Jensen Interceptor 3

[Rafe Hollister]

Surfin' the net and came across this '71 Jensen Interceptor 3. Bears a strong resemblance to our beloved Avanti?
Its been awhile,
Rafe Hollister

[r1lark]

It sure has been a while. We've missed you Thom!

[J_Cole]

100% Avanti. The Jensen is one of the coolest cars in existence and yet its design harks back to the beloved Avanti.

[PackardV8]

The ironic thing is the Jensen I drove was a huge disappointment. The Mopar 440 was a low compression version, drank gas and made no power. I walked away wishing our beloved Avanti had the Jensen leather interior. It was for sale at a steal deal, but ultimately, it just wasn't anything I cared to drive, so I walked away.

jack vines

[Topper2011]

I was just wondering about you Thom. Nice to hear from you again.

[bensherb]

I second Roland's thought here Thom, I was surprised you hadn't posted in a while. Too much dancing?

[Silverplate]

I worked at Fiat-Jensen dealer in Medina, Ohio in early seventies. They only ever sold two of this model of Jensen. Did the new car prep on one of them. Looked cool yes, but other than that it was a heavy slug. The dealer only lasted about three years before filing bankruptcy. Not much market for Fiats or Jensen at time.

[Adamsavanti]

Well, I'm from Wadsworth OH, (MYA) took my (16 y.o.) driving test in Medina! Only knew about American cars then. Never heard of Fiat-Jensens, but, as poor college student, remember a gal in Medina who had a "discarded" Jag, covered in dust, loved it, had no $, would have bought it if I wasn't going to college at Cleveland State. Brought back a far-buried memory!

[8E45E]

More on the topic here: Avanti & early 70's Jensons - Studebaker Drivers Club Forum

I posted a scan of a sales brochure here: What kind of car is this? - Studebaker Drivers Club Forum

Craig

[Rafe Hollister]

Wow, Its nice to be missed. After my Feb heart attack, I just got outa the Studebaker habit. I'm back to working on my car and hopefully will post more often. I asked the doc if I was gonna eventually die of a heart attack. He said "Well, unless you get hit buy a bus first". Then he went on to say the with my current treatment and meds, pacemaker, etc... I will have about the same life expectancy as anyone else my age. I lost a buddy and heard about a celebrity who had the same thing as me, but they were too far from a hospital.
Did you all see Sir Anthony Hopkins' motorcycle movie "The World's Fastest Indian"? He played Burt Munro, motorcycle land speed record holder? Remember when his heart would act up and he would take a nitro glycerine pill and then be fine? And he dropped a few pills in his gas tank? Well I now have a necklass that I wear 24/7 with my nitro pills. Now how cool am I ?!
Rafe Hollister

[Noxnabaker]

Driving a Sudebaker & eating what the worlds fastest Indian rider ate yer cool enough...

[Dwight FitzSimons]

An Avanti R2 engine would look good under the hood of a Jensen Interceptor. But, then, the rest of the car wouldn't be as good as an Avanti, so never mind.
--Dwight

[Dick LeRoux]

I was heading to get gas at the Spirit station off of Lake City way and pulled up to the stop-light where a Ford pick up was waiting for me. "I saw that Jensen Interceptor headed my way and I just had to see it."
- Sorry sir, but it's not a Jensen Interceptor.
"It isn't? Then what is it?"
- A Studebaker.
"Are you sure?"
- Yeah, I think I'm pretty sure of that.
And off I went.

[Silverplate]

Nice article from Hagerty

https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/75-years-on-jensens-interceptor-still-captures-hearts/

[Jeffry Cassel]

If you are going to design a car to minimize aerodynamic drag, your design will essentially be dictated by that goal. Had a prof with a Jensen who got caught in WI and somewhere aroud 150 mph. He actually talked his way out of a ticket with his 150 deg rearview mirror. He told the trooper that he really should have one for safey reasons, got his name and address, and, yes, he did send him the mirror!

[PackardV8]

If you are going to design a car to minimize aerodynamic drag, your design will essentially be dictated by that goal. Had a prof with a Jensen who got caught in WI and somewhere aroud 150 mph.

Yes, No, Maybe. The fastest Jensen Interceptor III ever tested in the press was the very limited production Six Pack, with a top speed of 145.

[Jeffry Cassel]

Knowing the man at least by reputation ,he might have embellished the story just a wee little bit.