1973 Jensen Healey

Description

Stalled restoration; original fully rebuilt Lotus engine included; currently fitted with a Vauxhall Magnum 2.3 engine; new set of Pirelli tyres; sound body shell; many spares; one of fewer than 450 surviving; a rewarding project for someone

Produced between 1972 and 1976, the Jensen-Healey was a collaboration between Jensen Motors and Donald Healey and was intended to both fill the void left by the Healey 3000 and provide a sophisticated alternative to the ageing MGB and Triumph TR6.

The car’s trump card was Colin Chapman’s new 2.0 litre, 16-valve, all-aluminium Lotus 907 twin-cam engine. Pushing out some 144bhp and driving through a 4-speed manual box, it could launch the Jensen Healey to 60mph in 7.8 seconds with a top speed of 120mph and 30mpg economy.

Bluffly handsome with sharp-edged Sixties lines and a Kamm tail, it had a notably stiff shell thanks to its Barry Bilbie-designed unitary body understructure, with bolt-on panels which made it easy to repair and kept insurance costs down.

Fast and agile, the Healey was praised by the motoring press but reliability issues with the early cars meant that sales never really took off, only around 10,000 being built in total, most of which went to America, with a mere 2,000 or so in RHD for the UK market.  

As the Heritage Certificate confirms, this Jensen Healey Mk1 was built in December 1972 finished in blue with a black interior. First registered in Staffordshire in January 1973, it has had five owners since, our vendor acquiring it in early 2023 from a gent in Cannock who had owned it for the previous 27 years.

When the original Lotus engine developed a fault, the previous owner took it out to get it rebuilt and put a Vauxhall Magnum 2.3 engine in as a temporary measure so he could continue to use the car. (This was a logical transplant because Jensen had originally planned to use the Vauxhall engine after testing it in the prototype Healeys so it slotted straight in, but when Colin Chapman subsequently offered them the more powerful Lotus engine they opted for that instead).

The previous owner did indeed get the original Lotus engine rebuilt but he subsequently fell ill and sold the car to the current owner with the engine yet to be fitted. We are told that the Lotus engine is still in good shape and has been regularly oiled and turned to keep it free. We are further told that the Vauxhall Magnum engine currently fitted is also in good working order so, for an easy life, you could just leave that in and sell the Lotus engine to fund the restoration... 

Six old MOTs and various old tax discs show that the car was in regular light use from 1987 - 2001, clocking up just under 11,000 miles during this 14-year period. The odometer was showing 78,184 miles at the last MOT in June 2001 so it has presumably not turned a wheel since as the same total is still displayed today.

There are various invoices for upkeep in the late 1990s/early Noughties, including a new green tinted windscreen in March 1998. Our vendor has also fitted a new set of Pirelli tyres and sourced a new set of carpets and underlay which are stored in the boot along with the door cards, various trim parts etc.

We are told that the car is complete and comes with many spares including what looks like the majority of perhaps two spare Lotus engines (dismantled) plus a steering rack, dynamo, starter motor etc. Bidders are encouraged to come and see all these parts for themselves as we do not have a comprehensive list. The vendor estimates that the spares alone are worth over £4,000.

These Jensen Healey models are getting very thin on the ground these days, with only around 260 still licensed in the UK and another 180 or so on SORN. Given that the last roadworthy one we sold made over £15k in 2021, this solid example, with its freshly rebuilt original Lotus engine, should make a worthwhile project for someone.

An active owner’s club will provide plenty of encouragement and expertise, with good parts supply from Martin Robey of Nuneaton. On offer here at no reserve, the best bid takes it home.

Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – [email protected]