1966-76 Jensen Interceptor

by Gary Anderson

Room for four and golf clubs, too.

If one bought cars by the pound, Jensen Interceptors would be the best value in the marketplace. Produced in Great Britain during the death throes of the Jensen company and following the time-honored traditions of British companies installing big American engines into Italian-designed bodies, these cars are large, heavy and dirt-cheap. With space for a golf foursome, complete with bags, and sporting a Chrysler V8, the car was huge by contemporary English standards. Aluminum and fiberglass minimized the weight, though it still tipped the scales at 3,500 pounds. Trying desperately to find a sweet spot in the US market, Jensen went through three models in the ten years the car held on. All were luxuriously trimmed, with leather throughout and deeply sculptured rear seats, the interior set off by swathes of wood veneer glued to the fascia panel. The Mk II got a completely redesigned suspension, steering and brakes that could handle the power and weight of the...