You think that's heavy, I worked on a Interceptor FF, that engine (383) and transmission with a great big transfer case also on the back of it! Glad we had a forklift!
In terms of power density, the W16 utilised in the Bugatti Chiron weighs 400kgs (about the same as the engine in this video) but produces 1573hp, or 197hp per litre.
I was a passenger as a lad in a Jensen from near Darlington to Salisbury in an Interceptor, cruising down the A1 at 115 mp,h we refueled twice on the A1. That should give you a clue how much it drank !!! But what an incredible drive, smooth fast and powerful.. So later on, much later on I bought one, and its been finished and stored away since 2004 ready for the day they appreciate in value, which seems like never. Was thinking of having it converted and removing the kiddie seats and using that space for additional batteries. I would hope for 100 KWH on board. We will see.
3:55 I had 350kgs in my head Hello Richard, sorry for the long break. I've been studying for my masters. I love your channel and I am back again, but I will have another break soon. I always miss watching your videos.
The minute you said 440 Chrysler magnum. I knew instinctively you were going to be over 500 to 550 kg all in. Radiator gas tank everything. What a magnificent car.
Owned a 74” interceptor III WITH 440 Chrysler and Thermoquad Carbs. I purchased it to have daily driver because my 73 1/2 Jag v-12 convertible was constantly in shop 😅
I had a weekend job at a garage when I was at school. There was a Jensen parked up that had been there for a couple of years because they couldn't find a starter for it, never thought much of it at the time!
Jensen owners. John Bonham, Clark Gable, Cher, (Jensen Convertible), Frank Sinatra (FF), Sir Matt Busby, Jack Nicklaus, Harold Robbins, Mike and Bernie Winters, Ginger Baker, Mitch Mitchell (of the Jimi Hendrix Experience) drove a FF, which Jimi Hendrix himself is said to have driven. Sir Cliff Richard, John Thaw, boxer Henry Cooper, Peter Stringfellow. Eric Morecambe had a heart attack in an Interceptor. Singer Barry MaGuire drove (and smashed?) an FF. Dave Walker of (middle era) Fleetwood Mac).
@@robborland290 In 'The Persuaders', Lord Brett Sinclair drove an Aston Martin DBS - a very special one - when the DBS was launched the Tadek Marek V8 wasn't ready, so Brett Sinclair's DBS had the 4.0-litre six-cylinder engine from the DB6.
867 lbs for the motor and transmission is right. The 440 is a pretty large and heavy duty engine. Forged crank, beefy rods, high nickel content block etc all adds weight but also longevity to the engine. They helped give the Jensen the performance they were known for!
@@212MPH I had a 1966 New Yorker with a balanced and blue printed slightly modified 440 in it. It sounded really nice and went as good as it sounded. Surprised a lot of Mustangs and Camaros with it. They couldn't believe they lost to a New Yorker in the 1/4 mile and by a lot.
plus the engine particularly if low miles should be worth the effort to sell it perhaps best possible going on $10K USD. Change the oil and video running it BEFORE removing it from the car when removed cleans the engine and it should be an easy sell on Bring-a-Trailer, eBay, Craigslist etc depending on what the engine comes out of!
While electric swapped classics aren't really my cup of tea just yet (unless it's perhaps a Citroen CX...), you're doing the Lord's work weighing all of these engines and corner weighting all of these cars. Such little high quality information out there for this sort of thing, and you're doing a great job providing it. Keep up the good work!
The Jensen Interceptor is probably the most beautiful car I've ever seen. As a younger driver I saw one in California and just about broke my neck turning to see it.
Here's my list of Celebs that owned either Jensen Interceptors or the four-wheel drive FF version. Ginger Baker, Ernie Wise, Sir Cliff Richard, Henry Cooper, Tony Curtis, Gina Campbell (Donald Campbell’s wife), Malcolm Alison, John Bonham, Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra, Sir Matt Busby, Gerry Marshal, Jack Nicklaus, Harold Robins, both Mike & Bernie Winters, Mitch Mitchel, John Thaw, Peter Stringfellow, Jack Stracker, Barry MaGuire, Dave Walker, Quin Martin & his wife each owned Jenson Interceptors. I deliberately left out the Playboy Bunny of the year who won one as part of her prize & after featuring it in her front cover photoshoot, almost immediately flogged it. I’m sure there are scores more famous names.
