56
I
’v e beenitchingtogetbehindthewheelofthe 1974 Jensen
Interceptor convertible all day, and now the chance has
come.Jensendidn’tdevelopaconvertibleInterceptoruntil
1974,eight yearsafterthesaloonmadeitsfirstappearance,
becausenewUS safetylawshadbeenexpectedtobanopen
cars.Bythetimetheconvertiblecamealong theInterceptor
had seen two major revisions and numerous small
improvements.Sittinginthesoftleatherdriver’sseat ofthis
immaculate example the obvious change from the early
cars isto the dashboard, a big textured plastic moulding
replacing the individual main instruments andtall centre
stackofthefirstInterceptors.TheJaegerspeedoandtacho
aresunkintothedashdirectlyahead,andinthecentreofthe
panelthere’sa rowofsmallerinstrumentsforwatertemperature,
oil pressure, fuel and volts, all angled towards the driver.
The centre console carries the radio, heating controls and
transmissionselectorandisfinishedwithpolishedwalnutpanels,
whilevirtuallyeveryothersurfaceiscoveredincreamhide.
I’mgripping a handsomeMoto-Lita steering wheel, arecent
addition, and looking out over a bonnet covered in louvres.
It’s a commonmodification, inspired bythe high-performance
JensenSPof 1971 -73andintendedtohelpmanage underbonnet
temperatures.Underneaththebonnetthesourceofallthat heat
is7. 2-litresofall-ironChryslerV8churningoutaround280bhp.
CruisingalonganA-roadI’malwaysaware ofthebig-blockV8
suckingthroughitsfour-barrelcarbandgrowlingthroughthebig
twintailpipes,anda flex ofmy right toeisallit takesto passmost
dawdlingtraffic.Tofindoutwhat theInterceptorisreallymade
stsquashtheacceleratorintothecarpetsothetransmission
downintosecondgear– thegrowlbecomesa gutturalroar,
thenoseoftheInterceptorperceptiblyrisesandthebigGTleaps
forwardwithrealpace.It’sa heftymachine,butthere’senough
powerhere to make it a rapidone,too.
TheInterceptorconvertibleisat homesweepingalong themain
roadsacrossthemoors,butitssheersize countsagainstit oncewe
ventureontothenarrowerlanes.Thesteeringiswell-weighted,
direct andbeautifullyprecise,soit’seasyto placethebigmachine
exactly where I want it. ButI canfeelthe liveaxlesquirming
aroundunderthebackofthecarastheJensenisdisturbedby
mid-cornerbumps.Thiscarisonbigger, 17 -inchreplicasofthe
original five-spoke alloywheels, fittedwith lower-profiletyres,
andthatprobablymakesit more sensitiveto a poorroadsurface
thananInterceptoronstandard wheelsandtyres.
AmintInterceptorconvertibleislikelyto costaround£75,000.
Substantialasthat sounds,it’sstillgoodvaluecomparedto,say,
an AstonMartin V8Volante. The Astonhas abespokeengine
andmoresophisticatedsuspension,butthe Jensenisprobably
easierandcheapertomaintain.They’rebothhandsomecarsand
it’ s arguablewhichofthetwolooksbetter.Butifyouwentfor
theAstonit wouldcostat leasttwiceasmuchtobuy, andwhile
Astonswillprobablyalwaysbevaluedhigherit’shardtojustify
sucha substantialgapbetweenthetwo cars.
DespiteitsweightypricestheJensen
startsto lookgoodvaluewhen
comparedto equivalentAstons
