new member 133/5480

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Interceptor Mallorca
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Location: Spain, Mallorca

Re: new member 133/5480

Post by Interceptor Mallorca »

Chris! Very happy to read your post, since I am myself not afraid to drive across europe, and have done so on several occasions. Being a swede, living in Mallorca, I make the trip from Mallorca to Sweden and back every year. Heading north in June, and then south again beginning of september. I have made this trip in old Alfas, Ferraris and Porsches, and once even in a Cobra. ( Yes, without hardtop, roof down ALL the way........) Only once I was held up. My old Alfa decided to let go of all the coolant. But a very friendly classic car fan concierge in the hotel ( I speak not a word of french ) decided to help out, and rang a friend. We spent a few hours together in the hotel garage chatting without understanding eachother, and the next morning I was on my way. Such a lovely memory!

Now being somehat older, and very much enjoying the company of my wife, the next car was to offer comfortable long distance capabilities: Jensen Interceptor! I think she will consider joining me. And I have to make sure it is without too much drama........

So I hope I can make it reliable. With me, there is no riks it sits without use in the garage!
Jensen Interceptor Mk3 1971
Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Veloce 1969
hlequippe
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Re: new member 133/5480

Post by hlequippe »

Good Purchase

I own myself a car close to yours (133/5767) which is Grey with red interior. Here is my recommendation :

First of all, drive it. This will help you understand how good these cars are. Drive it, understand it, find the things that need to be worked on. these cars were expensive when new and they still cost quite a lot to maintain. Some parts are expensive some are rather cheap like engine parts in US (but do not forget to factor in the various taxes and shipping costs) but the most expensive is the labor cost. Particularly if there is rot (and there will be)

My first priorities like with every car :

. Change fluids
. Check tires and particularly their age There tyres are expensive (circa 350€ each) and these cars do not drive often so tyre tend to be perfect looking with a lot of thread on them but may be 15 years old (like mine) and it is not recommended to drive on 15 years old tyre particularly on wet
. Check state of the exhaust manifold gasket as some low quality ones tend to last sometimes only a few miles.
. Check state of master cylinder, you may have leaks there. Mine was leaking but I could not see it. Indeed it was leaking inside the servo !!
. Check state of radiator. it is generally VERY hot in the engine bay so proper cooling is key. Flush up the radiator and check color of "water in it" if it is brown, you may have to clean the whole system including the engine water pipes
. Check electricity. Being used to a Porsche which its clean electric system (all ,relays and fuses in the same place, clean wiring etc) the Interceptor was a shock so check that everything is working and be prepared to scratch you head finding fuses in strange locations.
. Last, check you MPG or L/100 kms. when I got my car, I needed 65 l of gas to cover the 200 kms to Le Touquet to join the Turin trip guys on their way back. After a change in carburetor, I'm now down to about 22/23 l/100 kms. Still quite a lot by todays standard, but manageable.

Good luck and enjoy
Hervé Lequippe
Paris, France
Int III 133/5767 1972 Grey/Red interior
Triumph Spitfire 1500FH 1976 White/black
Porsche 911 993 CarreraS 1997 Blue/Grey
Triumph Spitfire Works Le Mans 1964/1965 "ADU3B" (Project)
Peugeot 206 cc 2001 Silver Grey/Blue
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Interceptor Mallorca
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Re: new member 133/5480

Post by Interceptor Mallorca »

Hello Hervé!

Thank you for your kind message and advice! The part about the rust is of course what I worry about most, and certainly I understand as you say, that there will be rot in the car. Just hope its not too much, but expecting the worst. I will for sure follow yours and others advice. First of all make sure all systems are working, get the car registered, and drive it while evaluating what needs to be done. I am for sure having a major service done as step 1, and also at that point make sure the car is safe ( tires and brakes )

Today I got the confirmation that the payment was all ok, and arrived, and also got the booking confirmation from the shipping agent. The car will go on truck to LA, and from there to Holland were it enters EU with a lower tax rate than what would have been the case in Sweden, and then finally onwards passage to Gothenburg. Arriving there mid May. Long wait! already sleepless! :D

Grey and red sounds very nice. Any pictures of your car?

Stay tuned!
Jensen Interceptor Mk3 1971
Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Veloce 1969
colin7673
now normal...
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Re: new member 133/5480

Post by colin7673 »

The two switch could be for anything, electric arial or parking light It will depend on what was required when it came out the factory or could be after sale fittings, you have to have a play..

