Highlights

One of only 511 Interceptor Convertibles ever produced
First owned by America's Cup Hall of Fame inductee Fritz Jewett Jr.
Spent its entire US life in California, requiring no welding
Comprehensive £12,000 bare metal respray
Work to carburettor, cooling system, brakes and ancillaries
Original leather interior professionally restored with Connolly hide
Single UK keeper since 1989

The Appeal

The Jensen Brothers loved convertibles, conceiving a drop-top version of every car their firm built. Vignale conceived an open version of the Interceptor as early as 1966, but it took until 1971 before development got underway, with sights firmly set on the USA market and the Rolls-Royce Corniche.

The car finally arrived in May 1974 and was an instant success. Some coupe buyers even returned their cars to the factory to be converted. Yet plans to build 800 were stymied by the firm’s bankruptcy in May 1976, after just 511 had been built.

This car is one of the 377 dispatched to USA buyers. First owned by an illustrious San Francisco philanthropist, it spent all of its time in California before returning to the UK in 1989. It has been with the current keeper ever since.

Now finished in fetching light blue metallic - similar to a Porsche colour - it is a very well kept and smartly presented car. The specification is rare too - just 66 convertibles had beige leather, and only 44 were equipped with beige roofs. We’re told that the car benefits from £12,000 of work, including a bare metal respray. Other work has included a brake overhaul, new wiring loom, cooling system work, new starter motor and fuel pump. The gearbox has also been checked and fitted with a new filter.

There are some light signs of age, but the usual Interceptor check areas present well in photos. Here is a chance to acquire a good example of one of Britain’s rarest and arguably most stylish 2+2 luxury convertibles.

The vendor says:

“It has been carefully and sympathetically rejuvenated and is now a fine example of the marque, which retains a degree of patina which adds to its appeal.”

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History and Paperwork

First registered 1974
Factory built in October 1974
UK registered in December 1989
Single UK keeper since arriving in the UK
DVLA notes that the car is painted red
Red was not a colour option for the original Interceptor
History of previous USA keepers provided below
Spent its entire American life in California before being imported to the UK
Original Owner's Handbook and service book with service stamps from California
Large quantity of bills and receipts for work in California and the UK
Comprehensive recommissioning includes a £12,000 bare metal respray

Summary of recent work:

Brake callipers and master cylinder stripped, overhauled and fitted with new pistons and seals
Braking pipes and T junctions stripped, flushed and cleaned
All flexipipes at the front and rear replaced
New alternator
Replacement starter motor fitted
New petrol pump fitted
Carter Thermoquad carburettor replaced with Edelbrock CFM 740 with electric choke
Entire underbonnet wiring loom replaced
Radiator professionally rebuilt and recored
All coolant and heater hoses renewed
Body stripped of all trim, panels and glass and given a bare metal respray costing £12,000
All body seals replaced and renewed
Original leather interior restored, with replacement leather panels as required and Connolised
Automatic gearbox checked, found to be good, and fitted with a new filter

Vendor-provided background to the Interceptor Convertible:

“The Jensen Interceptor is a bespoke British gentleman’s grand tourer with an Italian-designed body and a Chrysler 7.2-litre V-8 under the hood. First launched as a fastback (aka the Saloon), in 1966, with a mere 6.3-litre (383-cu.in.) version of that Chrysler V-8, the Interceptor was a minor hit for Jensen, a company that produced cars in greater annual quantities than, say, Aston Martin, but a fraction when compared to Jaguar. Before the candle blew out the first time, when the traditional existence of Jensen Motors disappeared into bankruptcy in 1976, the firm went out with a bang, building a gorgeous Interceptor Convertible for just three short years.

“With a little more than 500 produced, and some 80 per cent coming to North America, the Interceptor Convertible was successful and sought after, ordered by celebrities including Frank Sinatra, Cher, and Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham. Among British premium cars, the Convertible—easily recognisable as Jensen’s flagship—was considered competition for the Rolls-Royce Corniche and Bentley Corniche convertibles.

“Certainly, the six or seven Connolly hides used to upholster virtually every surface of the interior, along with some 40 square feet of Wilton wool carpet and the burled walnut dash (from late ’74 on), gave the Convertible an air of luxury equal to those cars produced with the Spirit of Ecstasy on the hood. Standard equipment on the Convertible included about every feature offered in the era: power windows, air conditioning, power steering, Lear Jet eight-track stereo, and an electrically operated automatic folding soft-top.

“Under the long hood was a booming 7.2-litre engine, or 440 cubic inches, to those of us not yet using the metric system. Chrysler had been supplying engines to the West Bromwich, England-based Jensen since the early 1960s, but by the mid-1970s, engineers were hamstrung by meeting new emissions regulations, particularly for such a large engine. Even though the four-barrel, high-performance variant that Jensen purchased from Chrysler had just an 8.2:1 compression ratio to go along with its Carter Thermo-Quad carburettor, it still appropriately suited the British luxury GT.

“Despite the Convertible’s curb weight of just over 2 tons and the Mopar powerplant’s output down to roughly 250 hp or so, the car could still get up and go, getting to 60 mph in under 8 seconds on its way up to a top speed north of 130 mph. Few cars from the mid-’70s could perform in such a manner, and the Interceptor Convertible possessed substantial street cred in the performance department. Along with its thoroughly luxurious interior, this made the Interceptor Convertible quite a car. It’s still got to be one of the best-looking convertibles ever built.

