RE: Jensen Interceptor | The Brave Pill
Discussion
Harald1974 said:
My opinion is that it is the best looking car ever made, to be honest.Oh, and seeing as my question has remained unanswered, and I'm not the only person to have asked it, on behalf of us all:
WHY NO MORE BRAVE PILLS??
Long time reader here - I registered only to be able to say I will deeply regret this column - and Shed of the Week.
Very sorry to see these go, as the writing was always first class.
The "why" question will be answered shortly I suppose, I hope I will be happily surprised...
While I'm here, I also have a question : what does "Je ne regrette (tout les) chiens" mean ?
As a Frenchman I can certify this means nothing in French - maybe something along the lines of "I don't regret (all) the dogs", but I still can't make any sense out of this.
What am I missing?
Again, thank you guys for the great job
Very sorry to see these go, as the writing was always first class.
The "why" question will be answered shortly I suppose, I hope I will be happily surprised...
While I'm here, I also have a question : what does "Je ne regrette (tout les) chiens" mean ?
As a Frenchman I can certify this means nothing in French - maybe something along the lines of "I don't regret (all) the dogs", but I still can't make any sense out of this.
What am I missing?
Again, thank you guys for the great job
Harald1974 said:
Anorak fact :
The 7.2 litre engine is the lesser hp wise . It is a low compression version , mainly built for the USA export with strangling emission equipment fitted reaching 285 Bhp . All MKIII were fitted with these , aside from the SP versions , which were fitted with six pack carburettors which upped the power to 385 bhp !
Earlier Interceptors ( MKI and MKII ) had the better revving 6.3 litre high compression engine , pushing 335 bhp , which was capable of 6.7 sec to 60 mph and 140 mph topspeed . Not bad for an 1800 kg car at that time , and perfectly adequate by todays standards .
Only downside : it could pass anything at any time in period , except for a petrol station
Some of this phrase remains today LOL
Wonderful Gran Turismo car in the true sense though , and getting quite rare tbh .
Eg. of the approx. 1200 Interceptor MKII's produced , there are just over 200 left in the world .
Slightly biased as a MKII owner myself , I can attest for their comfortable high speed cruising ability and good roadholding characteristics .
Just came back from a 1500 km trip to Le Mans Classic and back . Just the thing they were built for .
Must have been quite the car in their time .
Regs Harald
Interesting front spoiler, is such aftermarket or? has a bit of a splitter/downforce effect so it looks. Nice.The 7.2 litre engine is the lesser hp wise . It is a low compression version , mainly built for the USA export with strangling emission equipment fitted reaching 285 Bhp . All MKIII were fitted with these , aside from the SP versions , which were fitted with six pack carburettors which upped the power to 385 bhp !
Earlier Interceptors ( MKI and MKII ) had the better revving 6.3 litre high compression engine , pushing 335 bhp , which was capable of 6.7 sec to 60 mph and 140 mph topspeed . Not bad for an 1800 kg car at that time , and perfectly adequate by todays standards .
Only downside : it could pass anything at any time in period , except for a petrol station
Some of this phrase remains today LOL
Wonderful Gran Turismo car in the true sense though , and getting quite rare tbh .
Eg. of the approx. 1200 Interceptor MKII's produced , there are just over 200 left in the world .
Slightly biased as a MKII owner myself , I can attest for their comfortable high speed cruising ability and good roadholding characteristics .
Just came back from a 1500 km trip to Le Mans Classic and back . Just the thing they were built for .
Must have been quite the car in their time .
Regs Harald
I have always loved these. There were two at an auction recently, and they were lovely. I bid on them, but was outbid on both, yet neither Interceptor made reserve. Prices on these big, pricey to run classics seems to be softening, so keep an eye out.
I ended up buying a '69 Camaro 427 as it's always been a dream car of mine, as the price was great, given its condition, even though my final bid was under reserve and they had to get seller to agree my offer. I suspect that the Camaro will get old in a few years, being LHD and huge, so an Interceptor would be next. Fitted with EFi and modern aircon, it would make a lovely, liveable classic that I could barge around with wife and kids in tow. I have a feeling they are going to find the Camaro too extreme...
https://www.historics.co.uk/buying/auctions/2023-0...
https://www.historics.co.uk/buying/auctions/2023-0...