I took a second look at this video and I want to tell you a few things about the 440 Magnum engine. Starting in 1974 the 440 was built with an externally-balanced crankshaft. To determine which crank your engine has, the motor's numbers are stamped on the block, next to the distributor. If you engine has a 440E stamped on it, don't sell it to anyone that owns a classic Mopar muscle car like Richard Hammond, who owned a '69 Charger R/T. The front harmonic balancer on the front of the crank has an egg-shaped casting on front; take the crank pulley off to verify. Also, the torque convertor has weights welded on to balance the rear of the crank. There are a load of aftermarket, high-performance parts available for these old motors; it's just a matter of waiting on shipping and import taxes. Your motor looks to be in exceptional shape. In the US, your 440 would go for $1000 to $2000 bucks. The 727 trans is rather common, so $250. The '69 440 Magnum was rated for 375 HP, run without the fan belts. The Imperial and the police cars ran a 440 that was basically the 440 six-pack with the three 2-Barrel carbs replaced with an 850 CFM Holley 4-Barrel, for 390 HP. Thanks Mate, Cheers
Another interesting vid Richard, thank you. The Interceptors were magnificent cars back in their day with I believe one of the most expensive pieces of glass fitted to a motor car, that huge curved sweeping rear window.
There were plenty of other cars with ridiculous amounts of glass, such as the 1960 Impala, or the 1965 Baracuda (beautiful car). As for expensive, that’s more a reflection of how many were built, and how many are left. But I wouldn’t want to foot the bill to replace any of them.
Yes I remember that rear window being hideously expensive! Can’t remember how much though. I was selling parts for cars in the early 80s and we sold a lot of spares for them still.
I was going to restore one in the 90s but the owner went bust I lost that job and a Aston Martin ex race car from the state's, I did a mk1 Jaguar for him though.
Unlikely to be a celebrity, but, some instructor at San Francisco City College had one. Don't know who it is by name. I recall seeing a plate on the dash that said "Built by hand in West Bromwich"
I love everything about this - except the loss of the marvellous 440 V8 whoofle sound! Can you devise a system that puts the magical original engine sound back?
11:30 Is there a reason you didn't just mount the unaltered Tesla drive unit at the rear and mount the batteries (or most of them) at the front where the V8 would have been? You could add auxiliary packs to the rear until the weight distribution was about right... was it purely a packaging issue?
My dad had one, he thought he was a celebrity. I remember him doing a fairly obscene speed in it and turning to me and saying "feel how it pulls at xxx" and flooring it. It did indeed pull. This is a perfect EV conversion, very jealous of this one
How much different is the modified Tesla motor and straight out gear box tail shaft compared to the Standard Test 3 rear drive unit. Is that Tesl unit better than a similar Hyper 9 motor.
Part of owning one of these cars is the sound they make, can't beat the sound of a V8. Want a more modern V8, then maybe a LS or LT Engine. I drive an EV van for my job sometimes, it's great. But EV Jensen, it's a no. I Still enjoyed watching the video on how it's done.
Weird british Marques are my favorite. Was introduced to this back in 2002 watching Ed China working on it. You are marrying the best qualities of old British cars with modern reliability. I'd buy one in a heartbeat if I could afford one and my government wasn't upset at the fact the steering wheel is on the other side.
Love the front of the Jensen the most. Similar to the Triumph PI on looks, although bigger. The rear of the PI was nice but the cabin looked a bit weird, sort of perched on the body. The Interceptor is all round cleaner looking and wider. Be great to see the conversion. I was wondering if a rear motor might benefit the PI too, leaving the engine bay for batteries and frunk?
