceptor was one of my dream cars as a kid and still is at 54. Back in the late 70's one used to drive round my home town Bridgend in South Wales. you could hear it before you seen it and knew exactly what it was. Thanks for having this car on your channel James.
I have to echo your comment. As a child I was a total statto and knowing that the Interceptor came with a 7.2-litre V8 was enough to make it ultimately cool. I never knew how rare they were, but I've a feeling that every car-loving kid in the '70s/'80s in Britain knew of an Interceptor in their area. There was definitely at least one in my Shropshire home town and I WANTED one (and still do at 51). I also wanted a (similar-looking) Reliant Scimitar GTE, just for its Essex V6 noise - and the Essex V6 was a backdrop to part of my childhood because one of my neighbours had a 3-litre Capri Ghia in metallic blue followed by a 3-litre Capri S in gold. In my boyhood eyes he was a cool guy. Oh, happy days!!
I own a ‘71 MkII and had the same “stalls when turning” problem. Solved by, 1. Replace metal fuel line from filter to carb with shielded hose. 2. Fine-tune carb, and 3. Make sure timing is correct. This also helped the dreaded hard to re-start after sitting while you went into a store. Overheating: Re-core with bigger radiator and replace the horrible Lucas fans with those from a VW Golf. They literally swap in with no hacking necessary and blow like a gale force wind. I live in Arizona and have driven in the summer (100f 38c) with no problems. You’ll notice prices all over the board. Biggest factor? Rust. These cars rot real easily and fixing that can put an owner upside-down and into six figures to restore. No rot? Pretty straight forward restoration with great parts supplies both here in the U.S. and England. Wonderful car. I fell for it when I was thirteen, bought one a few years before I retired and love it. Never will sell it.
James is sounding more and more like Jeremy Clarkson by the day. A compliment when it comes to car related monologues.
Sounds like an insult to me. Can't stand Clarkson.
Drive this car... How hard can it be? He he he !
@@buggs9950 Clarkson made some good car reviews in his better years, sadly the pressure from the Top Gear team
wanting more and more outragious stunts ruined the way he wanted to do car reviews.
Agreed👍👍👍
Not a compliment, but thankfully also wrong. James is so much better.
Back in the early 80's, a mate of mine bought a rough Interceptor for £100!
Granted it was a tatty rustbucket, full of filler & a nasty burgundy paint job, but the interior was mint, and it sounded awesome.
He soon got shot of it due to the fact it drank like Oliver reed!
Have owned 2 Interceptors in my time, both MK 3 s and absolutely loved them, petrol can be an issue, my black one had a blue printed engine, when pushed 5/6 to the gallon 😱🤣🤣🤣🤣 love them
£1 per mile. That's gotta sting on a day trip to the seaside... assuming you don't live in a seaside town!
@@clownworld-honk410 How funny, I did live in a seaside town, Felixstowe 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Jenson's use standard 60's / 70's dodge engine parts rite? if so the balance resistor could be bad or the box for the dizzy ( that or the princes of darkness came to visit lol Lukas electric strikes again ) as on my charger that's been a problematic/pain and i fired it alongside the carb for good messier as i don't believe in 1/2 A.. way analog and modern digital control
yes the 727 is good but a fuel pig or at least for the goals of that car and the stick probably got way better MPG but with a 383-2 barrel 16to20-mpg @ 60 mph is possible as i have done it more than once, with a modern manual overdrive probably 25to32 max mpg but i personally haven't tried it yet but other mopar owners have
always seems weird to me Jenson used a 383 or 440 or 2-G hemi instead of a big 6 jaguar or big v12 aka so why the foreign v8? that parts at the time where harder to get and more $$
bloody hell, that's what a lorry gets. when ragged on fully loaded on the hills of cornwall that is. flat ground, double digits all day long!
@@SoulTouchMusic93 huh ?? 16 is double digit 9mpg isn't but i rarely got that or anything close to that (on the 727 and 3.2FG and 26" tall tires all seasonal ect. ) and id have the carb and dizzy way off aka ran like crap and i was being lazybones not to get out and tune it up and a lead-foot ect.
in theory me changing the transmission to the TR6070 ( .42 overdrive FG inside the transmission ) is worth at least 30% improvement from the 727 numbers
Beautiful car! Really stunning. The FF was not only the first car with 4x4, but also with Anti lock brakes...
