Jensen-Healey

The great attraction of the Jensen-Healey has to be its outstanding performance and rarity. Those two factors are inter-related in a perverse way, though. The heart of any good J-H is its Lotus 907 engine. But this too was often the source of its early problems (along with a tendency to rust whenever a heavy dew threatened...) When Jensen went looking for an engine the Lotus one seemed ideal, but for the little problem that it was still under development. But in a radical departure from the usual British sporting car practice of using engines found tried and true in more basic cars (and even tractors and stationary engines [don't laugh, that's the amazing Coventry Climax engine's origins!]) Jensen opted for the new, innovative and untried Lotus. It made a resounding impact: comments at the time said: "Design by Lotus, Development by Customers". But within a couple of years the engine was healthy and reliable (more-or-less) and the car improved in numerous other ways as well. But the damage was done and customers avoided the car, leading to the demise of Jensen; and to the Jensen-Healey's relative rarity. Of the 10,502 (plus another 511 GTs) made it's estimated that only around 2400 remain. Most of the cars were exported- 70% to the USA, with only about 20% remaining in the UK. Now there are fewer than 100 or so estimated to be on the road in the UK so that the Jensen-Healey qualifies as one of the rarest of the higher volume sportscars made. There always seem to be a few project cars available on e-bay, but far fewer runners: a good one is a definite keeper. And a poor one can be made extremely good indeed with a judicious choice of upgrade components, as described in those pages here.

A good overview of Jensen-Healey production is to be found at the Richard Calver's website, with summaries of production data for Mk 1, Mk 2 and survivors.

The sophistication of the Jensen-Healey can be seen in this comparison with the more modern BMW Z3 sports car: J-H:Z3 Comparison.

When I'd first thought about getting a sports car I'd considered a range of possibilities and settled on a Big Healey, but I soon found that here in the UK they were relatively scarce and even decrepit examples commanded high prices. So I thought about getting a Jensen-Healey instead and did a fair bit of background research on them- they were relatively cheap to buy (unlike the Big Healeys) but expensive to restore (like the Big Healeys, and every other sports car too, I suppose). In the meantime though, I found I could more cheaply get a Big Healey by importing one and resolved on doing that. But I still had a hankering for a Jensen-Healey and some years into my Big Healey restoration I got feed up without yet being mobile so I bit the bullet and got a Jensen-Healey.

I looked at several that weren't in too bad condition but they all seemed to suffer from various ills. Then I found the one. It needed some attention but the key point was that it was largely free from rust and otherwise seemed in good condition. The engine smoked and that was suitably reflected in the price; and since I intended on massaging the engine that problem didn't put me off as much (and it would have been a LOT, given the extortionate costs of any messing around with a Lotus engine) as it might have done otherwise.

The linked pages describe the known history of my car: it's a former Company car (with a distinctive registration number OEA 724 L it seems that ONLY Jensen factory cars had that OEA pre-fix) and thus more unusual for that. There is also a page listing the articles and books I've found that discuss the Jensen-Healey.

Vendors (others selling more general goods & services can be found on the page devoted to Big Healey Vendors....)

There aren't as many parts suppliers and vendors for Jensen-Healey and Lotus components as there seem to be for Big Healeys, but a short list of them is:

Vendors

Comments

Delta Motorsports, 9211 North 9th Avenue,Phoenix, Arizona, 85021, USA. 602-265-8026

Commercial supplier of Jensen components.

I've had good experience buying from them.

Martin Robey, Poole Road, Camp Hill Industrial Estate, Nuneaton, England, CV10 9AE, 0247 638 6903

Their website has a fair parts ordering system, if you've access to the original parts catalogue they publish.

Commercial supplier of Jensen components.

I've had good experience buying from them.

Rejen Classics, Acorn Doors, Baybridge Lane, Owslebury, Nr Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 1JN, England. 0196 277 7400

Link to a single page, address is different

Commercial supplier of Jensen components. New & Used.

I've no experience buying from them.

Richard Appleyard Parts Ltd, Unit 1 Plot 6b, Quarry Hill Industrial Estate, Derbyshire, DE7 4RB, England. 0115 932 5320

Commercial supplier of Jensen components. New & used.

I've had good experience buying from them.

Lotusbits Ltd., Unit F, Old Station Yard, Marton, Warwickshire, CV23 9RU, England. 0192 663 3211, 07686 625 5614

Commercial supplier of Lotus components. Used parts.

I've had good experience buying from them.

SJ Sportscar Ltd., Unit 1 Ash Down End, Lords Meadow Industrial Estate, Crediton, Devon, EX17 1HN, England. 0136 377 7790

Their website has a fair pasrts ordering system.

Commercial supplier of Lotus components.

I've had good experience buying from them.

Martin Shirley, Abbey Grange Hotel, 100 Manor Court Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 5HQ, England. 0247 638 5535

No web site.

Hobbyist supplier of Jensen-Healey components.

I've had good experience buying from him.

There are only two clubs that offer significant interest in Jensen-Healeys. The one dedicated to the car is the Jensen-Healey Preservation Society in the USA, and here in the UK the Jensen Owner's Club offers a fair degree of coverage to the model. Both Clubs are well worth joining (in my opinion) and offer high quality magazines and websites- both sites have active forums. The JHPS in particular covers many technical issues in its magazine and on its site, and offers a variety of Jensen-Healey specialist components for sale.