Jensen Interceptor
Discussion
TarquinMX5 said:
I haven't seen that Avis advert before; can you imagine the fuss nowadays if they ran that.
Is the one with the typewriter the 'office' option they offered? - I didn't realise it was available as early as that.
A Tangerine SP with black vinyl roof (very period), or Brienz Blue with a light trim, I'd be happy with either.
Presumably it must be the official 'office executive' option, that's a S1 and it looks like it's from the Earls Court show, probably '68 or '69.... when did the S2 arrive...?Is the one with the typewriter the 'office' option they offered? - I didn't realise it was available as early as that.
A Tangerine SP with black vinyl roof (very period), or Brienz Blue with a light trim, I'd be happy with either.
More period stuff.....
I can't recall where I found these but they have the look and feel of the opening titles to some long lost TV series c.1970....!
In my head I may have just spent a portion of Mrs.P5B's inheritance....
I've dug a bit deeper and the 'Director' version, introduced in the 'late 60s', came with a television, typewriter, dictation machine, filing system and Air-call radio, as shown in the photo. Today we'd call it a smart phone.
The Director version also had a leather overnight bag and an attaché case, both trimmed to match the interior trim, a food and drinks cabinet and a shaving kit.
The MK11 came out late '69, for '70 model year and was exhibited at the 1969 motor show, so the photo re the 'Director /office' version is probably at the 1968 show.
The Director version also had a leather overnight bag and an attaché case, both trimmed to match the interior trim, a food and drinks cabinet and a shaving kit.
The MK11 came out late '69, for '70 model year and was exhibited at the 1969 motor show, so the photo re the 'Director /office' version is probably at the 1968 show.
P5BNij said:
Here you go, it's rather nice and I think the colour suits it....
https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/1968-jensen-in...
Edit - beat me to it..!
I love how that advert comes with 328 images, somewhat comprehensive! https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/1968-jensen-in...
Edit - beat me to it..!
Thanks for the info Tarquin 
Vixen - I'd forgotten about the 'Michael Rimmer' car, I've got the film on dvd somewhere, will have to dig it out and have a shuftie.
Until recently we used to have a regular job with a stone train at Banbury and during the driver changeover we'd have to drive one of the staff vans past Cropredy, on several occasions I've taken a detour down to Cropredy Bridge just to have a sly look at the various Interceptor projects they had parked up at the back of their yard. Naughty, but nice.
This S1 FF appeared in the film 'Tales From The Crypt'....
The factory demonstrator that Tony Curtis tried out in 1970 before ordering his own car....
And two from the factory....
Vixen - I'd forgotten about the 'Michael Rimmer' car, I've got the film on dvd somewhere, will have to dig it out and have a shuftie.
Until recently we used to have a regular job with a stone train at Banbury and during the driver changeover we'd have to drive one of the staff vans past Cropredy, on several occasions I've taken a detour down to Cropredy Bridge just to have a sly look at the various Interceptor projects they had parked up at the back of their yard. Naughty, but nice.
This S1 FF appeared in the film 'Tales From The Crypt'....
The factory demonstrator that Tony Curtis tried out in 1970 before ordering his own car....
And two from the factory....
TarquinMX5 said:
I've dug a bit deeper and the 'Director' version, introduced in the 'late 60s', came with a television, typewriter, dictation machine, filing system and Air-call radio, as shown in the photo. Today we'd call it a smart phone.
The Director version also had a leather overnight bag and an attaché case, both trimmed to match the interior trim, a food and drinks cabinet and a shaving kit.
The MK11 came out late '69, for '70 model year and was exhibited at the 1969 motor show, so the photo re the 'Director /office' version is probably at the 1968 show.
A very early example of how the latest and greatest electronics age much more quickly than the car itself. The pic now looks like a backstreet electronic second hand place, while the actual car has aged beautifully.The Director version also had a leather overnight bag and an attaché case, both trimmed to match the interior trim, a food and drinks cabinet and a shaving kit.
The MK11 came out late '69, for '70 model year and was exhibited at the 1969 motor show, so the photo re the 'Director /office' version is probably at the 1968 show.
RDMcG said:
TarquinMX5 said:
I've dug a bit deeper and the 'Director' version, introduced in the 'late 60s', came with a television, typewriter, dictation machine, filing system and Air-call radio, as shown in the photo. Today we'd call it a smart phone.
The Director version also had a leather overnight bag and an attaché case, both trimmed to match the interior trim, a food and drinks cabinet and a shaving kit.
The MK11 came out late '69, for '70 model year and was exhibited at the 1969 motor show, so the photo re the 'Director /office' version is probably at the 1968 show.
A very early example of how the latest and greatest electronics age much more quickly than the car itself. The pic now looks like a backstreet electronic second hand place, while the actual car has aged beautifully.The Director version also had a leather overnight bag and an attaché case, both trimmed to match the interior trim, a food and drinks cabinet and a shaving kit.
The MK11 came out late '69, for '70 model year and was exhibited at the 1969 motor show, so the photo re the 'Director /office' version is probably at the 1968 show.
