“The one and only Jensen to feature a traditional rear window”
To understand the Jensen brand’s philosophy, we need to go back to the mid-1930s, when Richard and Alan Jensen set up a body shop specialising in tuning Ford V8s. It didn’t take long for them to build a solid reputation, and even a certain Clark Gable was spotted driving one of their creations.
After the war, Jensen resumed small-scale car production, but thrived as a coachbuilder for Austin-Healey and other makes. In 1963, the brand launched the C-V8, featuring a partially fibreglass body and a Chrysler V8 engine. It was replaced in 1967 by the Interceptor, with bodywork designed by Touring and a 383 cubic-inch Chrysler V8 engine. The Interceptor was also available with the Ferguson Formula all-wheel drive system, at an additional cost of around 50 per cent compared to the standard Interceptor. A modified and modernised version, the Interceptor II, followed in late 1969, and was subsequently replaced in 1971 by the Interceptor III, which was soon fitted with the 440 cubic-inch Chrysler engine and was joined in 1974 by a convertible.
The Jensen Interceptor combined the power and reliability of an American V8 and the smoothness of its automatic transmission with the quality and luxury of a British body. Designed for a discerning clientele willing to pay a high price for performance and exclusivity (in 1974, an Interceptor III cost 60 per cent more than a Type E Series III roadster).
Aguttes is proud to offer for sale this one-off 1976 Jensen coupé, known as the ‘Van Hool’, named after the Belgian coachbuilder who was a Jensen customer. We owe this information to Richard Calver, a Jensen expert, author of *The Jensen Genome* and renowned for his comprehensive catalogue of Jensen production: ‘This is the Van Hool car. It was started by Jensen Motors Limited and completed by JP&S (Jensen Parts & Services) in 1976. According to what I was told at the factory in the 1980s, Van Hool wanted a model without the glass canopy to prevent water ingress. All cars fitted with this canopy suffered from water ingress. I do not know the reason for this request for modification, but the work order to modify the car was issued in December 1975. The work was not completed until November 1976, when the invoice was issued. I assume the car was delivered at that time.”
The ‘Van Hool’ is the only car from that era to have been factory-built in this form. Two further examples were subsequently built by private individuals using standard-production Jensens. Sold new in Belgium, it was later sold to a major Italian collector before becoming part of a significant French collection. It was restored and returned to working order in 2019, but has not been driven since. Although well preserved, it does show some signs of corrosion.