The term ‘Executive Express’ has been applied to plenty of powerful and impressive cars, but never more fittingly than the Jensen Interceptor.
Jensen had been a bit player in the British motor industry since it was founded in 1946, constructing cars that were exclusive and often quirky around mechanicals supplied by larger outfits. It did create a reputation for quality though, and on this basis scored the contract to assemble the first of Volvo’s complex and fiddly 1800 coupes.
Once that arrangement ended, Jensen retained its appetite for volume and looked to replace its strangely styled C-V8 with a design from Touring of Milan. It in turn arranged for rival Vignale to build the bodies and ship them to Jensen for fitting out.
A feature of the Interceptor, apart from brutish good looks and its Chrysler V8, was the rear window which was hinged to provide hatchback access to the luggage space. Europe in the past had dallied with some convoluted rear window designs but the one devised for Jensen was both massive and vulnerable.
Not surprisingly, supplies of original equipment glass ran out years ago but replacements are still being made in lightweight Lexan plastic and cost less than $2000 delivered to Australia.
Body panels are less of a problem because someone insightful managed to rescue Jensen’s original tooling and most parts excluding the turret can still be made from scratch.
Series 1 Interceptors built from 1966-69 are now very scarce, especially cars with manual gearbox and the four-wheel drive FF version. These used 6.3-litre – 383 cubic inch – versions of the Chrysler V8 with Torqueflite three-speed transmission and all-disc brakes.
Incredibly in a car that weighed 1485kg, power steering didn’t become standard until late 1968. It was followed in 1969 by a Mark 2 version with completely revamped front suspension and better ride quality.
Mark 3 variants with Chrysler’s 440 cubic inch (7.2-litre) V8 arrived in 1971, followed by an SP derivative with the Tri-Power (triple carburetor) version of the same engine. Also available in very small numbers was the Interceptor convertible and a coupe with conventional boot.
Australia did see some Interceptors arrive as new cars, with Mark 2s listed during 1970 at $20,250. Survivors will be scarce and cars available for sale locally will likely be private or dealer imports and best tracked down via owners’ clubs.
Recent offshore sales ranged from £15,000 for an incomplete car to £40,000 (A$83,000) for Mark 2 and 3 models in excellent condition. Around $80,000 therefore seems reasonable in our market for a 7.2-litre car.
