Jensen Healey

Fast Facts

• Best model: GT
• Worst model: MK1s
• Budget buy: As above
• OK for unleaded?: Yes
• Will it fit in the garage? (mm): mm 4150x 1610
• Spares situation: Improving
• DIY ease?: Okay – it’s engine costs...
• Club support: Good
• Appreciating asset?: Still waiting
• Good buy or good-bye?: A good car once it’s sorted

Looking like a Spitfi re on steroids the J-H as always considered dull. Worry more on the cars rust issues now…

Cockpit was streets ahead of rivals at the time and even now is nice and civilised although the trim is virtually impossible to fi nd new. GT dash fi ts early cars and highly prized

GT took Jensen-Healey upmarket and is generally regarded as the best of the bunch. Certainly it is now the most rare fi nd

Dials come from Smiths, plentiful

J-H had fi rst call on Lotus engine – early ones were dire! Mk IIs use stiffer blocks but all cost £3000 to overhaul

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The ill-fated collaboration between Donald Healey and Jensen that promised so much back in 1972 has finally come of age – and at great prices, too

A modern MGB was Donald Healey’s vision of a sports car for the 1970s. His all new Jensen-Healey was based on Vauxhall running gear and designedto replace the Big Healey that was killed off at the tail end of the last decade. But US based car importer and salesman Kjell Qvale got wind of the project and reckoned he could shift huge numbers of these modern sportsters, so he persuaded Healey to change tack. There was a shift from a proposed glass fi bre shell to a steel monocoque construction, and Qvale’s Jensen outfi t handily became the obvious candidate for large-scale production… On paper the new Jensen-Healey looked a pretty tasty proposition in a market stifl ed by old MGs and Triumphs. In practice, it left a bad taste in the mouth for too many. Until now perhaps, where all the ingredients are ripe for some automotive microwaving to make the Jensen-Healey the car it should have been all along at Spridget prices!

History

The Jensen-Healey was intended to make its debut at the 1971 Earls Court Motor Show, but it didn’t arrive until spring of the following year. Healey’s idea for the car was right on the money for the more conservative 1970s and a complete contrast to the beefy sports cars of the 1950s. It was more in line with the Lotus Elan and Triumph TR6 than an E-type, and was just the thing to entice the ‘greener’ but always lucrative US market, which had been crying out for a new British sportster for years. First thoughts of the Jensen-Healey surfaced in the late 1960s before Healey’s contract terminated with British Leyland in December 1970. But it would be July 1972 before the fi rst customer cars were delivered at £1874 – well over the £1500 ticket that Donald and Geoffrey Healey originally planned on. The reason the price rose dramatically was that while an amalgamation of Vauxhall Victor/ Firenza hardware would keep costs down (in fact the only main non GM part was the gearbox which came from the Sunbeam Rapier H120), the new 2.3-litre VX4/90 engine couldn’t cut the mustard in emission-strangled US form. The answer lied in with the new Lotus 907 engine, which was based on the original Victor ohc unit. It was considerably more refi ned and, crucially, all alloy. A deal with an eager Colin Chapman was soon done. The earliest Jensen-Healeys were riddled with major problems – many of which originated from the Lotus engine, which Qvale bought without a warranty! They were fi xed quickly, although the damage to the new car’s reputation was done already. By the time of the introduction of the MkII in September 1973, there was no reason to be afraid of this affordable Jensen, but most buyers steered clear, still turning to old, but trusty Mgs and Triumphs. This ultimately lead to the downfall of the car and Jensen itself, for that matter.

The much improved MkII featured a wood-grain fi nish on the dash and better soundproofi ng, but it still wasn’t sophisticated enough to lure puntersinto the showrooms. Development continued, with a Getrag fi ve-speed gearbox replacing the previous four-speed unit in late 1973. The extra cog was a bonus but the best bit was the much greater durability of the new transmission. In a bid to boost the car’s appeal, a sports estate was launched in July 1975. Dubbed the Jensen GT, there were no Healey references because Donald Healey had quit the company by the time the first Roadsters had been delivered to customers. To assist sales of this upmarket derivative, the original convertible was discontinued in December 1975, but that still didn’t help matters. By the time production was wound up in 1976, only 473 GTs had been built, more than half of which were expor ted to America. Of the 10,453 Roadsters made, 7709 went to the States where they out number Intercepters 50 per cent at car shows. They love them out there – while in the UK, J-H’s are becoming better accepted by Jensen clubs who were once sniffy about them.

