Jensen Interceptor??

junkyard

I'm thinking of buying one, has anyone any experiences?

Kevin_Herron

Watch for rust. Buy the best one you can afford.

carchaeologist

Dont these have a 7 litre engine?Sounds good to me,there isnt very many in this country id guess.

junkyard

This is one of the best I've seen here or the UK, reciepts for nearly 40k sterling, the car looks and drives as new. it's got a 7.2 Chrysler engine and an auto box, a fabulous car in every respect, I always wanted one.

Max_Damage

carchaeologist wrote: »

Dont these have a 7 litre engine?Sounds good to me,there isnt very many in this country id guess.

Indeed, they have a Chrysler Hemi 440 cubic inch V8, good for 8 miles per gallon!

I actually saw an original Irish reg. one of these not too long ago in Tallaght, didn't get a picture though.

unkel

So cool. You know you need to buy it, junkyard

Kevin_Herron

They came with the option of a 383ci or the 440ci. Neither are a hemi.

I'd personally go for the mk3 J series Interceptor. I feel they are a more sorted than the earlier models.

carchaeologist

If its good,and you have the cash,go for it,its only money!!:D

Henry Ford III

Problems are overheating, rust, and a prolific thirst.

Lovely cars though.

PaulK_CCI

junkyard wrote: »

I'm thinking of buying one, has anyone any experiences?

Had a few going through my hands over the years. I do like them, but they do have some very basic flaws, most of them mentioned already here.
Overheating: engine bay is too cramped to fit these animals of engines and not enough air flows through there. Plenty of addons on the market to battle this though, and they're not really that much worse than a Jag... The lack of space does hamper any servicing, as getting to some of the important bits is very tricky indeed!
Rust: sills are double skinned and you cannot inspect inner sills! They hide their problems well... So it will always be a slight gamble...
Electrics: british electrics bolted on an American engine... as long as you know what you can expect but I am sure you have plenty of experience in that field.
Suspension: the cars suffer badly from neglected bushings and suspension, but a well kept and maintained Interceptor is wonderfully balanced and will give huge driver's satisfaction.

For practicality reasons the MK3 is the best of the bargain, with best parts supply and most sorted interior/electrics. However, to the Jenssen club die hards, the MK1 and 2 are the best cars, better built and better performance than the MK3, apart from the SP's (the ones with the 'Six Pack' carbs, but quick as they are, they are an absolute dog to keep in tune!).

As Kevin already mentioned, there was never a Hemi, it simply doesn't fit :-) without major alterations.

You mention it has wonderful service history and excellent maintenance records, so I guess that's half the battle won and I would say an excellent choice...

superboy

Check out www.joc.org.uk

junkyard

Thanks for the advice everybody, going up again on Saturday for a decent drive.

mountain

also check out http://www.jensen-cars.co.uk/
these may be of help as well

jozi

Best of luck Junkyard with your potential acquirement of a car with the coolest name ever!

carchaeologist

From autocar on the 31st october 2007...

Lovers of one particular classic British sports car marque will today be mulling over the prospect of a sports car that’s at once brand new and 41 years old; that’s because Jensen is about to launch the Interceptor S, a fully restored and updated version of the famous Interceptor that could be capable of humbling some much younger machinery.
Jensen specialist dealer cropredy bridge, now relaunched as V Eight Ltd, has bought 50 Interceptor coupes back from their owners, stripped them down to the bare metal shell, proofed them against corrosion, and then rebuilt them with modern, lightweight materials. The car’s cabin has been modernised, its chassis, running gear and brakes likewise, and its engine and gearbox totally replaced.
V Eight’s new Interceptor S runs independent rear suspension, six-pot AP disc brakes, 17in wheels with low-profile tyres and GM’s 414bhp 6.0-litre V8 engine mated to a five-speed automatic gearbox.
“The Interceptor S has taken us nearly three years to develop,” said V Eight Managing Director Steve Bannister. “Our aim was to build a powerful car that could take its place amongst the very best of British design and engineering; we believe that the Interceptor S can hold its own with any of the major competitors in the market.”
The car will be launched at the Classic Car Show running next week at Birmingham’s NEC. V Eight is asking £74,960 for each of them, which isn’t small beans even for a brand-new sports car. However, buy one of the pre-1972 models, on its original VIN, and at least it’ll be exempt from road tax.

I like the idea behind this,wonder did they build and sell all of the cars?

carchaeologist

Just looking at the cropredy bridge site,seems by april 2008 27 of these cars have been ordered.

S.I.R

junkyard wrote: »

I'm thinking of buying one, has anyone any experiences?

Rust is prone everywhere and it hates alternators... other then that you just need police lights for it

Justjens

You could always try one of these, a bit rarer but just as much fun to drive, most are sorted at this stage. 363 or 383 cui.



Andy Brooks at Richard Appleyards is the best for parts, whichever you choose.

Lauder

Max_Damage wrote: »

Indeed, they have a Chrysler Hemi 440 cubic inch V8, good for 8 miles per gallon!

I actually saw an original Irish reg. one of these not too long ago in Tallaght, didn't get a picture though.

I have a pic of that original Limerick reg interceptor, will throw it up when i find it. Owned by a fella my father knows in Clontarf. Fantastic history to it as well; was owned by a Viscount in Limerick (who got it for his 21st birthday) then stored in Clontarf since 1979 right up to 1996 when it was put back on the road. Il put a photo up tomorrow.

Means Of Escape

Where's the photo???!
Been waitin years ffs

Justjens

me bolly wrote: »

Where's the photo???!
Been waitin years ffs

If you want to see it going through it's paces at last year's Top Gear festival when it was voted coolest car on the Top Gear 'cool wall'

http://www.joc.org.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9215

gfwd

Or you could wait til 2014 when the new one is unleashed!

http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/new-jensen-interceptor-the-interceptors-top-gear-2011-09-20

Dades

gfwd wrote: »

Or you could wait til 2014 when the new one is unleashed!

http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/new-jensen-interceptor-the-interceptors-top-gear-2011-09-20

Puke!

This retro look just doesn't wash with me on new cars.

shagman

You didn't buy this as a parts car did you? A lot of car for €2K .
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/vintagecars/2786059
There's a section in clarksons new dvd on the rebuilt ones.

carchaeologist

Lauder wrote: »

I have a pic of that original Limerick reg interceptor, will throw it up when i find it. Owned by a fella my father knows in Clontarf. Fantastic history to it as well; was owned by a Viscount in Limerick (who got it for his 21st birthday) then stored in Clontarf since 1979 right up to 1996 when it was put back on the road. Il put a photo up tomorrow.

Theres two i know of, either VIU728, a dark blue car, or TIU875, a light metallic blue car.

Justjens

carchaeologist wrote: »

Theres two i know of, either VIU728, a dark blue car, or TIU875, a light metallic blue car.

TIU is a Mk1 Interceptor, birthday present for The Viscount, now residing in Dublin (the car that is). He only kept it for a short time before trading it in for VIU, which is actually an FF (Ferguson Four wheel drive, yes of Massey Ferguson fame), which also now resides in Dublin.

Means Of Escape

shagman wrote: »

You didn't buy this as a parts car did you? A lot of car for €2K .
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/vintagecars/2786059
There's a section in clarksons new dvd on the rebuilt ones.

Whoever did buy this car I am prepared to offer 2k plus a 1978 jag xjs v12 in vgc if he/ she is willing to sell on.