Ah haa similar to my Tesla arrangement on the TVR, but I've gone small drive unit so not so wild, however I'm sure it won't be mild. Great vis chaps 👍⚡🔋
A celebrity who drove a Jensen Interceptor in the early 1970s: Kendo Nagasaki, the most ferocious wrestler of all time! At the same time he had a 1968 Rolls Royce Mulliner Park Ward 2-door coupe (predecessor of the Corniche), and he said the Jensen was better built. It's still one of my dream cars...
@@ElectricClassicCars Kendo says that Big Daddy didn't drive himself to wrestling matches, he was driven by his brothers in a Ford Transit van with a specially modified seat! Haystacks apparently liked big Mercedes saloons, the V8 SE range, and he also needed a special seat to accommodate his size and weight. The 'Electric Classic Cars' spirit of upgrading powertrains was occasionally apparent - Pat Roach once had a Bentley R-type (the model before the RR Cloud shape) in which he'd replaced the smooth but thirsty 4.6-litre straight six engine for a somewhat coarse 3-cylinder Perkins diesel tractor engine! Apparently, Pat was delighted with the increase from 9mpg to 30mpg, but Kendo said the whole car vibrated like crazy, as badly as any tractor! Kendo said, "He loved it, but he'd ruined the car! He wouldn't hear of it though!" It's likely that he'd have been an ECC customer!
John Bonham had 3 in total at various times, Matt Busby's was a reg gold series 1...FMB 90G..... Winston Churchills Grandson drove a white FF.. VOL 63J......
Would it work if you could mount the Tesla motor in the back (and save the prop and gear housing weight too) along with some of the batteries and then mount the remaining batteries etc in the original engine compartment? You could possibly gain extra storage in the engine bay above those batteries too. Or go the full Jensen FF route and have motors in the back and the front making it 4WD? Probably difficult and expensive to achieve but it would be glorious! Keep up the great work guys!!
Unfortunately there's not enough room in the rear without cutting the boot floor, we'd also need to change the rear suspension as it's a solid rear axle.
This shows the potential problem with an EV conversion of a light gar. I've got a K-series Caterham that weighs about 550kg, so the same as the engine, exhaust + bits, spare wheel and engine fluids from the Interceptor. I'd be interested to see a conversion of something skinnier to see what's possible.
@@MrLeovdmeer Re: Caterham, there's plenty of room. The motor doesn't have to be crazy huge and there are potential frontal and rear areas to store the battery packs. The issue is one of packaging, and branching off from that, weight distribution. However to have a go at half solving these problems, the level of engineering required to make the most efficient use of the space, would be intensive and quite pricey. Not impossible though. A light car such as the Seven needn't have a whopping great battery pack or a big Tesla motor.
More Electric car conversion please. Your videos are very educational.. May I suggest converting a Toyota Hi-Ace van..This is popular in South East Asia.. More power to you guys 🙏🇵🇭
@@Mardy72 Maybe not, and you'd be encroaching on the floor under the back seat rather than the boot. But either way, all doable with the appropriate application of time and money! But it would be a tidy handling improvement getting rid of some unsprung weight and getting rid of the tailshaft as well.
I’d buy this conversion. This classic conversion is ‘classier’ than any current EV body design. Thanks for the video! Actually, I thought it would be that heavy.
Excellent video guys. Details like this are far more interesting to some of us that just the finished product. I was actually surprised that the whole car was not heavier to start with. Also, the near 50/50 weight balance was also a surprise. Cheers
Another great first principles video Richard. Who needs complicated computer analysis. Always loved the Jensen Interceptor, it will find its true self with this conversion - I only know of Eric Morecambe owning one 😅
I'll be really interested when you install the reVolt Systems Tesla crate motor. I know you don't work on non-classic (or any) Toyota trucks but my 2013 Tacoma double cab, 4WD, might be an interesting project for someone. Looking at the reVolt motor, my Tacoma has a transfer case connected to the transmission so a special adaptor plate would need to be made to go between the Tesla "gear box" and the transfer case to make it work. 350-450kW power and 800+ lb-ft torque at the yoke would give me the towing power I'd really like to have. I don't need to go 0-100kph in 3 sec, 6-8 sec is fine. Drop the gas tank and there's plenty of room under the bed for batteries.