Off the main topic trivia but related to the general vibe of '60s technology - John Lennon wrote the lyrics for one of his songs on 'Revolver' on the back of a bill for the radio telephone in his Radford Mini Cooper S in 1966, very few people had such a thing at the time.
Back to Interceptors.... the very first Interceptor on its way back from Vignale's factory in Italy, it went out there from West Brom as a CV8 chassis and came back as an Interceptor.....
Early Vignale built production Interceptors and an FF on a brochure photo shoot at Stonehenge, 'HEA 1D' was the first one and still exists....
Edited by P5BNij on Thursday 3rd September 19:37
Scratched my itch some 6 years ago ... no regrets and will likely never sell .
Very early Series II ( 1969 ) with the more powerful 6.3L High Compression engine ( 335 bhp as opposed to 285 bhp in later 7.2L configuration ) and the specific 2-vent dash for the early 2 series with the 3 spoke leather steering wheel .
Later 2 series and 3 series cars had all 4 vent dashes and imho the 'ugly' 2 spoke steering wheel .
Ultra comfortable long distance cruiser with power and torque aplenty whenever you want .
According to current standards still pretty quick off the line : 7.6 sec to 60 mph . And this for a 1.8 tonne car .As a plus you're getting the mighty roar of Mopar power .
Also dreamt ( and still dream ) of a AMV8 , but tbh am happy with the Interceptor as A.it is regularly written by the specialised press as the better driving car and B. if something goes wrong mechanically , it does mean I don't have to sell the house .
Seen a steady rise in prices last years and frankly deserved as the restauration costs until now far outweighed the value of the car .Hopefully this will mean more examples get saved from neglect or the crusher .
The only reason why they have been 'unloved' for so long and looked down onto by so-called 'enthusiasts', is the fact Jensen does not really have a motorsport heritage as opposed to eg. Ferrari , Maserati or Aston Martin .The effect of all this is a lot of Interceptors in the last 25 years have been scrapped , with the effect some Interceptor models are quite a rare sight as there are not a lot left ( ie. Series II were built approx # 1200 ; currently the register has only count of approx # 200 RHD examples left Worldwide ) .
In reality the Interceptor was ahead of its time and rivals at launch : Italian designed ( design by Touring of Milan , first batch built by Vignale ) , American Power and drivetrain ( Chrysler V8 ) and handbuilt and finished in Britain ( eg. full leather interior ) . Equipped with all luxury features available then : airconditioning , power windows , power antenna , reclining seats , seatbelts , 4 disk brakes etc. . The FF series were even more advanced with the first available 4x4 system on a non-jeep car , 25 years before Audi introduced the quattro system . And then we're not even talking about the Maxaret anti-lock braking system which predated the ABS system by many years ...
Truly very special cars in their time , but today even more important in car history justifying its place next to any of its contemporary competitors .
Supersonic Velvet ...
Very early Series II ( 1969 ) with the more powerful 6.3L High Compression engine ( 335 bhp as opposed to 285 bhp in later 7.2L configuration ) and the specific 2-vent dash for the early 2 series with the 3 spoke leather steering wheel .
Later 2 series and 3 series cars had all 4 vent dashes and imho the 'ugly' 2 spoke steering wheel .
Ultra comfortable long distance cruiser with power and torque aplenty whenever you want .
According to current standards still pretty quick off the line : 7.6 sec to 60 mph . And this for a 1.8 tonne car .As a plus you're getting the mighty roar of Mopar power .
Also dreamt ( and still dream ) of a AMV8 , but tbh am happy with the Interceptor as A.it is regularly written by the specialised press as the better driving car and B. if something goes wrong mechanically , it does mean I don't have to sell the house .
Seen a steady rise in prices last years and frankly deserved as the restauration costs until now far outweighed the value of the car .Hopefully this will mean more examples get saved from neglect or the crusher .
The only reason why they have been 'unloved' for so long and looked down onto by so-called 'enthusiasts', is the fact Jensen does not really have a motorsport heritage as opposed to eg. Ferrari , Maserati or Aston Martin .The effect of all this is a lot of Interceptors in the last 25 years have been scrapped , with the effect some Interceptor models are quite a rare sight as there are not a lot left ( ie. Series II were built approx # 1200 ; currently the register has only count of approx # 200 RHD examples left Worldwide ) .
In reality the Interceptor was ahead of its time and rivals at launch : Italian designed ( design by Touring of Milan , first batch built by Vignale ) , American Power and drivetrain ( Chrysler V8 ) and handbuilt and finished in Britain ( eg. full leather interior ) . Equipped with all luxury features available then : airconditioning , power windows , power antenna , reclining seats , seatbelts , 4 disk brakes etc. . The FF series were even more advanced with the first available 4x4 system on a non-jeep car , 25 years before Audi introduced the quattro system . And then we're not even talking about the Maxaret anti-lock braking system which predated the ABS system by many years ...
Truly very special cars in their time , but today even more important in car history justifying its place next to any of its contemporary competitors .
Supersonic Velvet ...
Gorgeous cars. Big, 70s GT cars are ***very*** much my thing.
