1975 Jensen Interceptor

The combination of an American engine placed within a European sports car had worked well for Allard. After a chance meeting of Nash-Kelvinator CEO George W. Mason and Donald Healey aboard the Queen Elizabeth, the result was the Nash Haley, a British/American effort that produced a sleek and stylish car. Perhaps one of the most famous unions was Carrol Shelby's marriage of a European body with American power resulting in the AC/Shelby Cobra.

Jensen is another example of an American-powered sports car with a European flair. However, their car went a step beyond and featured exclusive luxury in a performance-packaged machine. In 1966, Jensen introduced the Interceptor as a Grand Touring car with design work by Carrosseria Touring of Italy. It had classic sports car styling with plenty of power thanks to the 440 cubic-inch Chrysler V8 engine that was more than adequate to move the 3,500-pound Interceptor.

The Series III models began in 1971.

At the March 1974 Geneva Motor Show, the Interceptor Convertible made its debut. It used the same tubular chassis as its fixed-head sibling plus the addition of strengthened sill sections and windscreen pillars. It had the same independent coil and wishbone front suspension, a 'live' rear axle, and four-wheel disc brakes. Power was from a 440 cubic-inch Chrysler V8 engine mated to a TorqueFlite automatic transmission. Zero-to-sixty was achieved in 7.6 seconds and had a top speed of 126 mph. Celebrities who purchased an open-top Interceptor included Cher, Frank Sinatra, Lynda 'Wonder Woman' Carter, and financier Winthrop P. Rockefeller.

In late 1975, it was upgraded with the introduction of the 'Qvale dashboard,' a full-width wooden affair. It remained in production for just two years, and during that time, 267 examples were sold. Eighty-seven of those were supplied to the home market.

The Jensen Interceptor was in production from 1966 through 1976 at the Kelvin Way factory near Birmingham, England. Standard equipment included power windows, power steering, air conditioning, and reclining front bucket seats.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2017