Did anybody ever tell you that you sound a little bit like Richard Hammond if he had a cold, of all people? 🙃 My husband loved that sort of old car (not the particular make and model though, he was a Mustang lad with pride), so watching the conversions is a ton of fun for me. Remembering his interest and combining it with mine for sustainability! Keep doing what you do!
I used to have an Interceptor. The rumbling V8 was the best part. Take that away and you are left with a rattling, squeaking old thing that you would quickly get bored of because it would have no soul. And of course it will burn you garage down when it catches fire. Interesting video though. So an original Interceptor is 30kg lighter than than the new Maserati MC20 full carbon-tub supercar!
@@ElectricClassicCars I don't mean as a result of your workmanship, I am sure it's first class. I have seen far too many EV battery fires. My friend charges his Taycan at the other end of the yard - a long way from the building that houses his car collection for a good reason.
@@burgundyexpress It's a good idea he keeps his Taycan away from those petrol cars that catch fire all the time. 😆😉👍 www.thecarexpert.co.uk/are-electric-car-fires-really-that-common/
@Antonio Palmero. Do you like the Jensen CV8? If you haven't already seen it, have a look at Retropower on TH-cam. They are resto - modding a CV8 which will be quite something when finished. Stay safe and well.
Great video, bet no one back in the day ever thought you'd see an electric interceptor, I had a mk1 and tbh it was the fuel consumption that did me in, you could actually see the gauge dropping, had an e type s1 at the same time and that was a lot more frugal, I used them as every day cars at the time.
@@garrysimpson4056 I sold mine in about 2010 for 5k as the sills had gone, they weren't expensive until recently, used to like to put it in 2nd and floor it!
It's a pity that some sort of in-wheel electric motor isn't an option. Dropping the weight of the drive train, differential, etc. for a cable and transistors would be great.
@@ElectricClassicCars Why wouldn't you have one inverter before the cable splits? Would four cables be heavier than a drive shaft? Would air cooling four smaller motors not be possible?
Such a beautiful car. Wondering: Why didn't you just re-weigh the car after removing the smelly parts instead of measuring all this stuff individually?
Some celebrities Interceptor owners: Sir Cliff Richard, actor John Thaw and ex-heavyweight champ Henry Cooper, and nightclub-owner Peter Stringfellow, Princess Anne, Ginger Baker (musician), Jason Bonham (musician) owned several Jensens, Peter Butler (pro golfer), Jim Colbert (pro golfer), Cher (artist), Bing Crosby (artist and actor), Elton John, Tony Curtis (actor), Farrah Fawcett (actor), Mick Fleetwood (musician), Frederick Forsythe (author), Eric Morecambe (comedian), Harold Robbins (author), Johnny Rutherford (race car driver), Frank Sinatra (actor and singer), Dusty Springfield (singer), Donna Summer (singer), Tanya Tucker (country singer), Petter Sundt (multibillionaire ship owner), Mike Winters (comedian), Simon Dutton 8actor), Anneka de Lorenzo (Penthouse-model - she won it!), Quentin Wilson (classic car journalist), Kjell Qvale (USA's most prominent classic car salesman and Jensen-factory owner), Mike and Bernie Winters (comedians), Jack Straker (musician Beachbuggy), Barry MaGuire (singer), Jan Blehr (lawyer and car chase lector), Hollywood-producer Quinn Martin and his wife both owned one, Lynda Carter (actress), financier Winthrop P. Rockefeller and celebrity lawyer Steinar Wiik Sorvik had 2, and still owns one. Both Clark Gable and Jack Nicklaus drove Jensens, but not Interceptors, and have never owned one.
Ginger Baker took his FF Interceptor accross the Sahara, and finally dumped it after it broke down somewhere near to Nigeria. Apparently it was discovered some years later and returned to the UK. I wonder where it is today?