I ended up buying a '69 Camaro 427 as it's always been a dream car of mine, as the price was great, given its condition, even though my final bid was under reserve and they had to get seller to agree my offer. I suspect that the Camaro will get old in a few years, being LHD and huge, so an Interceptor would be next. Fitted with EFi and modern aircon, it would make a lovely, liveable classic that I could barge around with wife and kids in tow. I have a feeling they are going to find the Camaro too extreme...
https://www.historics.co.uk/buying/auctions/2023-0...
https://www.historics.co.uk/buying/auctions/2023-0...
Working in the family's garage in 1977 I was offered a black Series III Interceptor. As I was trying to impress a girl at the time (as a 22 year old, wasn't I always!) I checked my bank balance and paid, from memory, £1100.00 for it. The impressing was all very well, but I discovered rapidly that the fuel gauge didn't work and it ran out of petrol - not so impressed now - and neither was I at 8mpg! Still, sold it within a week for £1000.00 and a XJ6, so a happy ending there.
A shame to see the end of the brave pill series of articles, I have always enjoyed them... big V12's especially.
Jensen's are lovely cars, although I am biased. They greatly undervalued in the classic car market too - they're much better made than Aston Martins of the same era, but available to buy at a fraction of the cost.
Mine is a 1974 Convertible, so a Mk III with the 7.2 V8. One of just 86 RHD UK Convertibles ever made...
Jensen's are lovely cars, although I am biased. They greatly undervalued in the classic car market too - they're much better made than Aston Martins of the same era, but available to buy at a fraction of the cost.
Mine is a 1974 Convertible, so a Mk III with the 7.2 V8. One of just 86 RHD UK Convertibles ever made...
Premsing said:
An ugly looking thing I remember at times when these were abandoned by roadside and now a gem to someone! I still hate it.!I'm not sure why it's so pronounced, because a line falling away from a high-point at the top of the front wings wasn't uncommon in the era. Maybe it's something to do with the absence of any pronounced rear (arch) wings and the bulk of the C-pillar.
Shame about the Pill's demise - I once bought a Porsche 944 Turbo with fading paing and 194,000 miles, turned out be the one of the best and cheapest cars I ever owned!
When I was going through helicopter Crewman Training at RAF Shawbury in the late '80s (one of the Wessex I flew is now a gate guardian I am that old!) one of my instructors was restoring an SP (7.2 litre with 6 carbs). he came up to me one Friday and asked if I wouldn't mind coming with him to the factory on the Saturday to help him get it on a trailor to bring it home after an engine bay re-wire and fuses swapped for circuit breakers.
The factory was a wondrous place, Lots of men in white overalls doing restorations of Intercepters and CV8s - a full resto to 'As new' Factory condition was around £70k back then, so interesting that the values have not climbed much above that 35 years on
When I was going through helicopter Crewman Training at RAF Shawbury in the late '80s (one of the Wessex I flew is now a gate guardian I am that old!) one of my instructors was restoring an SP (7.2 litre with 6 carbs). he came up to me one Friday and asked if I wouldn't mind coming with him to the factory on the Saturday to help him get it on a trailor to bring it home after an engine bay re-wire and fuses swapped for circuit breakers.
The factory was a wondrous place, Lots of men in white overalls doing restorations of Intercepters and CV8s - a full resto to 'As new' Factory condition was around £70k back then, so interesting that the values have not climbed much above that 35 years on
AmyRichardson said:
Premsing said:
An ugly looking thing I remember at times when these were abandoned by roadside and now a gem to someone! I still hate it.!I'm not sure why it's so pronounced, because a line falling away from a high-point at the top of the front wings wasn't uncommon in the era. Maybe it's something to do with the absence of any pronounced rear (arch) wings and the bulk of the C-pillar.
But it must be said : many a Jensen Interceptor has a sagging rear because of wrong or worn suspension , which can pronounce what you say .
A well setup car brings all the flowing lines to a perfect harmony imho .
Remember the original designers 'Touring of Milan' were ahead of their time with the Interceptor design , at the doorstep of the 70-ties , bringing a whole new design language in the car world .
That it doesn't suit everyones taste is perfectly acceptable .
But as the french would say : les goûts et les couleurs , ça ce discute pas ;-)
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