Righting the wrongs of history

After a lifetime together, one owner decided it was time to banish the model's inherent flaws to create his perfect Jensen-Healey

-  MARTIN BUCKLEY

As an attempt at reinventing the classic British sports car for the safety- and emissionsminded 1970s, the JensenHealey looked like a credible product in 1972. With two revered names on its tail, A power source courtesy of Lotus and rational, off-the-shelf Vauxhall underpinnings, here was a modern yet traditional 125mph open two-seater with scintillating acceleration and tidy handling. At a fraction over £1800, it should have picked up where the Big Healey left off.

a new twin-cam, 16-valve Despite misgivings about its raucous engine and the flimsy, wind-noise-inducing hood, the press reaction to the car was cautiously positive. While taking the fight to the Datsun 240Z, the car that had filled the void left by the demise of the Healey 3000 in the North American market, the Jensen-Healey should also have appealed to MGB and Triumph TR6 owners looking to trade up. Even S1 and S2 E-type devotees, feeling alienated by the complexity of the new V12 Series 3, would have seen the newcomer as a worthy alternative.

Sales forecasts of 10,000 units a year did not seem unreasonable. True enough, its new unitary body was no ravishing beauty, yet, as a means of walking a fine line between good looks and increasingly demanding American Federal legislation, the rather unremarkable shape managed not to offend the eye.

Between 1972 and the demise of Jensen Motors in 1976, almost 11,000 customers must have at least come to terms with the car's styling, even if they couldn't fall in love with it. That rather suggests the problems lay elsewhere: in the well-documented cases of poor finish and underdeveloped engines, and a simple inability to produce enough cars to satisfy the initial enthusiastic demand.