The Interceptor really was a car ahead of its time. This one kept dying because it has an early version of stop-start technology :P

This car was owned from new by my old boss, who called it “the fire engine” as it was flame orange at the time. I’ll never forget it, although he traded it for a XJS due to the 9mpg fuel consumption he was getting from the Interceptor. In those days he paid income tax at 83% when Dennis Healey was Chancellor and so he calculated that after 83% tax relief his mpg was equivalent to 54mpg 😂. Shame someone painted it blue…

As a classic car guy I should not be laughing my head off when it starts misbehaving. I feel your pain. People think I am being friendly giving them a ride in my car but you never know when you might need a push start. Keep up the great content.

I grew up in West Bromwich (well if I ever grew up) and when us kids were bored towards the end of the school summer holidays, we would sit outside the Jensen factory and watch the cars come out for a test. We were more patient than modern kids. I've always wanted one and despite your review, I want one even more now...

My dear work colleague of 25 years, friend and fellow petrol head keith loved these. We bought him a Jensen interceptor hoodie for his 50th birthday but sadly he took own his life a few days later. At the request of his family he was buried wearing his hoodie and on his tombstone is a picture engraved of the interceptor- so for me his was a poignant video - Thankyou James.

Growing up in the early '70's I lived next door to a small brewery ran by 2 brothers. One drove an Aston DBS but the other drove an Interceptor that was a similar colour to this. It was such a cool car in an era of Cortinas and Minors and I have loved them ever since. Interceptor is such a cool name for a car.

James is sounding more and more like Jeremy Clarkson by the day. A compliment when it comes to car related monologues.

Have owned 2 Interceptors in my time, both MK 3 s and absolutely loved them, petrol can be an issue, my black one had a blue printed engine, when pushed 5/6 to the gallon 😱🤣🤣🤣🤣 love them

Beautiful car! Really stunning. The FF was not only the first car with 4x4, but also with Anti lock brakes...

Back in the early 80's, a mate of mine bought a rough Interceptor for £100! Granted it was a tatty rustbucket, full of filler & a nasty burgundy paint job, but the interior was mint, and it sounded awesome. He soon got shot of it due to the fact it drank like Oliver reed!

The Interceptor holds a happy place in my heart and is a key part to one of the best stories I know about my Grandad Harry. My grandad was a London bus driver (the 38 Route Master through North London) but for a short while in the late 60’s he was a chauffeur and he drove a famous person around in their new Interceptor (because the guy was too scared to drive it himself). He also asked my Grandad take it home after work, this chap had nowhere to park it. My family lived in Shoreditch, an area in the 60’s where no one had a car, or if you did it was tiny Austin, maybe a 40’s/50’s hand me down of some kind. You could could park anywhere and no one stole from my Grandads family, my uncles held a certain respect in the area, the car was safe. Without the owner knowing my Grandad use to take the local kids for rather swift rides around the, still derelict but very wide, post war streets along the Islington and Hackney borders. Because why not, it’s a car to be driven not to be driven around in (unless you are 10 and the roads are empty). But apart from all the fun and cheekiness the bit I like the most was what he’d tell me about driving a Route Master Compared to the Interceptor, that driving a Route Master at speed was way more fun, handled better and could be just as quick (when empty, at night)… “you could really chuck a Route Master around a corner and it would never fall over and get up to some good speed down Upper Street when the roads where empty. But you could, if you got it right because they would fall over, lean the bus far enough to knock the orange ball from the top of the belisha beacon at the zebra crossing on the corner of St Johns Street and Rosebery Avenue.”

The Jensen Interceptor was one of my dream cars as a kid and still is at 54. Back in the late 70's one used to drive round my home town Bridgend in South Wales. you could hear it before you seen it and knew exactly what it was. Thanks for having this car on your channel James.

In the early 1980's I saw a nice little sportscar parked in on a street in Amsterdam. I went to look at it closely and it was a Lotus Elan. On the back I noticed a sticker saying 'my other car is a Jensen Interceptor'. I had never even heard of Jensen as a car brand. A few days later, on the same spot I noticed this impressive, sporty looking car. Coming up close, it was a Jensen Interceptor. Wow, what a car, for years after that it was my dream car. Oh, and of course there was a sticker on it 'my other car is a Lotus Elan'.

My Interceptor is very reliable, does not overheat or cutout and I cover roughly 2500 miles per year. It also returns around 17-18MPG.

