What's A Jensen Healey?

What’s a Jensen Healey? According to the magazines of the day, the Jensen Healey was destined to be the next great British Sports car. Looking specifically at an example of the marque, the Jensen Healey is a good looking little British sports car in the tradition of the Triumph TR6, MGB, Spitfire, and, yes, the classic Austin Healey.

Inside you find two (only two) extremely comfortable seats (for this type of car), a well laid-out dash with adequate venting, sufficient gauges, a nice arrangement of switches, an enormous glove box, and as fine a steering wheel as you will find in a sports car--leather wrapped with nice indentions for your thumbs. The 1973’s carried a somewhat cheesy plastic console, yet it has more useable storage and looks better in the long run than the 1974-on models where the wood veneer is cracked and peeling off.

Covering this exceptional interior, is a top that is best described by comparing it to a 1950’s top. It is nice, fits well, but it is still a 1950’s top. Even my last British sports car--a 1969 MGC, had a better folding top than this one. The top must be folded separately from the frame--a throw-back to my 1959 MGA. Nevertheless, the top turns most of the rain (remember, this is a British car). A nice option is the fiberglass double-skinned hard top. For 1974, these tops came with a rear window defroster--unheard of by most of it’s peers. Aftermarket and later hard tops were not of the same quality and interior comfort suffered as a result.

Wrapping up the interior and mechanical components, is a clean, if not exciting, body design. The rear hinged hood meets the front bumper with no opening between, making the car a "bottom breather." Again, this was not common in the early 70’s, but is very much so now. The 72’s have chrome bumpers, while later models had black ones that stood out from the bodywork as  the new American 5 mph bumper standards were coming into play. Sectional wheels were quite unique and attractive in the early 70’s but appear rather bland now. A very popular conversion is bolt-on wire wheels or the MiniLite-type wheels. 1974 and later models carried a thin chrome trim down each side. At the rear of the car is the trunk that is positively cavernous for this type of car. The spare tire hangs underneath, giving more trunk room, while the fuel tank and pump are situated in the "crush-proof zone" between the trunk and passenger compartment. The abrupt end of the body work has been compared to the rear of the Triumph Spitfire--however, that "kamm" effect was popular in the era of the 70’s. For example, take a look at the 1971-73 Mustangs, the Datsun 240Z and Firebird Trans Ams.

Overall, the design is not as dated as some of the Jensen Healey’s peers. It is a clean, neat design that, like the rest of the car, carried an air of the futuristic. Indeed, it turns heads any where it goes.

Underneath this distinct body work lies the heart and soul of a true sports car. The engine is an exotic with a racing heritage. Supplied by Lotus, the 2 liter, dual overhead cam engine can trace it’s roots back to mid-60’s racing. Finally punched out to 2.2 liters, this is the same basic engine the ultra-exotic Lotus Turbo Esprit uses. Producing 140 horsepower (more than 1 hp/cubic inch), the Jensen Healey engine propels the light car with more than adequate force. It is backed up by a Chrysler supplied 4 speed through 1973, then a Getrag 5 speed in the later cars.

Handling components came from the Vauxhall family, as did the brakes. Sitting on 185/70R13 tires, the Jensen Healey does not produce the grip of some modern cars, but it was on par with it’s counterparts. In fact, the Jensen Healey scored better in every category: acceleration, handling, and braking, than the classic Austin Healey 3000.

What’s a Jensen Healey? A very British sports car with an automotive heritage and pedigree few can argue with. A very collectible and desirable car--whether you plan to show or go. A bargain basement exotic with performance that will embarrass the MG, Triumph, Austin Healey, Fiat, and Alfa Romeo classics, as well as get down and dirty with many current "sports coupes." In fact, I have a hankering to go Miata hunting right now!