Interesting as not many celebs actually owned a Jensen as Jensen used to lease their cars out to famous people. The Jensen interceptor was the first car fitted with a type of ABS power Breaking System and the FF version was the first car to have four wheel drive single gearbox with Limited Slip Differential. Like the Jaguar E type 4.2 the Jensen was known to hit 150MPH. Also unlike today all vehicles had to carry a full size spare wheel and jack tool kit . As the tool kit was not part of being weighed very strange.
I shared your video with my experimental department colleagues from Jensen Motors. An informative video but we're not convinced - yet! Also seems sad to pull apart a car which has recently been restored, but I guess the customer is always right.
I think you should have left the spare tire out of the equation. EV conversion does not prevent flats. Regardless, the weight still comes in a few pounds less (or kilos) with the EV equipment. Which is good to know that they are so close. Bring on the conversion.
The Jensen Interceptor has a live rear axle with leaf springs!!! Oh no. Quick talk to RetroPower about an IRS conversion. You have to get rid of that pick up truck rear end.
Clark Gable did not own an Interceptor or a FF model he died in 1960, the interceptor wasn't available till 1966. However the Jensen brothers Alan & Richard did build him a special car this was in early days when Jensen had just started building cars.
Jensen built an Interceptor from 1950-57 with a 4 litre straight 6 Austin derived engine, nothing like the later V8 engined Interceptor models from 1966>.
Hallelujah, I've been waiting for this build. Bring it on.
It’s on 👍😂
You think that's heavy, I worked on a Interceptor FF, that engine (383) and transmission with a great big transfer case also on the back of it! Glad we had a forklift!
Good point, the FF would be even heavier 👍😬
In terms of power density, the W16 utilised in the Bugatti Chiron weighs 400kgs (about the same as the engine in this video) but produces 1573hp, or 197hp per litre.
I was a passenger as a lad in a Jensen from near Darlington to Salisbury in an Interceptor, cruising down the A1 at 115 mp,h we refueled twice on the A1. That should give you a clue how much it drank !!! But what an incredible drive, smooth fast and powerful.. So later on, much later on I bought one, and its been finished and stored away since 2004 ready for the day they appreciate in value, which seems like never. Was thinking of having it converted and removing the kiddie seats and using that space for additional batteries. I would hope for 100 KWH on board. We will see.
3:55 I had 350kgs in my head Hello Richard, sorry for the long break. I've been studying for my masters. I love your channel and I am back again, but I will have another break soon. I always miss watching your videos.
Welcome back!
@@ElectricClassicCars 🤗
The minute you said 440 Chrysler magnum. I knew instinctively you were going to be over 500 to 550 kg all in. Radiator gas tank everything. What a magnificent car.
Was.
It’s such a beautiful car! Love that colour too. Can’t wait for the transformation!
Owned a 74” interceptor III WITH 440 Chrysler and Thermoquad Carbs. I purchased it to have daily driver because my 73 1/2 Jag v-12 convertible was constantly in shop 😅
Lord Carrington (6th Baron Carrington) Minister fo State for Defence in 1970 had a Jensen Interceptor III when he visited RAF Benson.
I had a weekend job at a garage when I was at school. There was a Jensen parked up that had been there for a couple of years because they couldn't find a starter for it, never thought much of it at the time!
great to the Jensen convention begin. I'm looking forward to seeing it drive.
Can’t wait, I always wanted one of these as a kid
Thank you for this video, it has helped me answer a lot of questions for my own project: A 1984 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am.
Glad it helped
I wait anxiously for the conversion and test drive
I hope the old 440 found a good home.
I own an Interceptor II (1971) with the 383 CID engine. Can't wait to see how this turns out!
Jensen owners. John Bonham, Clark Gable, Cher, (Jensen Convertible), Frank Sinatra (FF), Sir Matt Busby, Jack Nicklaus, Harold Robbins, Mike and Bernie Winters, Ginger Baker, Mitch Mitchell (of the Jimi Hendrix Experience) drove a FF, which Jimi Hendrix himself is said to have driven. Sir Cliff Richard, John Thaw, boxer Henry Cooper, Peter Stringfellow. Eric Morecambe had a heart attack in an Interceptor. Singer Barry MaGuire drove (and smashed?) an FF. Dave Walker of (middle era) Fleetwood Mac).