Didn’t know that about it having anti lock brakes, that is indeed a pretty big deal for back then
@@grantmills4184 An early Boschs setup, non-electronic. Apparently quite effective.
@@owenshebbeare2999 interesting, also fairly forward for the time
@@owenshebbeare2999 Dunlop Maxaret brakes as used on contemporary airliners.
In the early 1980's I saw a nice little sportscar parked in on a street in Amsterdam. I went to look at it closely and it was a Lotus Elan. On the back I noticed a sticker saying 'my other car is a Jensen Interceptor'. I had never even heard of Jensen as a car brand. A few days later, on the same spot I noticed this impressive, sporty looking car. Coming up close, it was a Jensen Interceptor. Wow, what a car, for years after that it was my dream car. Oh, and of course there was a sticker on it 'my other car is a Lotus Elan'.
The Interceptor holds a happy place in my heart and is a key part to one of the best stories I know about my Grandad Harry.
My grandad was a London bus driver (the 38 Route Master through North London) but for a short while in the late 60’s he was a chauffeur and he drove a famous person around in their new Interceptor (because the guy was too scared to drive it himself). He also asked my Grandad take it home after work, this chap had nowhere to park it.
My family lived in Shoreditch, an area in the 60’s where no one had a car, or if you did it was tiny Austin, maybe a 40’s/50’s hand me down of some kind. You could could park anywhere and no one stole from my Grandads family, my uncles held a certain respect in the area, the car was safe.
Without the owner knowing my Grandad use to take the local kids for rather swift rides around the, still derelict but very wide, post war streets along the Islington and Hackney borders. Because why not, it’s a car to be driven not to be driven around in (unless you are 10 and the roads are empty).
But apart from all the fun and cheekiness the bit I like the most was what he’d tell me about driving a Route Master Compared to the Interceptor, that driving a Route Master at speed was way more fun, handled better and could be just as quick (when empty, at night)…
“you could really chuck a Route Master around a corner and it would never fall over and get up to some good speed down Upper Street when the roads where empty. But you could, if you got it right because they would fall over, lean the bus far enough to knock the orange ball from the top of the belisha beacon at the zebra crossing on the corner of St Johns Street and Rosebery Avenue.”
I enjoyed this story! theres a famous image of a double decker being tilt-tested you may have seen; as all the weight of the engine chassis and drivetrain is very low down and the (emty of passengers) body ways comparatively little i can totally believe your grandad could really get the best of it around latenight roads!!
@@alexjaybrady thank you, I have a few fun stories about the stuff bus drivers used to get up to… and I’ve seen that picture, it’s a go to image in my head when I think of Route Masters.
@@wellstuffed1976 Haha i bet they got very skilled at driving them, and with a decent amount of power to the rear wheels... i I wonder how quickly a skillfuly piloted routemaster could do the nordschleif, assuming it could fit under the bridges!!
@@alexjaybrady well I know I’d be a passenger on that ride
Yes the Routemaster bus is legendary!
My Dad owned one of these beautiful machines. New in 1969. Several highly memorable Continental trips, the only car I hanker for!
The best garden ornament I’ve ever had! Never got it running, but loved it
One of your best attempts at making us smile. Great viewing & you never lost your way with entertaining us. Brilliant and what a car.
I've had two friends who have owned these - though in truth I last saw one of these guys (Ben) around 25 years ago and the other guy (Tom) more than 40 years ago. Both guys absolutely adored their Interceptors, and Ben had it as his main car (actually his only car). I have been a passenger in Tom's Interceptor - and unlike this example, was working perfectly. I remember it being a very comfortable, pleasant car to be in... Thanks for the revue..!
Thoroughly enjoyed that, I’ve loved the Interceptor and the FF since I was a boy, there is something so classy about them that only a very few cars can manage.
Now that you mention FF…
Excellent video - The Jensen factory was only a couple of miles from my house, sad that the local skills are being lost.
Modern fuels evaporate easily so the heat from the engine is probably evaporating the fuel in the lines stalling the car. A heat shield or wrap around the fuel lines will fix that problem.