I own a ‘71 MkII and had the same “stalls when turning” problem. Solved by, 1. Replace metal fuel line from filter to carb with shielded hose. 2. Fine-tune carb, and 3. Make sure timing is correct. This also helped the dreaded hard to re-start after sitting while you went into a store. Overheating: Re-core with bigger radiator and replace the horrible Lucas fans with those from a VW Golf. They literally swap in with no hacking necessary and blow like a gale force wind. I live in Arizona and have driven in the summer (100f 38c) with no problems. You’ll notice prices all over the board. Biggest factor? Rust. These cars rot real easily and fixing that can put an owner upside-down and into six figures to restore. No rot? Pretty straight forward restoration with great parts supplies both here in the U.S. and England. Wonderful car. I fell for it when I was thirteen, bought one a few years before I retired and love it. Never will sell it.

Now you need to drive a Resto mod Interseptor with the LS3 😅

My neighbor while I was growing up had one. It averaged between 10 and 13 mpg . I remember riding in it a couple times in the summer in 90° heat and wondering if the air conditioning was even working! She had it for years but in all the time she had it it only accumulated 38K. The nearest Jensen dealer was 85 miles away in Chicago and I remember it being on a flatbed a lot. The problems it suffered were from minor niggles to catastrophic. She said nothing worked 100% on it from the day she bought it. This lady was a car lover and several of her restored classics ran in the Great American Race Her every day run about car was an Opel Manta which my father bought for me as my first car when I got my license. I still own the Manta and I vaguely recall the Jensen being sold at her estate auction for what if I can remember correctly was the sum of $2,750 in 1985.

One thing that I’ll never forget is the time, in the late 70s, I saw one of these in yellow driving down the road with flames licking out from under it, driver blissfully unaware. Still a beautiful car though.

My Dad owned one of these beautiful machines. New in 1969. Several highly memorable Continental trips, the only car I hanker for!

The best garden ornament I’ve ever had! Never got it running, but loved it

Thoroughly enjoyed that, I’ve loved the Interceptor and the FF since I was a boy, there is something so classy about them that only a very few cars can manage.

Excellent video - The Jensen factory was only a couple of miles from my house, sad that the local skills are being lost.

Modern fuels evaporate easily so the heat from the engine is probably evaporating the fuel in the lines stalling the car. A heat shield or wrap around the fuel lines will fix that problem.

I had a 1974 Jensen Interceptor 111 for 10 years and always accepted the 7.2 litre fuel consumption of 10mpg as normal . With proper service never, never had problems. Of all the classic cars I owned including a DB6 it was the most admired car at the petrol pumps.

I still have the burn mark on my leg from my uncle Jensen's Interceptor side pipes. As a kid, I loved that car he had Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Jaguar XJS V12 and yes at the time I don't in the back seats, Jenson, Mark 1 e, type, and many 911s. That's where my passion for cars started and never stopped. Great memories of the Jensen especially when I drove it down the street age of 10 ish.

My parents had a mk 1 1968 interceptor back in the 1980's (TBA 99) in black. It had the smaller 6.3 litre 383cu/in motor with a modest but rock solid 250bhp I use to enjoy watching the Speedo bounce around the dial 😀 We took it to Sweden following drag racing and I got to see an awful lots of petrol stations 😲

I've had two friends who have owned these - though in truth I last saw one of these guys (Ben) around 25 years ago and the other guy (Tom) more than 40 years ago. Both guys absolutely adored their Interceptors, and Ben had it as his main car (actually his only car). I have been a passenger in Tom's Interceptor - and unlike this example, was working perfectly. I remember it being a very comfortable, pleasant car to be in... Thanks for the revue..!

I'll never forget having a lift in one of these as a child in about 1973. The first time I felt a proper shove in the back from a car. The owner was getting 8 mpg so not a great oil crisis car. Great review as always.

As a child of the 70's these were exotic when surrounded by old cortinas and avengers . One in particular used to pass me as I walked to school and I could recognise the sound well before I saw it . Great video.

Fantastic video. Thank you for showcasing these old cars and oddity brands. Keep up the good work.

One of your best attempts at making us smile. Great viewing & you never lost your way with entertaining us. Brilliant and what a car.

Thanks J, yes, removing some of the 'character' for reliability is the way to go! Always liked these cars, so much old school presence as you said.

Wow, an absolute stunner and most definitely the coolest name given to any car. That huge v8 sounds like rolling thunder. Massive thumbs up from me, what a glorious piece of automotive history.

Thanks for a really great (and quite humorous) episode James! I hope the channel continues to grow as quickly as you.