Our Jensen has been to many countries over our ownership and has always got there and back under its own power, like Chris has said, these cars are meant to be used and the more you use them the better they are.. We have been to Holland, Belgium, Dresden East Germany, even spent three quarters of an hour in Czech Republic before returning to Germany and its been to Norway, Sweden, Denmark and always got back under its own power,
It's not a picture car, even though it has been in three motor magazines' , its a car to be used and enjoyed.

So lets hope when we are, hopefully, In Norway next year, your be there to join us.
Only working half a day now.
http://www.jensensontour.co.uk
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Interceptor Mallorca
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Re: new member 133/5480

Post by Interceptor Mallorca »

The car has arrived in Sweden! I have still not seen it is person though. For the import and registration, the car needs a certificate issued in sweden, certifying the car is original and not modified. I hired the inspector who makes out theese certificates to also take care of the import procedure and to get the car onto swedish plates.

He called me, and said he had had a look around the car. According to him it looks good and straight. It starts and runs and stops well, and his oppinion was that the engine seemed to be in good nick, running smoothly. He also observed the car "even smelled good inside the cabin". Whatever that means........ Hopefully it means it has not been damp inside the cabin. His external "walkaround" revealed no visible rust in valances, tailgate, bonnet, around windows and wheel arches etc. I guess the nasty surprices will come later, inspecting floors and sills.......

Anyway. So far so good. Cant wait to pick up the car. Thats now 1 month away.

Moore to follow.
Jensen Interceptor Mk3 1971
Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Veloce 1969
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Martin R
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Re: new member 133/5480

Post by Martin R »

Fantastic!
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Interceptor MK3 136/8514
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Interceptor Mallorca
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Re: new member 133/5480

Post by Interceptor Mallorca »

So. The car has arrived! :D

Me and my family arrived in Sweden last friday to spend a couple of months here, and first stop Saturday morning was to go to Gothenburg by train from Malmö, to pick up the car, and drive it back to Falsterbo were we live while in Sweden. Some 320 kms to drive. Needless to say I could not sleep friday night.... I met up with Sören who had helped me to get the car through customs and onto Swedish plates. He told me the car had been running like a dream to and from "bilprovningen", the swedish MOT, were it had passed without any remarks. I was amazed to learn that. A quick walk around the car told me it was a good one. Very original indeed! There has been no messing about whatsoever.
So off I went. And I drove all the way with no problems. Barbra Streisand on the 8 track. Car drives straight on tires 7 years old, but hardly used, brakes are great, no overheating, no problems getting it to start hot or cold. In short, nothing of all the things I have been told and was fearing. VERY HAPPY!
The past week I have been checking everything. There is NO ROT. Amazing! I did not think a rot free Interceptor existed. Valances, floors, outer and inner sills, wings: All untouched and no rust :D . All tools, manuals etc is there. Even the sales brouchures from when the car was sold new are in the file!
The interior is all original. Even found the chassisnumber on the backside of the carpet in the boot. It looks good in the pictures, but the carpets are so dry that they almost turn to dust when you touch them. And the leather is the same. So not sure how to proceed with that.
But for now: My Jensen is my daily driver since a week, and I intend to keep driving it daily over the whole summer. Just as it is!
Jensen Interceptor Mk3 1971
Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Veloce 1969
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Grant
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Re: new member 133/5480

Post by Grant »

That is all good news and it sounds like you have a found a lovely original car.. and from memory it had red/ox blood leather doesn't it?.. the best.. well done,.. are you going to take the car to Mallorca?
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Interceptor Mallorca
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Re: new member 133/5480

Post by Interceptor Mallorca »

Yes, oxblood/red interior. I am not sure I will be able to save it though. It is VERY dry. For now, I have just given it some leather oil, but it does not seem to absorbe anything. The surface is rock hard. Lets see.

Yesterday, I was able to get the country airhorns working. Turns out all it needed was to reconnect a cable that had come loose, and then give the FIAMM compressor some oil. Wow those horns are loud! Very cool! Today, I am going to dismantle and oil the locks for the cubbyholes. They look to be in fine order, but are all stuck. Guess they just need a good cleaning and some oil. Same goes for the electrical lock on the passenger door. It locks as it should, but the solenoid does not seem to have enough power to unlock completely. Just moves the lever on the door about half way, which is not enough to disengage the lock. Small and fun jobs with instant rewards!