Very true. And a bigger spacer between carb and intake manifold will do the trick.
@@peterblumbach6600 My Mustang did exactly the same thing, for the same reasons
@@peterblumbach6600 A lot of old cars have this problem. I had an MGB GT that did this but it was only a problem when stopped for a while or if you drive for a lot turn off the engien and then try and start again. You had to use the throttle a bit to get the fan to start spinning and cool the engine a little. A heat chield helped a lot.
The Rover P6B was renown for fuel starvation due to evaporation from the heat of the engine.
@@julesdowner5585 Yup, mine was a nightmare for it. A rear mounted electric fuel pump & re-routed copper fuel lines fixed it
One thing that I’ll never forget is the time, in the late 70s, I saw one of these in yellow driving down the road with flames licking out from under it, driver blissfully unaware. Still a beautiful car though.
That sounds like the authentic Jensen experience!
@@JayEmmOnCars My neighbours Jensen caught fire and he left it in a field near his house.
Growing up in the 70's and watching the tv program the persuaders i always wanted one of these. Harry's garage had a review of an updated ff with a humungous price tag. Great review as always james.
I'll never forget having a lift in one of these as a child in about 1973. The first time I felt a proper shove in the back from a car. The owner was getting 8 mpg so not a great oil crisis car. Great review as always.
My neighbor while I was growing up had one.
It averaged between 10 and 13 mpg .
I remember riding in it a couple times in the summer in 90° heat and wondering if the air conditioning was even working!
She had it for years but in all the time she had it it only accumulated 38K.
The nearest Jensen dealer was 85 miles away in Chicago and I remember it being on a flatbed a lot.
The problems it suffered were from minor niggles to catastrophic.
She said nothing worked 100% on it from the day she bought it.
This lady was a car lover and several of her restored classics ran in the Great American Race
Her every day run about car was an Opel Manta which my father bought for me as my first car when I got my license.
I still own the Manta and I vaguely recall the Jensen being sold at her estate auction for what if I can remember correctly was the sum of $2,750 in 1985.
I still have the burn mark on my leg from my uncle Jensen's Interceptor side pipes.
As a kid, I loved that car he had Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Jaguar XJS V12 and yes at the time I don't in the back seats, Jenson, Mark 1 e, type, and many 911s.
That's where my passion for cars started and never stopped.
Great memories of the Jensen especially when I drove it down the street age of 10 ish.
As a child of the 70's these were exotic when surrounded by old cortinas and avengers . One in particular used to pass me as I walked to school and I could recognise the sound well before I saw it . Great video.
A typical british 70's car experience, you love them and curse them at the same time.
Having owned only 1 Aston Martin, which almost put me into debt, they are cars for people
with deep pockets.
I agree with James, upgrading the unreliable fuel and ignition systems are a must, the last thing
you want in any car are old school systems that work when they feel like it.
Thanks for sharing your experience with a Jensen, i am sure you will remember it fora long time.
@Richard Harrold And empty the tank just starting the engine!
Great idea's if petrol wasn't £2 a gallon.
@Richard Harrold true, very true. I would like to that one day… 🤔
A sympathetic conversion to injection. 250HP is probably fine anyway. No point in making this something that it is not. Unless you want to make it what it should have been, that might be fun.
Yes, Alan, I can relate. My 1961 Jaguar Mk II 3.4 was rather disconcerting, in that I could watch the rev-counter go up and see a corresponding decrease on the fuel gauge. It was a lovely car, when it was actually running... I owned it (890WTC) in 1967 and it looked beautiful in its metallic bronze with red leather interior. Unfortunately, my RAF pay was insufficient to meet the interminable garage bills, so we parted company after a relatively brief but exceedingly expensive affair.
@@chrisweeks6973 Life can be very cruel, these higly desirable cars have a way of breaking your heart and wallet at the same time.
I saved for years to buy the Aston DB7, but it had all the known faults and a few more.
I took it to several experts who all said that you get good and bad samples, the bad ones are money pits.
After only 2 years and costing a small fortune in repairs, it had to go.
Wow, an absolute stunner and most definitely the coolest name given to any car. That huge v8 sounds like rolling thunder. Massive thumbs up from me, what a glorious piece of automotive history.
