Jensen Interceptor MkIII J-Series

Surely one of the most handsome and distinctive sports tourers ever made, the Jensen Interceptor was a fabulous amalgam of Italian style, American muscle and British craftsmanship. Styled by Touring of Milan with some subtle tweaks by Vignale (who also made the first bodies) it was initially powered by a 6,276cc Chrysler V8 driving the rear wheels through a TorqueFlite automatic transmission and had dragster-like performance. Launched in 1966, it immediately attracted the glitterati of '60s society with owners like Dusty Springfield, Tony Curtis, Cliff Richard, Henry Cooper, Jack Nicklaus and Keith Richards. Morecambe and Wise had one each.

The MkII cars came out in 1969 and featured many detail changes over the MkI including improved front suspension and brakes, different front end styling and a more modern dashboard. Power was also up slightly to 330bhp and 425lb/ft of torque. The last model of the line was the MkIII which came out in 1971 with an even plusher interior, central locking, improved dual-circuit brakes, new GKN alloy wheels and a bigger 7.2-litre engine. In all just 6,408 Interceptors were made before production came to an end in 1976 and good ones are now highly prized.

"With a power output like this in a car weighing 33cwt unladen, the results of pressing the accelerator are pretty electrifying to say the least," wrote Autocar in its first test of the MkII, recording a 0-60 time of 6.4 secs on the way to a top speed of 137mph. "With all that torque on tap and such excellent brakes willing to take any punishment, there are no problems getting along very fast indeed."

First registered in May 1973, this top-spec J-Series MkIII has been in the current ownership for the last five years and before that was owned for eight years by a Leeds surgeon who used it almost daily. Said to drive well and to be very reliable, it has recently completed a round trip from the Midlands to central London with no problems whatsoever. The car is fitted with later style S4 alloy wheels and a Nardi woodrim steering wheel, while a 10-stack Sony CD system provides the sounds. With 6 months’ road tax and 12 months’ MOT, this super-cool cruiser is ready for immediate use.