First Registered 2/5/1973
Chassis No 138/8505
Engine No 3C10489
Original Colour Yellow
This is what Richard has to say about his SP, that's him with his car above.
My interest in Jensens started in 1966 at the age of 16, when I saw an article about the new Jensen Interceptor and FF.
I have always been interested in cars and my first car was a MGB. After a couple of years I wanted something faster and considered the Jensen Healey against the Triumph TR6, deciding on the Jensen Healey on the basis of its performance and looks.
I drove the Jensen Healey from 1975 to 1985, covering many miles (24,000 in one year), but always hankered after an Interceptor. In 1983 I came into a small legacy and my wife encouraged me to look for an Interceptor. I looked at a number of cars, but they all had poor bodywork. Then I came across NDC 3L, which was a SP, had good bodywork and I loved the colour (Rolls Royce Forest Green). The car went like an express train under full throttle, but was hesitant to pick up at low throttle settings. I thought it would be simple to sort that out and so bought the car. Little did I know it would take me more than 15 years to get it running properly!
In the early years of my ownership, I was on a very limited budget and so set about fixing things as cheaply as possible. After extensive research I discovered that my engine should have had the following carburettors: 6405A front, 6404A centre, 6406A rear. It actually had list number 4672 on the front, which was actually a 1971 rear carburettor; a 4376 at the centre, which was a 1970 centre carburettor and a 6406 on the rear, which was a 1972 rear carburettor. Interesting to have a carburettor intended for the rear fitted in the front position. I was assured that it should be possible to get this combination working although I never did so, despite replacing the centre carburettor. For 5 years I used a Holley quad set up and although it behaved perfectly, I missed the induction roar when the outers open up on the six pack. So I bought a new set of outer carbs and refitted the six pack. This cured the problem and the engine now runs perfectly at any throttle setting, idles smoothly and goes like an express train under a heavy right foot.
Six Pack in all its glory, plus modern air conditioning compressor
In 1995, I had a full body restoration carried out and it has lasted pretty well. I look after the mechanics myself and have fixed or replaced many parts. Since I use the car a lot, I have made a number of modifications, some to increase reliability and some to enhance the driving experience, which I list below:
Auxiliary fuel pump fitted to reduce starter churn after a week or two’s disuse
Oil cooler to help prevent overheating
Aluminium inlet manifold and thermal spacers fitted to keep carbs cooler
Recored radiator and high capacity cooling fans to prevent overheating
Electronic heater control
Aircon compressor uprated
Headlamps uprated and relay fitted to protect switch
Lights on warning buzzer added
Exhaust manifolds replaced with headers
Cruise control fitted
So apart from the above it is a pretty original car with the original engine and interior and the only panels to have been replaced are the front and back apron.
After retiring in 2011, I have been able to go on a number of tours, including the Dutch, German and Swiss events. All were great fun and it is nice to see some of the European cars and their owners. I have also been up a couple of hill climbs.
The most recent tour was to Scotland at the end of May 2021 where we covered 2300 miles in conditions varying from sun, to hail, to snow and rain. It was absolutely fantastic with empty toads, magnificent scenery and the opportunity to drive pretty fast at times.
I find the car easy to drive, be it cruising at 110 mph on the German motorways, inching along in traffic or under full throttle acceleration from rest. The cruise control is magic for long motorway stints. One of the most enjoyable experiences was the drive up and down a couple of passes in Switzerland along with other like minded Jensen owners, despite having to get up at 5.30 in the morning to avoid other road users. Watching the sun come up over the mountains at the top of a pass at dawn was magic. However, when I got back to the hotel copious amounts of smoke were coming from the back brakes. Since then I have fitted new rear discs and pads.
I have found the car remarkably reliable and have not ever broken down on the road after 38 years of ownership, during only one of which it was off the road. However, on one occasion the engine was running very rich, it was really difficult to get it to accelerate at all and the trip back from Wales seemed never ending. Fortunately, we did make it home and I subsequently found out that the float locking nut on the front carb had come loose and the engine was continually pumping fuel through the float chamber and into the engine. Fuel consumption on that occasion was well below 10 mpg!
There is a general belief that SPs require frequent tuning. In my experience this is not the case and I have not adjusted the distributor timing or carburettors for over 5 years. The engine is running as smoothly and well as it was 5 years ago. I suspect that it is warped carburettors that necessitate the need for constant tuning and if you can keep them cool and warp free they almost never require adjustment. However, they almost certainly will warp if precautions are not taken to reduce the heat soak into the carburettors when the engine is turned off or when stuck in traffic.
For information the red Jensen Healey in some of the pictures below is my son Adam’s car.
International Weekend 2017
International Weekend 2017
International Weekend 2017
Prescott Hill Climb 2020
A comfortable place to sit when covering large distances
Oil Cooler take off from the oil filter via a sandwich plate
Additional Cruise Control Stalk on the left
Auxiliary Fuel Pump
Dutch Trip 2018
Dutch Trip 2018 waiting for canal bridge to open
Top of the Grimsel Pass, Switzerland 2018
Scotland 2021
John O’Groats Scotland 2021
. I did come over and talk to you once at a general classic car show down the A3 or M3 somewhere once, it was at an air field down that way somewhere, probably 6 or 7 years ago now, you were sitting in a deck chair and we talked about your carbs and the issues you had previously had, Lovely Car you have there and a bonus it being an SP
..It sounds like you have really enjoyed your past with the car..so, maybe time to sell it to me now
..Please send the details via PM and we can get the transaction sorted out immediately
, thank you very much..with my kind regards..Grant