Tony Curtis had a Jensen FF!
Well done, that’s a great list. 👍😀
Impressive list! I think Lord Brett Sinclair, Roger Moore's fictional character in the 1970s TV series, The Persuaders, also drove an Interceptor.
@@robborland290 In 'The Persuaders', Lord Brett Sinclair drove an Aston Martin DBS - a very special one - when the DBS was launched the Tadek Marek V8 wasn't ready, so Brett Sinclair's DBS had the 4.0-litre six-cylinder engine from the DB6.
Wow
867 lbs for the motor and transmission is right. The 440 is a pretty large and heavy duty engine. Forged crank, beefy rods, high nickel content block etc all adds weight but also longevity to the engine. They helped give the Jensen the performance they were known for!
And the wonderful sound of that big block.
@@212MPH I had a 1966 New Yorker with a balanced and blue printed slightly modified 440 in it. It sounded really nice and went as good as it sounded. Surprised a lot of Mustangs and Camaros with it. They couldn't believe they lost to a New Yorker in the 1/4 mile and by a lot.
The torqueflight auto trans wasn't exactly a light weight either!
@@mikedx2706 The 440 weighed about 745 lbs and the torque flight about 125lbs.
plus the engine particularly if low miles should be worth the effort to sell it perhaps best possible going on $10K USD. Change the oil and video running it BEFORE removing it from the car when removed cleans the engine and it should be an easy sell on Bring-a-Trailer, eBay, Craigslist etc depending on what the engine comes out of!
I remember seeing Oliver Reed driving a convertible Interceptor in light blue in Guernsey in the mid 70s
While electric swapped classics aren't really my cup of tea just yet (unless it's perhaps a Citroen CX...), you're doing the Lord's work weighing all of these engines and corner weighting all of these cars. Such little high quality information out there for this sort of thing, and you're doing a great job providing it. Keep up the good work!
The Jensen Interceptor is probably the most beautiful car I've ever seen. As a younger driver I saw one in California and just about broke my neck turning to see it.
One of the best looking cars with one of the best names as well. 👍
Here's my list of Celebs that owned either Jensen Interceptors or the four-wheel drive FF version.
Ginger Baker, Ernie Wise, Sir Cliff Richard, Henry Cooper, Tony Curtis, Gina Campbell (Donald Campbell’s wife), Malcolm Alison, John Bonham, Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra, Sir Matt Busby, Gerry Marshal, Jack Nicklaus, Harold Robins, both Mike & Bernie Winters, Mitch Mitchel, John Thaw, Peter Stringfellow, Jack Stracker, Barry MaGuire, Dave Walker, Quin Martin & his wife each owned Jenson Interceptors. I deliberately left out the Playboy Bunny of the year who won one as part of her prize & after featuring it in her front cover photoshoot, almost immediately flogged it. I’m sure there are scores more famous names.
Wow , great list. 👍😀
@@spudproductions7606 Thanks.
I’m pretty sure I remember serving petrol to Jason Wingard , who was driving one in the 70s
I took a second look at this video and I want to tell you a few things about the 440 Magnum engine. Starting in 1974 the 440 was built with an externally-balanced crankshaft. To determine which crank your engine has, the motor's numbers are stamped on the block, next to the distributor. If you engine has a 440E stamped on it, don't sell it to anyone that owns a classic Mopar muscle car like Richard Hammond, who owned a '69 Charger R/T. The front harmonic balancer on the front of the crank has an egg-shaped casting on front; take the crank pulley off to verify. Also, the torque convertor has weights welded on to balance the rear of the crank. There are a load of aftermarket, high-performance parts available for these old motors; it's just a matter of waiting on shipping and import taxes. Your motor looks to be in exceptional shape. In the US, your 440 would go for $1000 to $2000 bucks. The 727 trans is rather common, so $250. The '69 440 Magnum was rated for 375 HP, run without the fan belts. The Imperial and the police cars ran a 440 that was basically the 440 six-pack with the three 2-Barrel carbs replaced with an 850 CFM Holley 4-Barrel, for 390 HP. Thanks Mate, Cheers
Thanks for the info. 👍😀
0:08 This weeek, I are bin mostly wearin' a Jensen Interceptor. 😁👍
Funny that an exclusive car like the Jenson Interceptor was made in the heart of the industrial West Midlands, not the prettiest of locations!