And yes. I will take the car to Mallorca. Not sure when though. Probably not until next year. Already looking forward to make that long journey across Europe. Thats what the car was made for was it not :D
Jensen Interceptor Mk3 1971
Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Veloce 1969
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Interceptor Mallorca
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Re: new member 133/5480

Post by Interceptor Mallorca »

So........
Time to report what has happened during the summer! I picked the car up on June 30, and it has been my daily driver for almost 2 months now. It drives like a dream, everything works, and I LOVE it! So far it has not let me down. The first day I drive it some 350 kms, and since then I have driven it every day.
Over the winter some small things will be done, but for now: Drive drive drive. Every day!
Jensen Interceptor Mk3 1971
Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Veloce 1969
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ajc9415
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Re: new member 133/5480

Post by ajc9415 »

Sounds like you have a good car and best of all enjoying it :D . Mine is very similar to yours, it started life silver with the red interior and resprayed black at some point in its life. Yours has the wood center console which is nice. Yours is a bit later than mine. I hope feeding the leather is working, I think you just have to keep doing it. Does the air con work? You’ll need it in Spain! If not there is a guy called Pat on this forum who sells upgrade kits to get them working with the modern gas. I think his user name is 007aircon. The company is FenAir. He sorted mine out (and many others). All the best and keep enjoying.
Adrian
1974 Interceptor Mk III 2240-9415
JOC Member 9648
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Interceptor Mallorca
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Re: new member 133/5480

Post by Interceptor Mallorca »

Hello Adrian!

And thank you for taking interest! I dont know for how long your have had your car? I have had many classics over the years, but I must say I am SO happy with my Jensen. Its a fantastic car, and it is very capable. Having gained confidence in it over time, the other day I did a 160 km/h run on the dual carriage way. Guess if drivers of modern cars are surprised when passed by a Jensen Interceptor flashing indicators to make sure they got out of the way! Fun fun fun! :D I had an E-type at one point, also a good car in the sense that it was in good nick, but I never felt confident driving it fast. Guess that is more of a sportscar when the Jensen is more of a high speed GT. Cant wait to drive it across Europe to Mallorca with Sinatra on the 8-track.

I was afraid it was going to be very reliable, but touch wood, so far it has been nothing but a joy. A lot of owners seem to worry about the fuel bill, but over time it does not matter to me. The fact that the car gets more and more valuable over time, well compensates for the extra outlay on petrol. I have meassured consuption, and my car returns 15 mpg, or 16 l/100 kms as would be the meassurement used here, and that is not at all bad I think.

Thanks for the tip on aircon. Mine does not work, but all the components under the hood are only 3 years old as was found when studying all the bills I got with the car. Compressor, condenser, plumming etc all new. So I think a service and a re-charge will do the trick, as all other components in the heating/cooling system also seem to work fine. Compressor starts with a reassuring click when AC is turned on. Just air is not cold. But the previous owner used the car very little since her husband passed. So this AC service on on the "to-do" list when the car now after the season is booked into the local garage for a thorough service. Other items on the list are various light issues ( full beam does not work on both sides, one backuplight does not work etc ), all fluids, lubrication, suspension bushings, a Moto-Lita steering wheel, a new fader knob, an adjustment of the centrol locking on passanger side. After the visit to the garage, I will book the car into a good upholsterer to replace the foam seat bases, and also have them clean/repair and feed the leather. Time to order the seat foam bases from Rejen now!
Jensen Interceptor Mk3 1971
Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Veloce 1969
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Interceptor Mallorca
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Re: new member 133/5480

Post by Interceptor Mallorca »

Shot a photo of my wife with the Jensen today prior to leaving to visit my parents. Lovely drive!
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Jensen Interceptor Mk3 1971
Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Veloce 1969
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Kevin Birch
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Re: new member 133/5480

Post by Kevin Birch »

Nice to hear your enjoyment, and reliability of the car. They generally are reliable, if used regularly, which you have found out. Most electric issues on these cars are down to the connectors, which corrode and lose connectivity, it is just a case of downloading the wiring diagram and methodically going along each faulty circuit. Quite straight forward, but can be very time consuming, trying to find the connectors. Your headlight issue is more than likely the connector where the feed splits to the 2 lights, which is in front of the radiator and so gets all the crap that comes in through the grille. That is where I would start.
Nice photo of the car with your wife, especially in black & white, makes it retro/moody.
Carry on enjoying it, and yes stuff the fuel bill.
My Toys: Lotus Cortina MK2.RangeRover P38, Yam inflatable, Saab 9-3 Convertible.
Mk1 Interceptor, 115/3067
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slotcarone
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Re: new member 133/5480

Post by slotcarone »

Great picture!! Two Beauties! The light issues could be as simple as bad bulbs. Check them first! :)
1972 Interceptor III
133-5612
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