1972 JENSEN INTERCEPTOR III
JONATHAN PYM, DEVON
‘I used to see an Interceptor locally when I was a ten-year-old boy in 1976 and decided there and then that I wanted one. But it wasn’t until 2010 that I finally took the plunge. I’d joined the Jensen Owners’ Club ( JOC) forum three years before that to talk to owners, research the buying process and find a suitable car. But the Interceptor that I bought was actually local to me and advertised – with an incorrect description – on Facebook.
‘I was buying on a budget so the idea was to take on a rolling restoration, ideally a Series III because these all have air-con, electric windows and power steering. I knew that any car would need bodywork repairs, but something that was in rude mechanical health would be a bonus. I paid £5000 for an Interceptor that was tired but still a good buy because it was honest and complete even though the interior and paint had seen better days.
‘I used the car until the end of 2011 when I took it off the road to tackle the bodywork; I didn’t have the confidence to sort this myself because the panels needed fettling to make them fit. I bought new front wings at £250 apiece in 2012; as with many parts, they’re now significantly more costly. The local bodyshop spent four years fixing the bodywork, so I missed the deadline of getting the car finished for my wedding in 2014, but the protracted timescales meant that the final bill was that much more affordable. It also meant that I had plenty of time to overhaul the brakes, suspension, running gear and interior trim, as well as getting various bits plated and coated.
‘I organised a 400-mile tour for the club in September 2015 and gave myself two weeks to get my Interceptor finished, which meant re-fitting the interior, sorting out the wiring and building up the surprisingly complicated doors, which feature central locking, electric windows and lighting. The car was finished on time and since then it’s needed nothing more than routine maintenance, which I do myself at very affordable prices.
‘ The car is generally standard but I’ve fitted a Mitsubishi alternator that supplies plenty of power at tickover and I’ve swapped the Holley carb for an Edelbrock, which is easier to set up. Interior lighting is now LED, I’ve switched to electronic ignition and I’ve installed Golf MkII cooling fans stop the car overheating. The JOC forum has proved invaluable and so has used parts specialist, Rejen ( jensenparts. co.uk), along with Martin Robey (martinrobey.com), which makes new panels using the original tooling.’ TOTAL MILEAGE 96,000 ANNUAL MILEAGE 2000 ESTIMATED ANNUAL MAINTENANCE COSTS £500 RECENT EXPENSES VW GOLF COOLING FANS (£90), REAR COILOVERS (£250 FOR THE PAIR), PERTRONIX ELECTRONIC IGNITION AND COIL (£115) ENGINE 6276cc/V8/OHV POWER 330bhp@4600rpm TORQUE 425lb ft@2800rpm MAXIMUM SPEED 137mph 0-60MPH 6.4sec FUEL CONSUMPTION 15-20mpg TRANSMISSION RWD, 3-speed auto