Now you need to drive a Resto mod Interseptor with the LS3 😅
My parents had a mk 1 1968 interceptor back in the 1980's (TBA 99) in black. It had the smaller 6.3 litre 383cu/in motor with a modest but rock solid 250bhp
I use to enjoy watching the Speedo bounce around the dial 😀
We took it to Sweden following drag racing and I got to see an awful lots of petrol stations 😲
It had 335HP
I do love the fact that you didn't edit out the language! Or indeed the issues.....
They were a glorious sight on the roads in the Seventies.
Great footage - thanks!
Fantastic video. Thank you for showcasing these old cars and oddity brands. Keep up the good work.
Thanks J, yes, removing some of the 'character' for reliability is the way to go! Always liked these cars, so much old school presence as you said.
Get it set up properly. They are very reliable & keep their tune well once done properly. Not as the one I tuned, previously tuned with an oxygen sensor stuck up the exhaust, crazy. By ear, then on the road. The problem was always overheating. I cured my friends with 6 rubber 90% bends & lots of aluminium pipe. Ran them from the thermostat housing, around the engine bay & back to the radiator. An extra 6ltrs of coolant, extra cooling from the Ally pipe. No more problems. Easy to remove.
If I bought one of these things do you think you could help me with some of these issues
I will be happy to try. Let me know the issues & I will see what I can do.@@neovincibeats
I had one many years ago. The 383 version. it was a very nice car but without the grunt you would expect from such an engine. It handled petty good and was controllable in slides.
Unfortunately, someone revered into me while I was waiting to turn. I didn't realize they didn't see me until too late. They weren't insured and I didn't chase them. But it put it out of action.
My god I love the beginning of this video but how sweet are those guys? So nice for pulling over and helping you out I genuinely felt so bad for all the struggles
Very entertaining for a Saturday afternoon. Jason King would be proud🤣
One of the most iconic examples of British automotive history: just superb. I’ve always lusted after these cars. Nothing looks like an interceptor. Great review and patience James. Perhaps the owners need some Ian Tyrell TLC and it will all be cool again; soooooooo cool!
the sunbeam rapier mk 2 looked from the front a bit like a jensen though not in the same league! due to its styling mainly at the back window and front it was known to us kids then as the poor mans interceptor! the jenson was beautiful the rapier looked like a kid had drawn a jenson but got all the proportions wrong.also it was a bit of a snail to drive.
Great to see the Jensen Intercepter being reviewed. It was rarer than hen's teeth when I was a young teenager, one of those cars you only saw in the London Motor Show supplements.
£5,000 was a lot of money for a car in those days, and a comparison with the Aston DB6 is a good one, I can remember my father's business partner buying a DB6, whilst my father bought a Jaguar E-Type 2+2 for half the price; as a family man, you would have to take a leap of faith to opt for the Jensen.
Great retro ride! I remember the good old Interceptor, FF, SP, Coupe and Convertible (from magazines obviously!)
Thoroughly enjoyable genuine video!
My convertible has had EFI and bigger brakes since 2007. Never broken down or got hot either :) if you visit NZ …
James, I’m a big fan of the channel, and that is one of the most enjoyable videos you’ve produced to date. Hugely entertaining. Bravo 👏
Thanks Philip!
In USA, you can buy a Holley injection systems that is relatively easy to set-up and go where the carb was. It makes old cars much faster and much more reliable.
I had one in the 70's - Interceptor III. I loved it but couldn't keep it cool. And starting when hot was a trial. But I still loved it and wish I still had it.
Edit: Gt Chesterford, Ickleton, Duxford ..... A505: one time in mine, around 1975, from Duxford to the A505 clocked it at 95. Happy days!
Great vid - enthusiastic comments and history.... love it!
Your suffering in making this provides me with a lot of joy amd entertainment. Thanks chap.
I loved these cars when I was a kid. A family friend had one of these and I was fortunate enough to get a ride in one of these as a small boy in the late 1970's. It was the high performance 'SP' variant so felt pretty fast and I remember listening to Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' on the cassette player.
One of your best videos, great fun to watch and one very cool car.
