Cheap Wheels? 1974 Jensen-Healey Mk II
The Jensen-Healey debuted in 1972 as the replacement for the Austin-Healey 3000. It was the result of a joint venture between Donald Healey and Jensen Motors. The vehicle was a sports car having a twist of luxury, perhaps in a similar vein as the Jaguar E-Type. The Jensen-Healey was only around for five years, with a total production of 10,500 units (3/4 were sold in North America). This second-generation example (hence, Mark II) from 1974 was running until recently and will require some mechanical sleuthing. Located in Watsonville, California, this British roadster is available here on craigslist for the tidy sum of $2,600. Our thanks to ToddK for the tip!
Jensen got involved in the deal with Healey as they had already been building bodied for Healey’s vehicles. It was determined that the Jensen-Healey would have unitary body construction with bolt-on body panels to keep down the cost of repairs. A Lotus Type 907 twin-cam engine with dual carburetors would have the duties under the hood, good for something like 144 hp and nearly 120 mph. A 4-speed manual transmission took care of the shifting, although later models got a 5-speed. The JV and the car stopped production in 1976, blamed in part on the energy crisis of the decade.
The seller inherited this J-H from his father who had owned it since the late 1970s. That makes him/her just the third owner of the English sports car. It may have seen some road time after the father’s passing, but downtime has contributed to it running intermittently now. Perhaps some bad gas is at fault, but the buyer will have to tow it home and delve further into its mechanics. The mileage exceeds 111,600 as the seller believes the odometer has rolled over.
Physically, the body and paint appear to be in fine shape and the interior is okay except for a tear in the driver’s seat. We’re told the convertible top is discolored, so perhaps it will need replacing or a dye job. At the price point the seller is asking, this could be a cheap project to dive into and maybe get back on the road without breaking the bank.
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Comments
Cheaper than a monthly house payment in that area…
I wouldnt be scared of this one. Never had a Jensen or a Healey but plenty of Triumphs. At this price point could be a fun one
I was 10 years down the road from selling my two ’55 Healeys ( Air Force life got in the way) when a good friend in the local Porsche club showed up with a car exactly like this one. Got it as a grocery getter for his wife. I couldn’t believe the beautiful big Healeys morfed into the Jensen. I also couldn’t believe the guy’s wife didn’t leave him after the car left her stranded along the road several time with engine problems. The the price will certainly sell the car but who knows what is going to happen next to it.
I was working in a BMC dealership back when these cars were new. I had a 74 for a driver and took it auto-crossing just as an experiment. Looking at the potential, we talked the dealer into some minor alterations (steering wheel, Koni’s, br50 tires, tweeked the valve timing, and adjusted the throttle pedal over a bit). That car turned into such a weekend warrior that it was flat out beating everything the C prod class could throw at it. The drivetrain (from the Vauxhall Victor, was absolutely bullet proof (4-speed). We didn’t really experience, as a dealership, much in the way of reliability issues if the vehicles were maintained. They weren’t MGB’s after all. They did however present as rather plasticy as most Britsh machinery going into the 70’s did. To go 111,000 miles, this one must have had an owner that cared and barring a catastrophif engine failure, should be an excellent buy at this price.
These are highly-undervalued sports cars, Lots of fun to drive. This one probably just needs the fuel system (tank to carbs) cleaned out. Deal of the month!
That car does not look rusty, so I figure that is one good deal.
I have posted many times that I am no mechanic but I have done all the work in my Midget 1500 with the help of the shop manual, the Haynes manual and You Tube.
They are very basic cars.
A Jensen Healey with mileage exceeding 100,000??!! Talk about something I thought I’d never see. I don’t think it was the energy crisis so much as warranty claims that sunk Jensen – I was working for one of the biggest Jensen dealers on the West Coast when they came out. But, per conversation with Geoffrey Healey in my Bentley one day, they had originally hoped for the 2 litre BMW four-banger of the 2002 but had to settle for the Lotus engine. What a shame, a BMW powered Healey would probably have survived to today!!
Need to replace the timing belt before even attempting to start the engine.
289 Ford or 340 Mopar and 5 speed would move it down the road nicely and wont break down.