Great Vid James and Guy. Thoroughly enjoyed watching and learning about Guys journey

One of my bucket list cars. Just such a wonderful looking thing, very Thunderbirds. I saw one when I was a kid in the early seventies and have never forgotten the noise and spectacle of this wondrous car going down the road. Brilliant stuff James.

My god I love the beginning of this video but how sweet are those guys? So nice for pulling over and helping you out I genuinely felt so bad for all the struggles

Growing up in the 70's and watching the tv program the persuaders i always wanted one of these. Harry's garage had a review of an updated ff with a humungous price tag. Great review as always james.

Great vid - enthusiastic comments and history.... love it!

I do love the fact that you didn't edit out the language! Or indeed the issues..... They were a glorious sight on the roads in the Seventies. Great footage - thanks!

Great retro ride! I remember the good old Interceptor, FF, SP, Coupe and Convertible (from magazines obviously!) Thoroughly enjoyable genuine video!

Very entertaining for a Saturday afternoon. Jason King would be proud🤣

Your suffering in making this provides me with a lot of joy amd entertainment. Thanks chap.

Brilliant video! This is probably my all time favourite car, as my neighbour bought a bright yellow one with a vinyl roof when I was 14 or so. He gave me a lift to school once and I can still remember all my mates coming out to gawp as we pulled up. Unreliable as hell of course as you found out, but I can forgive that totally for that shape. Made my Saturday this when it popped up... 👍😁😁😁

I have always listed after these cars. This is my favorite episode you have done Jay!

I had one in the 70's - Interceptor III. I loved it but couldn't keep it cool. And starting when hot was a trial. But I still loved it and wish I still had it. Edit: Gt Chesterford, Ickleton, Duxford ..... A505: one time in mine, around 1975, from Duxford to the A505 clocked it at 95. Happy days!

James, I’m a big fan of the channel, and that is one of the most enjoyable videos you’ve produced to date. Hugely entertaining. Bravo 👏

One of your best videos, great fun to watch and one very cool car.

Jay you're just the best! I love your channel and your reviews. Keep up the good work ☺️

Really good Vid James. One of your best to date that I've seen 👌🏼. Also ignore the comnents of the Clarkson comparisons. You do you. It's what got you where you are today 👍🏻. Much appreciated for the upload

A typical british 70's car experience, you love them and curse them at the same time. Having owned only 1 Aston Martin, which almost put me into debt, they are cars for people with deep pockets. I agree with James, upgrading the unreliable fuel and ignition systems are a must, the last thing you want in any car are old school systems that work when they feel like it. Thanks for sharing your experience with a Jensen, i am sure you will remember it fora long time.

Well presented and good fun, thank you, greatly enjoyed. Professional narration, always impressed. The introduction encaptures all that is excellent about #JayEmms Car Life!

4 Ashtrays; 2 for mum and dad, 2 for the kids - Brilliant!

Thanks for the effort and genuine video.

One of the most iconic examples of British automotive history: just superb. I’ve always lusted after these cars. Nothing looks like an interceptor. Great review and patience James. Perhaps the owners need some Ian Tyrell TLC and it will all be cool again; soooooooo cool!

Immensely entertaining video. Nothing like a period correct Jensen Interceptor to bring out the best in JayEmm, haha. Cheers!

if the Jensen Interceptor had engines from Coventry Climax, the name game would've been high scored

I used to ride past one of these on the way to school. Spoke to the owner because I’d never seen one… turns out he parked it because it kept breaking on him but he loved the look of it 😂.

I loved these cars when I was a kid. A family friend had one of these and I was fortunate enough to get a ride in one of these as a small boy in the late 1970's. It was the high performance 'SP' variant so felt pretty fast and I remember listening to Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' on the cassette player.

Also great video, and brilliant you kept in the fails too.

I worked for a Jensen dealer in the early seventies.They had problems from the word go with water ingress into the cabin I don't think we ever really managed to cure it. I guess it's OK now if you are only taking it out on sunny days

Great video, entertaining and informative at the same time!

Great to see the Jensen Intercepter being reviewed. It was rarer than hen's teeth when I was a young teenager, one of those cars you only saw in the London Motor Show supplements. £5,000 was a lot of money for a car in those days, and a comparison with the Aston DB6 is a good one, I can remember my father's business partner buying a DB6, whilst my father bought a Jaguar E-Type 2+2 for half the price; as a family man, you would have to take a leap of faith to opt for the Jensen.

I drove one recently that had been fully restored and had an LPG conversion. The automatic gearbox was so smooth. The owner complained about ongoing electrical gremlins. Nevertheless, a very characterful car, and thrilling to drive!