Really good Vid James. One of your best to date that I've seen 👌🏼. Also ignore the comnents of the Clarkson comparisons. You do you. It's what got you where you are today 👍🏻. Much appreciated for the upload
In the 70s I wanted a Lotus Esprit, but because it was delayed and delayed again, I bought an Interceptor III.
It was a nice car, with the 440 Chrysler engine, but I was young and the car was a little sedate for me, so I sold it.
Less than a week later Jensen folded . . .
Brilliant video!
This is probably my all time favourite car, as my neighbour bought a bright yellow one with a vinyl roof when I was 14 or so. He gave me a lift to school once and I can still remember all my mates coming out to gawp as we pulled up. Unreliable as hell of course as you found out, but I can forgive that totally for that shape.
Made my Saturday this when it popped up... 👍😁😁😁
"No no, no no, no no no... you bastard" and "don't you dare" are both statements semi-regularly said out loud by owners of classic cars. 😆
Thanks for a really great (and quite humorous) episode James! I hope the channel continues to grow as quickly as you.
I was lucky enough to own one of these in the 70’s. A MK1 it was lovely to look at but very unreliable, I carried a fire blanket in the car as sometimes it backfired through the carb putting petrol onto a hot engine. If you filled up at a filling station you kept your fingers crossed it would restart as the fuel in the carb would evaporate due to the heat of the engine. I fitted electric fans with an override switch to try and keep it cool. If I had one now it would be convert to fuel injection and improved cooling. Despite all its faults I loved that car. Saw it up for sale recently and was tempted to buy it.
Always loved the Interceptor.. but the joys of 1960s engines. I used to own and work on cars of this period. Its usually a carburettor issue. I had one mysterious issue with an old car… turned out the floats in the carbs no longer floated due to age and years of petrol. No matter how you set the carbs, it would run too rich (gumming up the spark plugs) or too lean and wouldnt idle. Managed to get new floats etc. You are right, James, EFI, modern ignition and an upgraded modern rad and water pump, solves all this stuff.
One of my bucket list cars. Just such a wonderful looking thing, very Thunderbirds. I saw one when I was a kid in the early seventies and have never forgotten the noise and spectacle of this wondrous car going down the road. Brilliant stuff James.
It's the ultimate car I always wanted to own ( if I had the money) and with looks like that,who would wonder. Think I agree with you about some modern updates to help with reliability and possibly help with fuel consumption..? 12 to the gallon is a bit daunting given the current fuel prices - bit of a difference to my Clio E tech giving me around nearly 70. Great review. How about a Sunbeam Rapier series 3a which was my second and most loved car before the rust bug got to it ?!
Had an old Chevy years ago, when it occasionally stalled for reasons unknown life became very tense wrestling with no power steering or brakes! I feel your pain but also your joy, when running they are a delight. The Jensen was my childhood dream, having watched this I think never meet your heroes comes to mind! I’ll stick with the modern stuff, but great video, well done sir!
Spoiled my ownership of a 68 Dodge Charger years ago, just couldn't get the thing reliable, only had it two short years, every time i took it out i was just hoping it would break down somewhere nice. My old 72 Firebird (sold in 2020) on the other hand was 100% reliable.
a cracking video Sir. Driving an old car is an event! You can't tell your mates about your journey in a modern car for you just get there.In a classic , you mention the breakdowns, the recovery truck drivers, the weird total strangers who want to chat to you , the way everyone seems to love you and your car and the way you never get bothered by hot looking young ladies! A Classic car makes life fun again .
I drove one recently that had been fully restored and had an LPG conversion. The automatic gearbox was so smooth. The owner complained about ongoing electrical gremlins. Nevertheless, a very characterful car, and thrilling to drive!
My dad once brought one home to make space in his workshop. Although I never got a drive in it, hearing burble as my dad reversed it onto our drive was amazing. I was around 12 years old and remember sitting in it for nearly an hour imagining driving it. It’s still a car I like the look of, but if I could afford one I’m not sure I’d buy one over other 70’s classics I like.
I worked for a Jensen dealer in the early seventies.They had problems from the word go with water ingress into the cabin I don't think we ever really managed to cure it. I guess it's OK now if you are only taking it out on sunny days
My absolute all time favourite car, the design is just perfect and it has such a presence. This is an itch that I really need to scratch at some point, cannot think of of a more flamboyant , stylish and classy way to financially ruin myself. The FF was so ahead of its time, Audi may have popularised 4WD in cars but Jensen got there first. Great review even with the little issues.
