Re: Jensen-Healeys..
In response to Jeremy Dubois' queries about Jensen-Healeys --
>there were only about 8000 made.
The numbers I've heard run around 10,500 of which about a third
are believed to still exist. Still not a lot of cars.
>Does anybody here own one? What are they like? How much do they
>go for these days? Any other pearls of wisdom would be welcomed.
I dunno about wisdom, but my wife has one. She doesn't like to
drive the Austin-Healey, but very much likes her Jensen-Healey.
As for reliability, there were a few problems initially (back in
1973 or '74) with regards to the engine. It was a new design from
Lotus and had some early problems. They were corrected, but the
reputation lingered. I think it's safe to say that any still
running must be okay. We drove hers to Colorado (from Texas)
and back last year without problems. It's much more reliable
than the Austin-Healey, besides being more comfortable and
handling much better. It's a generation beyond the Big Healeys
in design.
It's tough to speak about prices, they probably go for as
little as $500 to over $6K or$7K depending on condition. In
that respect they're just like everything else. The model year
wasn't mentiond -- there were some changes around late
'74 for the '75 models. Mainly a stronger bumper and a 5-speed
transmission. The top gear is still a 1-1 ratio, no overdrive.
They did raise the rear end ratio by about 7 per cent to give a
little relief at highway speeds. Wife's car is a '74 with the
4-speed, it turns about 4,300 or so RPM on the interstate.
Before anyone pops a blood vessel, note that this is a dual-
overhead cam 4-valve per cylinder Lotus engine with a cross-flow
head which red lines at 7,000 !!
Around 1980 (not sure of the exact year) Bruce Madden from Atlanta
won a SCCA national AX championship in C or D production driving
a Jensen-Healey. A couple of women also won national championships
around that time. Parts aren't nearly as available as for other
cars due to the limited production, but Delta Motorsports in
Phoenix, AZ does supply most of the important stuff. Still, it
wouldn't be as easy a restoration as most cars due to fewer folks
to answer questions and the relatively limited parts supply.
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