No car plants in the Lake District. 😂😂
Cream drummer Ginger Baker had a Jensen FF (4x4 Interceptor)
Another interesting vid Richard, thank you.
The Interceptors were magnificent cars back in their day with I believe one of the most expensive pieces of glass fitted to a motor car, that huge curved sweeping rear window.
Looks great. Wouldn’t want to replace one. 👍😀
the classic SAAB 900 windscreen is quite curved and expensive to replace at lease here in aussieland....
There were plenty of other cars with ridiculous amounts of glass, such as the 1960 Impala, or the 1965 Baracuda (beautiful car). As for expensive, that’s more a reflection of how many were built, and how many are left. But I wouldn’t want to foot the bill to replace any of them.
Prove this "belief" of yours.
Yes I remember that rear window being hideously expensive! Can’t remember how much though. I was selling parts for cars in the early 80s and we sold a lot of spares for them still.
Wow the weight was a bit of a shocker. Looking forward to the rest of the videos.
I was going to restore one in the 90s but the owner went bust I lost that job and a Aston Martin ex race car from the state's, I did a mk1 Jaguar for him though.
Unlikely to be a celebrity, but, some instructor at San Francisco City College had one. Don't know who it is by name. I recall seeing a plate on the dash that said "Built by hand in West Bromwich"
I love everything about this - except the loss of the marvellous 440 V8 whoofle sound! Can you devise a system that puts the magical original engine sound back?
11:30 Is there a reason you didn't just mount the unaltered Tesla drive unit at the rear and mount the batteries (or most of them) at the front where the V8 would have been? You could add auxiliary packs to the rear until the weight distribution was about right... was it purely a packaging issue?
That would have meant cutting out the rear boot floor and doing some serious custom modification of the rear suspension.
@@ElectricClassicCars Fair enough!
The Revolt system is nice but I thought the straight cut gears on the inline reduction box was noisy and gets hot? Thoughts?
We may be using a different reduction gearbox. 😁😉👍
Love the build vids, looking forward to the next one!
a little bit surprised but not quite s after larning it had a 7.2 litre lump in it.Were some jensens awd?
My dad had one, he thought he was a celebrity. I remember him doing a fairly obscene speed in it and turning to me and saying "feel how it pulls at xxx" and flooring it. It did indeed pull. This is a perfect EV conversion, very jealous of this one
My mk1 interceptor would cruise at 120 mph with no problems, other than fuel dropping quite dramatically.
@@roystonvehicles9129 Fortunately it is just the fuel gauge needle dropping to the floor. 😄
@@Stefan_Dahn yes bud
Cool vid. Wouldn't have just been easier to put the car back on the scales after everything had been taken off/out?
Yep, that's what we usually do for each car, but to make the video more interesting we thought we'd film and weigh everything that came off instead. 👍
I'll be waiting impatiently for each video in this series! what a cool conversion.
Good to hear. It’s going to be a cool conversion. 👍😀
How much different is the modified Tesla motor and straight out gear box tail shaft compared to the Standard Test 3 rear drive unit.
Is that Tesl unit better than a similar Hyper 9 motor.
It's a lot different and a whole lot more powerful than a Hyper9. 👍
Wishing to see a Suzuki Jimny conversation
I could watch these all day :D
Good to hear. Loads more to come. 👍😀
i remember following my dream car into Godmanchester in the early 1970s , a new Jenson Interceptor FF with OGO 2 William
This will be a fine project to follow!