Immensely entertaining video. Nothing like a period correct Jensen Interceptor to bring out the best in JayEmm, haha. Cheers!
The late Sir Matt Busby had one, his description of the cars behaviour was more than colourful
There is nothing cooler than owning an old classic, except that owning it is a life's work. Best to have a classic for bragging rights, don't drive it and keep a Toyota Avensis for your daily driver which you will actually prefer to drive 90% of the time. Great, interesting video, and good to put real life in front of the dreamers.
Epic car, epic sunny day, epic roads, heck even the breakdowns are epic! That shot of coming over the brow of the hill took me back to the late 70's early 80s. Great video.
It's too sunny for the car...need uk 🇬🇧 rain for it to work.
I had a 1974 Jensen Interceptor 111 for 10 years and always accepted the 7.2 litre fuel consumption of 10mpg as normal . With proper service never, never had problems. Of all the classic cars I owned including a DB6 it was the most admired car at the petrol pumps.
Great Vid James and Guy. Thoroughly enjoyed watching and learning about Guys journey
Hello, Im one of the lads that helped push the car 😆Awesome car
I had one for a weekend for my 40th. I loved it - you quickly learn to keep an eye on the temperature. Sadly the boat has sailed as regards owning one - my SD1 will have to do.
No better way to spend a sunday morning than to watch a review of a Jensen interceptor :-). A real highlight of its day with that combination of style and specs; an Aston Martin rival, but so much more at the same time. Thanks for this review.
Seems like the breakdowns can be cured quite easily if the owner were to look at more modern technical solutions; I would say that's the benefit of owning a 1960/1970s car 50 years later, that there are ways to make it more reliable than when new.
I had to smile when you said, that you can, within reason, throw it into a bend. I owned the earlier mk2 with the smaller engine. I was harassed by a "Boy Racer" on a road in South West Scotland. The A713 through Parton. I let him past and he clearly thought his brand new Golf GTI would show the old, even then, Interceptor, a clean pair of heels. Nae luck!
Golf on 3 wheels and being driven extremely well. Could NOT get away from the Jensen though. She was on rails and I had to lift off the throttle early due to the weight of the car carrying me on. I'm not a fast driver, but that car was just incredible in every way and I never realised what I had until long after it was sold.
This is the first of your videos that I've come across and I very much appreciate that you're driving other people's cars, and you can't give them a 'good howkin', as we'd say round here. But it came over well that you could feel the potential of the car. Had you not had the problems you encountered, the so called low power of the Chrysler engines is something that I've never really understood, when the pure grunt of the engine produces so much torque that you can fire a 2 ton beautiful piece of luxury down the road at incredible speeds with such ease. If you ever need an engine warmer upper, please get in touch. Thanks again.
I used to ride past one of these on the way to school. Spoke to the owner because I’d never seen one… turns out he parked it because it kept breaking on him but he loved the look of it 😂.
4 Ashtrays; 2 for mum and dad, 2 for the kids - Brilliant!
Also great video, and brilliant you kept in the fails too.
Thanks for the review, warts and all. I drive an 80 year old vehicle, but touch wood she's pretty reliable. There is certainly no other car like an Interceptor🙂👍
Out of interest.
What do you drive? 👍
@@TTommmmo Hi, I drive a 1942 Willys jeep. 700 miles driven this year so far with no problems 👍best Pip
Back in the 70s, our GP, Dr Scatchard, in Harrogate, N Yorks, had one. Also, since it was the 70s, this was also when GPs did home visits, and that's when I discovered he had the coolest car ever! He was also a very cool GP too.
Australia, Victoria, Neerim South, 1974. There was a two small (very very small) mechanic shops. One of those had a V12 Jag E Type, with bonnet up with fan belt failure, but outside was Jensen Inceptor III. The owner had three of then. As a young person I was there to buying a Repco 10 speed pushy (push bike) from the owner but that Jensen … that Jensen stayed with me.
if the Jensen Interceptor had engines from Coventry Climax, the name game would've been high scored
I was dreaming about this gem when I was 10 years old. What a beauty!!!!