History of this car, provided by the seller:

“This Jensen Interceptor Convertible was first owned by George Frederick "Fritz" Jewett Jr., a prominent San Francisco businessman, philanthropist and sailing buff whose support of the sport led to his induction into the America's Cup Hall of Fame in 2005. Mr. Jewett had a long career in the forest products industry as a director of the Potlatch Corp. He was also renowned in sailing circles for chairing five America's Cup syndicates for three yacht clubs from 1973 through 2000.

“The campaigns were no small feats - some had budgets that reached into the tens of millions of dollars. In 2000, with the assistance of Larry Finch, Mr Jewett headed the St. Francis Yacht Club's America One Challenge syndicate in New Zealand with Paul Cayard as skipper. For contributions to sailing, he was inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame.

“Mr Jewett's love of sailing began in childhood. His father's family had a home on Cape Cod, where he learned to sail. In adulthood, he spent summers with his own family at Cape Cod and also on San Francisco Bay. Mr Jewett's son, George Jewett III, said it was "the beauty on the water" that drew his father to sailing.

“Mr Jewett was a graduate of Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., and Dartmouth College. He earned a master's degree in business from Harvard Business School. He began his career at a pulp mill in Everett, Wash., and moved around the Pacific Northwest, eventually becoming a director of the Potlatch Corp.

“He had known his wife-to-be, Lucille McIntyre, since childhood, and reconnected while he was working in a Tacoma sawmill. They were engaged six weeks later and would have celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary in July of this year. They moved to the Bay Area in 1965.

“Mr. Jewett was known for his civic activism, generosity and gentle demeanour. He and his wife eschewed the spotlight, preferring to be low-key, if not behind-the-scenes players in their patronage of the arts, science, education, medicine and conservation.

“Along with three other couples, they helped to personally finance salaries for dancers in the 1970s, when the San Francisco Ballet was undergoing financial hardship. But when people asked them about it directly, the couple would typically brush off their generosity and change the subject.

"Fritz gave to causes he believed in in a quiet manner, and most people probably do not know the scope of his generosity, but his friends do know of the scope of his - and his capacity for - friendship," said longtime friend Charlotte Shultz, chief of protocol for San Francisco. "I am a recipient who will miss this special man, with his twinkly eyes and his delightful and slightly mischievous smile."

“For 41 years, Mr Jewett served on the board of the California Pacific Medical Center, which in its early days was known as Presbyterian Hospital. He was made chairman of the board of the Asian Art Commission in 1967 and helped to establish the city's Asian Art Museum. He helped to bring the Avery Brundage Collection of more than 7,000 pieces of art to San Francisco in the late 1960s, which was a catalyst for the establishment of that museum. Mr Jewett served on the board of directors of the California Academy of Sciences, Mills College in Oakland and the Dartmouth Alumni Council as well as the advisory boards of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. He was also on the trustees council of the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.

“In 1980, he was knighted in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. He was a member of the Pacific Union Club, the Bohemian Club and the Burlingame Country Club, as well as the St. Francis, Marin, San Diego and New York yacht clubs, and the Ida Lewis Yacht Club in Newport, R. I.

“He also supported the Treasure Island Sailing Center, which provides opportunities for disadvantaged youth.”

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The Condition

Attractive light blue metallic paintwork in very good general condition
Some minor areas to note to paintwork such as arch chips and light scuffs
Body stripped to bare metal and professionally resprayed at a cost of £12,000
Retains its Federal specification, including corner marker lights
All body seals replaced and renewed
Light tarnish to note to bumper blades as shown
Beige roof in very good condition with clear rear screen as shown
Roof shows some light age to material and screen as can be seen in the photos
Underside appears to have been undersealed
Factory GKN alloy wheels in good general condition with Dunlop tyres fitted
Original beige leather interior professionally restored with replacement panels as required and treated with Connolly hide products
Retains a pleasing degree of patina that adds to its authenticity according to seller
All underbonnet wiring loom replaced
Complete with power windows, air conditioning, and electrically operated folding soft-top
Interior features approximately six Connolly hides and 40 square feet of Wilton wool carpet
Early MkIII impact-resistant dashboard layout
Practical 2+2 layout with seatbelts front and rear
Fitted with remotely operated door mirrors
Some light age to note to carpets
Retains period-correct radio cassette system and factory two-spoke leather-rimmed wheel

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The Mechanics

7.2-litre (440 cubic inch) Chrysler V8 engine
Three-speed Chrysler ‘Torqueflite’ automatic transmission
Original Carter Thermoquad carburettor replaced with Edelbrock CFM 740 with electric choke
All brake callipers and master cylinder stripped, overhauled and fitted with new pistons and seals
Braking pipes and T junctions stripped, flushed and cleaned
All flexipipes at the front and rear replaced
New alternator, starter motor and petrol pump fitted
Radiator professionally rebuilt and recored
All coolant and heater hoses renewed
Automatic gearbox checked, found to be in good condition, and fitted with a new filter

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