Lot 226: 1976 Jenson Interceptor Series III SP

The Jensen Interceptor was a sporting GT-class car built in the United Kingdom by Jensen between 1966 and 1976. The car broke with Jensen tradition by having a steel bodyshell instead of glass-reinforced plastic and by having the body designed by an outside firm, Touring of Italy, rather than the in-house staff. The early bodies were Italian-built, by Vignale, before production began in West Bromwich. Jensen were one of the first manufacturers to equip a production car with four-wheel drive, in the shape of the 1967 Interceptor FF (Ferguson Formula). At the time it was hailed as a remarkable development, coming also with anti-lock brakes and traction control. The car was slightly longer than a 'standard' Interceptor, with the addition of two side vents on the front flanks. Press from the time quote "drag-strip" performance when describing the car. A convertible was introduced in 1974, mainly for the European market, but rarer still is the Coupe version, derived from the convertible and introduced in 1975, just a year before the company's demise. The SP spec car (six-pack) referred to the 3 twin-barrelled carburettors tucked under the bonnet. These took the top speed upto 145mph and required additional louvers to aid cooling. The Interceptor was briefly re-introduced in the 1980s as the Series 4 (S4), as a low-volume 'specialist' motor car in much the same way Bristol continue to market and manufacture their cars. Though the body remained essentially the same, a newer, so called 'cleaner', engine was used and the interior slightly re-designed with the addition of 'sports' front seats as opposed to the armchair style of the earlier models. It wasn't to be, however. The then owner sold up in 1988 to an engineering company believed to be in a stronger position to manufacture the car, and indeed did commence development work on a series 5 (S5) Interceptor which lasted until 1993, until once again receivers were called in. The long-legged tourer presented here today benefits not only from being a rare SP spec car but also from still having the original carburettors and having those carburettors taken directly to the United States of America for a complete overhaul and bench set-up. Together with the car comes documentation reflecting works undertaken, MoT's verifying a milage of just 64,000 and original Dealer booklet and Routine Service Vouchers. Internally, the air-conditioning has been completely rebuilt and runs icy-cold and sounds are provided by a new CD player. With over 8 months left of MoT, this great example will provide the richest of exhaust notes with just the lightest application of the right foot.