1974 Jensen Healey Mark II

1974 Jensen Healey Mark II

My wife would tell you that this is one of her favorite cars we've ever owned. It's explained to a degree by the fact that she likes anything small and cute (clearly why she married me), but it also has a certain something that will always put a smile on your face.

Her poor posture and ridiculous flip-flops aside, I get the appeal (of the car, not my wife...she's appealing too of course - I'll shut up now). There is something charming about a simple and fun to drive vehicle. Only about 10,500 of these British roadsters were built between 1972 and 1975, and it's a fascinating story that I won't get into here. The Jensen was ultimately killed off by a combination of inflation-tied supply costs and labor unrest.

I have to admit that when I bought this car I knew almost nothing about them. It was at an auction and seemed cheap, looked great, it was late in the day, etc. I snatched it up for very little money and have been thrilled ever since. I've done almost nothing to it other than tighten a few screws here and there. The fuel gauge and radio are about the only things that don't function as they should but the car drives fantastic. When I got the paperwork I realized that the previous owner was only blocks away from me. In a city of six million people I bought a car from someone two streets down in my neighborhood - and I had never even seen that car once! I tried contacting the owners but they wouldn't return any of my messages for some reason.

One thing that made the Jensen stand out from other British roadsters at the time was its Lotus twin-cam four-cylinder motor. It put out about 140-hp, which wasn't bad for the period considering the weight of the car. Mine has an upgraded carb setup that probably pushes that hp rating up, but I have no idea by how much.

The interior is in fantastic shape. Clearly much of it has been replaced (things I would have loved to have asked the previous owners had they not been so aloof). Another really cool thing about the Jensen is that I fit - kind of. I'm 6'2" and most British sports cars from this era are tough for me - we have an MGB that I barely fit in. With the Jensen Healey I can get in and out easily (although it is very low) and lean back enough to actually look through the windscreen without having to decide whether to look over or under the frame. It seems longer inside to me. 

Don't get me wrong - I still look ridiculous, but I'm at least comfortable doing it. 

Another thing I like about this particular car is that it came with all the little extras that are hard to replace but you really want to have, like the tonneau cover and manuals. 

It also has a nearly perfect and very hard to find hard top. It's never on the car, but great to have for resale and collectible purposes. 

For years these cars languished in obscurity. A small but passionate core group of enthusiasts has kept the mark going and now the market is starting to take note. They still aren't expensive, but considering how drivable the car is compared to other British classics I would say it's an up and coming bargain.

If you're looking at one of these the main thing to concern yourself with is rust. It's a problem for anything built in the 70s in the British Midlands, and the JH is no exception. The Lotus motor can also be problematic, but later units are reportedly better due to in-production improvements. You could also get a much improved and desired 5-speed starting with late 74 models. Sadly, mine has the 4-speed.

The only thing I would prefer to be different about this car is the color. The paint is fantastic, and black is usually my favorite color for almost anything, but I feel like the Jensen Healey is more of a "fun" car and should be a fun color. Red, yellow, blue - anything really. It's too small to take the serious approach that black conveys.