1976 Jensen Interceptor in Saratoga Springs, New York

1976 Jensen Interceptor Mark III Convertible

The Epitome of Luxury, Class, and Sports Touring in one Fine Collectible Automobile.
Highly Desirable and RARE as there were ONLY 56 Total Convertibles Produced in 1976 and it was their Last Year!
Previously owned by well known and regarded Artists and Sculptors Wendell Castle and his Wife for many years. You could say that among all their vehicles, this particular one held a special place in their hearts.
Very well kept and with Original LOW Miles, it tops literally everyone's Hot List!
The Jensen Interceptor is a Grand Touring car that was hand-built at the Kelvin Way Factory in West Bromwich, near Birmingham, England, by Jensen Motors between 1966 and 1976. The body was designed by an outside firm, Carrozzeria Touring of Italy, rather than the in-house staff. This stylish mid-70's British roadster has an overhead-valve Chrysler 440 cu. in. V8 with a four-barrel carburetor under the hood. This connects to a 3 speed TorqueFlight automatic transmission powering the rear wheels. All of this delivers the manufacturer's claim of a 7.5 sec 0-60 mph time and 135-142 mph top speed. This model was one of the last for Jensen Motors Ltd.. Jensen had fallen on hard times by 1975, owing to the then world-wide recession and oil crisis. Its plant closed in August 1976 and production ended.
Today, the Convertible is probably the most prized and desired of all cars made by the Jensen concern. Regrettably, for those who live in countries favoured by the world's largest car-makers, RHD Convertibles are extremely rare. They are considerably more common in North America where they also tend to be cheaper than elsewhere, if no less loved by their owners. Many Convertibles have received lavish restorations befitting their status as the top West Bromwich model of all time.
Unfortunately for historians, the paper trail on Convertibles runs remarkably thin in the later period, chiefly because the factory was then operating under the exigencies of receivership but also because most of the cars were exported. Jensens kept precious few records on cars which went abroad so it is hard to be precise about what went into their builds and what happened to them in the hands of their first owners. Some 116 late Interceptor files do not even say what kind of body went onto the chassis - saloon, Convertible or Coupe. Through 30 years of patient research, I have narrowed that field of "unknowns" down to just 15. Conceivably, all of these could turn out to be Convertibles but my impression is that probably the bulk are saloons with perhaps three Convertibles making up the balance. If so, then the final number of Convertibles would turn out to be 512.
This Jensen comes with a Complete Service Book, Convertible Top Boot, Jack and Tool Kit.

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