1976 JENSEN
INTERCEPTOR CONVERTIBLE
- 1 of only
509 Jensen Interceptor convertibles built
- Desirable
Mk III, boasting a 7,212cc 8 cylinder engine, ventilated disc brakes, alloy
wheels and restyled interior
- Jensen, a
producer of stylish, high performance and hand-built cars
- Widely
regarded as one of the up-coming classics to own
- One of the
last cars produced by Jensen as they stopped production in 1976
Jensen was
founded by two brothers, Alan and Richard Jensen who were born in 1906 and
1909. They became interested in cars at an early age, and so in 1930 their
father set them up in their first business, Patrick Jensen Motors, based at
Edgbaston. They ran the business with Joe Patrick, but moved on the following
year after a disagreement. In 1931 they started work at W. J. Smith & Sons,
an old established firm of motor body builders, located in High Street, Carters
Green, West Bromwich. Smiths specialized in bodywork for lorries and cars.
After William Smith’s death the brothers took over the business, and in 1934 it
became Jensen Motors Limited. The business specialised in custom-built bodies
for a range of readily available car chassis made by a range of manufacturers
including Morris, Singer, Standard, and Wolseley. In 1934 the brothers received
a commission from American actor Clark Gable to him build a special car, on a
Ford V8 chassis. The Jensen S-type was the firm first volume production car,
based on Ford motors from the United States, and chassis parts from Ford of
Britain.
More than any
of its previous models, the Interceptor of the Sixties firmly established
Jensen as a producer of stylish, high performance and hand-built cars.
The prototype
Interceptor appeared in 1965, a two seater convertible with alloy coachwork, a
third transverse rear seat and either 4.5 or 6.3 litre Chrysler engine.
Although well received, Jensen realized the market was really for closed cars
and entrusted the design to Vignale in Italy.
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