My father owned one of these in the 70's, same color but we lived in Canada. We used it as a daily driver and yes the backseat only fits children. Ours had the chrysler 383 in it and from what I remember we never had any issues with it. Cool Car I just saw one restored in Dubai which reminded me of it.
Wheeler Dealers did one of these back in 2010.
It was in really great condition after Edd had done his magic on it.
Only got £6k for it !
Only £6k? Why? I’ve seen complete wrecks of these going for eye watering amounts.
@@antonclark3420
They really weren't worth much back then.
Lovely video.
I have always believed the Interceptor was 4WD. Now I realise it was RWD. The 4WD car was a different model that just looked similar.
There is a 4WD version, called the FF,
The FF looks similar but has a small wheelbase stretch, around 100mm, if memory serves.technically they were different models, not versions, but that's up to what you decide.
Takes me back to my schooldays, when I fell in love with that classic V8 sound.
Cool. And when 😂 it’s broken down at the side of the road you have even more time to admire it’s looks. Loved these since being a kid in the seventies. And imagine being able to say you drive an Interceptor, a real Mad Max name for a car if ever there was. Brilliant. There’s one on display (albeit maybe not the finest example as it’s white with black wheels at the mo) at The Great British Car Journey. Recommend a visit there to any petrolhead (and I’ve no affiliation to them other than being a very happy visitor and driver of their Roller.) Yes, you can even drive some of their cars. Great video James. The issues only added to the fun as a viewer (and you kept your sense of humour throughout).
This was my childhood car my dad had a orange one with black leather trim,holidaying all over Cornwall n Scarborough towing a caravan 😳
Hugely enjoyable vid there Jay. More of the same please! 😊👍
Two ashtrays for the kids.. but it’s ok the’re small sizes! 🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for the effort and genuine video.
I remember having bought a car which, when new, came with EFi. It was a 1986 Rover 216 Vanden Plas, and the previous owners decided to swap out the fuel injection for carburettors. Can't say I blame them much - my previous car was also a 216 VdP of roughly the same vintage, and it ended its days howling like a scorned valkyrie at idle because of the shonky electronics. Still, better than having to get out every few miles - in wet Wales - to tap on the Heath Robinson fuel pump they fitted.
Great review, one of the two cars which you only have say, I drive an Interceptor or a Stag, which I think must be the coolest thing, love the car, being a 70s guy👍
I was taken for a drive in an Interceptor around Canberra. This was quickly followed by a drive around in his Monteverdi 375/4. The Monti truck me an extended Jensen but the finish of the interior was better in the Jensen. Both are great cars and fun to own.
Come to Melbourne I’ll take you for a drive in both again…
@@anthonyplumb8493 - Did you repaint the Monteverdi? I have photos from when it was white with a red interior.
Hard to believe in mid sixties to mid seventys for every 1 car model Germany made we made 20, we hade the best range of cars on the planet and trucks. Fabulous days, first one of these I seen I was 7 years old, in 1974 a top shelf car in its day, keep this fabulous content coming.
I used to see them (or the same one) around Coventry in the sixties and early seventies and had no idea of the make. I tried to describe them to friends but to no avail. I think that I didn't find out until the early nineties and I still like their form. They remind me of that hit by Mungo Jerry: 'In the Summertime'.
Getting even more Clarkson-esque in delivery, I see. That is a praise, by the way. Also, one of the most fun video from you that I've watched.
And yes, everyone wants to drive in a car named Interceptor. Only appropriate with the recent release of a certain US Navy movie sequel.
When I was 12 in 1971 a neighbour had a Jensen Interceptor in much this colour. I loved it but one fuel crises later and it was gone. 😞
I`ve never seen one in Britain, the only one i`ve ever seen in the flesh was a pristine example in Johannesburg...it was drop dead gorgeous!
Very good blog about the joys of owning a Jensen Interceptor! (probably similar to the those of driving an Aston Martin DBSV8! hint hint!) Had friend whose father owned a steel grey one from new and took us out in it at various times. Those looks and the rear window! It really is in a class above everything else! Back then if someone drove an Interceptor, you knew they had a lot of money! Thank you, James, you really have brightened my day!