The Jensen Interceptor story

30 May, 2019

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The cover car of New Zealand Classic Car issue 341 is a gorgeous NZ-new example of one of the most likeable of great English classics, the Jensen Interceptor III. Famous for its audacious glass hatch, the Interceptor’s long bonnet and outrageous (by UK standards) six or seven litre engines, it was undoubtedly for the well-heeled, but it avoided the snobbery attached to Aston-Martin, Bentley and their ilk.

It retained the same shape throughout its life giving it a kind of purity, and its clean and distinctive lines appeal as much today as they ever did. It appeared in the top tier almost out of nowhere, and then it was gone. Ashley Webb’s story gives us the curiously not-well known background to a car that’s among the absolute best of British.

Someone else agreed with us, before we even knew it. They had written a coffee table book on the history of the Jensen, and have sent us a copy for review. We’ll publish the review in an upcoming issue of NZ Classic Car.

You can buy a copy of New Zealand Classic Car issue 341 now by clicking the cover below.

A star in their eyes – 1968 Ford Galaxie 500

6 December, 2024

“Everyone asks that until they take a closer look,” says its owner today, Brent Harris of Auckland. “They also ask if I’ve done the restoration myself, and I have to tell them no, it is 100 per cent original. It’s the paint listed in the handbook.”
It was the original condition of the car that won Brent over from the moment he first saw it — that and the fact “it just looks stunning”.
Brent had owned a 1968 Mark II Cortina for four years. It was in need of some work and the question arose whether to spend the money or get something different. You don’t get much more divergent than Ford’s different approaches to its markets in the UK and the USA.

Bob’s Bambina video

3 December, 2024

Bob McMurray has spent a lifetime inside Formula 1, including 33 years he and wife, Shaune, spent working for McLaren from his earliest days as a mechanic through to watching Scott Dixon’s first Kiwi win at Indianapolis. Bob is now one of our top motorsport commentators and Toyota Racing New Zealand’s ambassador, a role he relishes.
Bob now owns this restored Fiat 500 F. The story of how he became its owner almost by accident and of its restoration is one of those that has ended well, and it was a bit of a laugh getting there. Bob’s Fiat actually has a distant McLaren connection.
This is a short video of Bob’s Fiat Bambina shot by Classic Car magazine

The Jensen Interceptor story

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