Epic car, epic sunny day, epic roads, heck even the breakdowns are epic! That shot of coming over the brow of the hill took me back to the late 70's early 80s. Great video. It's too sunny for the car...need uk 🇬🇧 rain for it to work.

“4 ashtrays, 2 in the front for the adults, 2 in the rear for the kids…” Brilliant!

a cracking video Sir. Driving an old car is an event! You can't tell your mates about your journey in a modern car for you just get there.In a classic , you mention the breakdowns, the recovery truck drivers, the weird total strangers who want to chat to you , the way everyone seems to love you and your car and the way you never get bothered by hot looking young ladies! A Classic car makes life fun again .

I had one for a weekend for my 40th. I loved it - you quickly learn to keep an eye on the temperature. Sadly the boat has sailed as regards owning one - my SD1 will have to do.

Had an old Chevy years ago, when it occasionally stalled for reasons unknown life became very tense wrestling with no power steering or brakes! I feel your pain but also your joy, when running they are a delight. The Jensen was my childhood dream, having watched this I think never meet your heroes comes to mind! I’ll stick with the modern stuff, but great video, well done sir!

This was my childhood car my dad had a orange one with black leather trim,holidaying all over Cornwall n Scarborough towing a caravan 😳

Very good blog about the joys of owning a Jensen Interceptor! (probably similar to the those of driving an Aston Martin DBSV8! hint hint!) Had friend whose father owned a steel grey one from new and took us out in it at various times. Those looks and the rear window! It really is in a class above everything else! Back then if someone drove an Interceptor, you knew they had a lot of money! Thank you, James, you really have brightened my day!

I was lucky enough to own one of these in the 70’s. A MK1 it was lovely to look at but very unreliable, I carried a fire blanket in the car as sometimes it backfired through the carb putting petrol onto a hot engine. If you filled up at a filling station you kept your fingers crossed it would restart as the fuel in the carb would evaporate due to the heat of the engine. I fitted electric fans with an override switch to try and keep it cool. If I had one now it would be convert to fuel injection and improved cooling. Despite all its faults I loved that car. Saw it up for sale recently and was tempted to buy it.

I had one many years ago. The 383 version. it was a very nice car but without the grunt you would expect from such an engine. It handled petty good and was controllable in slides. Unfortunately, someone revered into me while I was waiting to turn. I didn't realize they didn't see me until too late. They weren't insured and I didn't chase them. But it put it out of action.

My dad once brought one home to make space in his workshop. Although I never got a drive in it, hearing burble as my dad reversed it onto our drive was amazing. I was around 12 years old and remember sitting in it for nearly an hour imagining driving it. It’s still a car I like the look of, but if I could afford one I’m not sure I’d buy one over other 70’s classics I like.

Awesome video, great review as ever. There is just something undeniably cool about an interceptor. It's not shouty or brash but it really does look the part (this coming from a Mustang owner!). Love watching the reviews of the classics.

Takes me back to my schooldays, when I fell in love with that classic V8 sound.

Here in the States you can buy all kind of drivetrain parts and turn this into a monster. Chrysler V8's are no joke.

Cool. And when 😂 it’s broken down at the side of the road you have even more time to admire it’s looks. Loved these since being a kid in the seventies. And imagine being able to say you drive an Interceptor, a real Mad Max name for a car if ever there was. Brilliant. There’s one on display (albeit maybe not the finest example as it’s white with black wheels at the mo) at The Great British Car Journey. Recommend a visit there to any petrolhead (and I’ve no affiliation to them other than being a very happy visitor and driver of their Roller.) Yes, you can even drive some of their cars. Great video James. The issues only added to the fun as a viewer (and you kept your sense of humour throughout).

Always loved the Interceptor.. but the joys of 1960s engines. I used to own and work on cars of this period. Its usually a carburettor issue. I had one mysterious issue with an old car… turned out the floats in the carbs no longer floated due to age and years of petrol. No matter how you set the carbs, it would run too rich (gumming up the spark plugs) or too lean and wouldnt idle. Managed to get new floats etc. You are right, James, EFI, modern ignition and an upgraded modern rad and water pump, solves all this stuff.

Australia, Victoria, Neerim South, 1974. There was a two small (very very small) mechanic shops. One of those had a V12 Jag E Type, with bonnet up with fan belt failure, but outside was Jensen Inceptor III. The owner had three of then. As a young person I was there to buying a Repco 10 speed pushy (push bike) from the owner but that Jensen … that Jensen stayed with me.