Driving

The Jensen-Healey never really lived up to its paper promise but that doesn’t mean it was a bad car. Far from it, in fact, as a new generation of owners are discovering. For starters, it was oneof the most comfortable and ergonomic sportsters around with fi ne seats and driving position with ample space for two. It’s a much bigger car than its predecessor too, some fi ve inches longer, almost four inches wider and, at just under 4ft tall, a couple of inches lower, too. Crucially, at 2150lb the modern Healey is some 230lb lighter. Despite its early faults, the Lotus engine was no mean performer. It lacks the crisp sound of the old Ford-based twin cam, but the 140bhp still provides plenty of shove, although for a 2.0-litre, it needs to be worked quite hard. Early cars featured a Sunbeam Rapier H120 four-speed (overdrive) gearbox, which has a much smoother action than the later heavy-handed ZF fi ve-speed unit, although the latter is the sturdier and has the advantage of an extra cog. The brakes are reassuring while the ride is excellent – too compliant in fact because it seems that the chassis was set up more for comfort than all-out handling – something most road test reports picked up on at the time. One of the defi nite perks is the steering. This is one of the best rack-and-pinion set-ups around, which is all the more impressive when you think that it was taken from the rather humdrum Vauxhall Viva. With 140bhp in standard guise the Jensen- Healey could blow a rival TR6 away, especially cross country, even if this harsh Lotus engine didn’t lap up the revs too well. There are many rough Jensen-Healeys but a well set-up version is a delight to drive and far more modern than an MGB or TR. In many ways it was the logical development of these ‘60s classics. Any sports car that could hit 60 in less than 8.5 seconds and hit 116mph (according to the 1975 test in Autocar) had to be worth a look. Yet despite its credentials the J-H lacked that certain something that enthusiasts craved. When Car magazine pitched an original roadsteragainst a Lotus Elan Sprint, the older car (still on Ford power) blew its modern replacement away in all areas, including reliability. Perhaps the comparison was unfair, as in size and price the J-H was more a rival to the TR6 that had similar performance and economy. Actually, the Jensen-Healey could have been a useful fi ller in the Triumph range as it looked like a Spitfi re on steriods, had the raw appeal of the TR6 but was as good a cruiser as the Stag. Today the Jensen is a good alternative to any TR and the evergreen MGB plus a lot more modern feeling. Does this sound like your sort of sports car?

Prices

There’s little difference in values between Roadsters and GTs. The best change hands for £8000 (usually within the club), but £5000 is the most you’re likely to on the open market. Restoration projects are still sometimes given away, but we’ve heard of up to £30,000 being spent on dedicated rebuilds. Currently there’s around 10 top cars in the UK says J-H expert David Booth (01244 336331) as apathy rules!

Improvements

The J-H was always criticised for being underdeveloped but thanks to its pick ‘n’ mix of components, it can be uprated easily for little cash. The suspension is mostly Vauxhall Magnum items, which benefi t from a damper and spring swap plus poly bushing the rear axle retaining arms (although the ride will be fi rmer). Strangely, in standard trim, the J-H lacked a front anti-roll bar – but there’s no reason why a Viva GT/Firenza item can’t be grafted on. The Lotus engine (2.0- litres but a lustier 2.2 after 1980 and a wise swap says the owners club) benefi ts from the usual ‘organic’ tuning methods, though many owners may fi nd that just electronic ignition and a session on a rolling road will more than suffice.

Three Of A Kind

Triumph TR6

A main rival to the Jensen-Healey, the TR6 was as ancient as the J-H was modern in 1972. Performance is broadly similar but the TR’s six is smoother, if more of a GT engine. In terms of handling, a good Jensen should show a TR the way home, although a lot is dependant on condition. Certainly, the Triumph is the more robust of the pair and the easiest to repair and restore. But a good TR6 is a lot dearer to buy, too.

Lotus Elite

Launched just as the Jensen- Healey, which shared the same engine, was put on a life support machine, the Elite is more a rival for the later hatch-backed Jensen GT, although it’s a much larger 2+2. Like the J-H, Elites are dirt cheap to buy but they also suffer from similar build and reliability issues and lack of respect – plus the Lotus engine is just as harsh and torque-starved in the Elite unless you get a 2.2 model.

Alfa Romeo Spider

In many ways the Jensen-Healey could be likened to a British Alfa Romeo Spider due to its size, mechanical specifi cation and sophistication over the usual British offerings at the time. The Italian stayed in production well into the 1990s, although the earlier series up to the 1980s is the best and most desired. Spares and support is generally fi ne and these Alfas areuniversally loved – and rightly so.