Here's quentin willson eulogising about them in the late 90s for "the cars the star"
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ypBDk1bJtc0
(Also in the days when Sir Cliff and the BBC were talking fo each other)
Here's quentin willson eulogising about them in the late 90s for "the cars the star"
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ypBDk1bJtc0
(Also in the days when Sir Cliff and the BBC were talking fo each other)
Harald1974 said:
. The FF series were even more advanced with the first available 4x4 system on a non-jeep car , 25 years before Audi introduced the quattro system . And then we're not even talking about the Maxaret anti-lock braking system which predated the ABS system by many years ...
Truly very special cars in their time , but today even more important in car history justifying its place next to any of its contemporary competitors .
Supersonic Velvet ...
Brilliant cars to keep well and restore. Envious!Truly very special cars in their time , but today even more important in car history justifying its place next to any of its contemporary competitors .
Supersonic Velvet ...
P5BNij said:
A few years ago there was an all Rover do at Gaydon, I got chatting with the owner of an ex-Met Police P6 3500, the dashboard of which was festooned with radio / comms gear. He opened the boot to show me the gubbins that powered it all, it almost completely filled the boot space and he said ''all of that technology is now what's inside your mobile phone''.
Off the main topic trivia but related to the general vibe of '60s technology - John Lennon wrote the lyrics for one of his songs on 'Revolver' on the back of a bill for the radio telephone in his Radford Mini Cooper S in 1966, very few people had such a thing at the time.
Back to Interceptors.... the very first Interceptor on its way back from Vignale's factory in Italy, it went out there from West Brom as a CV8 chassis and came back as an Interceptor.....
Early Vignale built production Interceptors and an FF on a brochure photo shoot at Stonehenge, 'HEA 1D' was the first one and still exists....
The ex Connery 1973 3.0 CSL that I owned, reputedly had a telephone in it.Off the main topic trivia but related to the general vibe of '60s technology - John Lennon wrote the lyrics for one of his songs on 'Revolver' on the back of a bill for the radio telephone in his Radford Mini Cooper S in 1966, very few people had such a thing at the time.
Back to Interceptors.... the very first Interceptor on its way back from Vignale's factory in Italy, it went out there from West Brom as a CV8 chassis and came back as an Interceptor.....
Early Vignale built production Interceptors and an FF on a brochure photo shoot at Stonehenge, 'HEA 1D' was the first one and still exists....
Edited by P5BNij on Thursday 3rd September 19:37
What do we think of this Restomod just on the market?
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1261923
I normally prefer classic cars to be original but somehow, with the Interceptor having an American drivetrain and cart springs, I'm more accepting of the updates to this car.
Can't decide whether it's great value based on what a newly built R spec cost. Or a bit expensive as modified cars are generally worth less and this is priced similar to a well restored car to original spec. Anyway, it appeals to me and I suspect it drives more like I imagined, as a 10 year old, how an Interceptor would perform. Quite usable as well no doubt.
Loving this thread and all the archive material. As a child the Interceptor ranked equally to the DBS V8 as my two favourite cars.
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1261923
I normally prefer classic cars to be original but somehow, with the Interceptor having an American drivetrain and cart springs, I'm more accepting of the updates to this car.
Can't decide whether it's great value based on what a newly built R spec cost. Or a bit expensive as modified cars are generally worth less and this is priced similar to a well restored car to original spec. Anyway, it appeals to me and I suspect it drives more like I imagined, as a 10 year old, how an Interceptor would perform. Quite usable as well no doubt.
Loving this thread and all the archive material. As a child the Interceptor ranked equally to the DBS V8 as my two favourite cars.
SFTWend said:
What do we think of this Restomod just on the market?
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1261923
I normally prefer classic cars to be original but somehow, with the Interceptor having an American drivetrain and cart springs, I'm more accepting of the updates to this car.
Can't decide whether it's great value based on what a newly built R spec cost. Or a bit expensive as modified cars are generally worth less and this is priced similar to a well restored car to original spec. Anyway, it appeals to me and I suspect it drives more like I imagined, as a 10 year old, how an Interceptor would perform. Quite usable as well no doubt.
Loving this thread and all the archive material. As a child the Interceptor ranked equally to the DBS V8 as my two favourite cars.
I like it and have no problem with modern upgrades generally, the only specific feature of that car that I don't like are the 17'' wheels, I know they're on it to cover the larger discs but the proportions just don't look right to my eyes.https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1261923
I normally prefer classic cars to be original but somehow, with the Interceptor having an American drivetrain and cart springs, I'm more accepting of the updates to this car.
Can't decide whether it's great value based on what a newly built R spec cost. Or a bit expensive as modified cars are generally worth less and this is priced similar to a well restored car to original spec. Anyway, it appeals to me and I suspect it drives more like I imagined, as a 10 year old, how an Interceptor would perform. Quite usable as well no doubt.
Loving this thread and all the archive material. As a child the Interceptor ranked equally to the DBS V8 as my two favourite cars.
I bet it sounds fantastic though and for the work that's gone into it I'd say the price is very reasonable. By 'eck I want an Interceptor right enough!
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