No better way to spend a sunday morning than to watch a review of a Jensen interceptor :-). A real highlight of its day with that combination of style and specs; an Aston Martin rival, but so much more at the same time. Thanks for this review. Seems like the breakdowns can be cured quite easily if the owner were to look at more modern technical solutions; I would say that's the benefit of owning a 1960/1970s car 50 years later, that there are ways to make it more reliable than when new.

I was dreaming about this gem when I was 10 years old. What a beauty!!!!

Hugely enjoyable vid there Jay. More of the same please! 😊👍

In USA, you can buy a Holley injection systems that is relatively easy to set-up and go where the carb was. It makes old cars much faster and much more reliable.

My father owned one of these in the 70's, same color but we lived in Canada. We used it as a daily driver and yes the backseat only fits children. Ours had the chrysler 383 in it and from what I remember we never had any issues with it. Cool Car I just saw one restored in Dubai which reminded me of it.

This is my favorite British car. Period. Sorry to see that happen in the Intro. Nothing like it now or since. A hybrid. Italian body and American engine. Chrysler powerplant. Beautiful example. Dream car. Saw one as a guest on Jay Leno garage. 😍😚😘👍❤❤😎😎🤩😅

😂 bloody class James. Funniest and best video yet. Quality 👍

A 440 Chrysler big block. The only engine from that era I never did drive, but wish I had!

There is nothing cooler than owning an old classic, except that owning it is a life's work. Best to have a classic for bragging rights, don't drive it and keep a Toyota Avensis for your daily driver which you will actually prefer to drive 90% of the time. Great, interesting video, and good to put real life in front of the dreamers.

I really love the looks of this car. 😍Some weeks ago i saw it the first time at a german workshop and i thought it was some kind of italian classic sports car like a Maserati maybe. Thanks for the great in depth review.

My absolute all time favourite car, the design is just perfect and it has such a presence. This is an itch that I really need to scratch at some point, cannot think of of a more flamboyant , stylish and classy way to financially ruin myself. The FF was so ahead of its time, Audi may have popularised 4WD in cars but Jensen got there first. Great review even with the little issues.

Getting even more Clarkson-esque in delivery, I see. That is a praise, by the way. Also, one of the most fun video from you that I've watched. And yes, everyone wants to drive in a car named Interceptor. Only appropriate with the recent release of a certain US Navy movie sequel.

I had to smile when you said, that you can, within reason, throw it into a bend. I owned the earlier mk2 with the smaller engine. I was harassed by a "Boy Racer" on a road in South West Scotland. The A713 through Parton. I let him past and he clearly thought his brand new Golf GTI would show the old, even then, Interceptor, a clean pair of heels. Nae luck! Golf on 3 wheels and being driven extremely well. Could NOT get away from the Jensen though. She was on rails and I had to lift off the throttle early due to the weight of the car carrying me on. I'm not a fast driver, but that car was just incredible in every way and I never realised what I had until long after it was sold. This is the first of your videos that I've come across and I very much appreciate that you're driving other people's cars, and you can't give them a 'good howkin', as we'd say round here. But it came over well that you could feel the potential of the car. Had you not had the problems you encountered, the so called low power of the Chrysler engines is something that I've never really understood, when the pure grunt of the engine produces so much torque that you can fire a 2 ton beautiful piece of luxury down the road at incredible speeds with such ease. If you ever need an engine warmer upper, please get in touch. Thanks again.

The joys of old car ownership! Been there, done that... frequently :)

Lovely video. I have always believed the Interceptor was 4WD. Now I realise it was RWD. The 4WD car was a different model that just looked similar.

Awesome,car and video👍👍

What a fab video. A little suffering goes along way😄. More sir...more!

It's the ultimate car I always wanted to own ( if I had the money) and with looks like that,who would wonder. Think I agree with you about some modern updates to help with reliability and possibly help with fuel consumption..? 12 to the gallon is a bit daunting given the current fuel prices - bit of a difference to my Clio E tech giving me around nearly 70. Great review. How about a Sunbeam Rapier series 3a which was my second and most loved car before the rust bug got to it ?!

Another great review James. I know you don't like the idea of a restomod version but VBH and I think JC drove one of the Jensen International cars, which they both liked. Think Harry had a go in one too? 🤔 The reason I'd like you to review it is not only would it be a good comparison for you, but also TV reviews are only a few minutes long, whereas you do it proper! 👍😉 Keep 'em coming James!

I have seen a couple of these on the road in real life, not broken down or at a show and it put a smile on my face seeing them.