Watch this space 👍😀
I don't understand deleting the spare tire. Apparently the drivers in the UK never get a flat tire?
New cars haven't had spare tyres for decades now. 👍
Always liked the Jensen Interceptor, love the colour of this one, I look forward to seeing the completed project.
As a Chrysler owner,.. nah, expected the motor and trans to be about 100kilos heavier
Part of owning one of these cars is the sound they make, can't beat the sound of a V8. Want a more modern V8, then maybe a LS or LT Engine. I drive an EV van for my job sometimes, it's great. But EV Jensen, it's a no.
I Still enjoyed watching the video on how it's done.
Weird british Marques are my favorite.
Was introduced to this back in 2002 watching Ed China working on it.
You are marrying the best qualities of old British cars with modern reliability. I'd buy one in a heartbeat if I could afford one and my government wasn't upset at the fact the steering wheel is on the other side.
"Modern reliability" lmfao. That hilarious as one of the most hilarious part abiut new cars is their reliability. Or rather, lack of
@Kro tch LickmEugh do you even know what can go wrong in an ev?
13:36 it's twice the weight I thought it would be...
Plus It will have much more quick acceleration now you have put your magic touch tooooo it
EV West has told The Drive that estimated pricing is in the $25,000-$35,000 range for the crate motor
Love the front of the Jensen the most. Similar to the Triumph PI on looks, although bigger. The rear of the PI was nice but the cabin looked a bit weird, sort of perched on the body. The Interceptor is all round cleaner looking and wider. Be great to see the conversion. I was wondering if a rear motor might benefit the PI too, leaving the engine bay for batteries and frunk?
Ah haa similar to my Tesla arrangement on the TVR, but I've gone small drive unit so not so wild, however I'm sure it won't be mild. Great vis chaps 👍⚡🔋
A celebrity who drove a Jensen Interceptor in the early 1970s: Kendo Nagasaki, the most ferocious wrestler of all time! At the same time he had a 1968 Rolls Royce Mulliner Park Ward 2-door coupe (predecessor of the Corniche), and he said the Jensen was better built. It's still one of my dream cars...
Good one, I remember him and when his mask was ripped off. 👍😀
I wonder what Big Daddy drove, or Giant Haystacks? 😉😁😆
@@ElectricClassicCars Kendo says that Big Daddy didn't drive himself to wrestling matches, he was driven by his brothers in a Ford Transit van with a specially modified seat! Haystacks apparently liked big Mercedes saloons, the V8 SE range, and he also needed a special seat to accommodate his size and weight. The 'Electric Classic Cars' spirit of upgrading powertrains was occasionally apparent - Pat Roach once had a Bentley R-type (the model before the RR Cloud shape) in which he'd replaced the smooth but thirsty 4.6-litre straight six engine for a somewhat coarse 3-cylinder Perkins diesel tractor engine! Apparently, Pat was delighted with the increase from 9mpg to 30mpg, but Kendo said the whole car vibrated like crazy, as badly as any tractor! Kendo said, "He loved it, but he'd ruined the car! He wouldn't hear of it though!" It's likely that he'd have been an ECC customer!
John Bonham had 3 in total at various times, Matt Busby's was a reg gold series 1...FMB 90G..... Winston Churchills Grandson drove a white FF.. VOL 63J......
Good ones. 👍😀
I had one 1971 MK 2 (the best model) Unbelievable car
Henry Cooper drove a Jenson Interceptor TEA449G and would park it outside my school while he trained in the Thomas a Becket pub in the old Kent Road
That’s a good one, cheers 👍😀
Would it work if you could mount the Tesla motor in the back (and save the prop and gear housing weight too) along with some of the batteries and then mount the remaining batteries etc in the original engine compartment? You could possibly gain extra storage in the engine bay above those batteries too. Or go the full Jensen FF route and have motors in the back and the front making it 4WD? Probably difficult and expensive to achieve but it would be glorious!
Keep up the great work guys!!
Unfortunately there's not enough room in the rear without cutting the boot floor, we'd also need to change the rear suspension as it's a solid rear axle.
Really cool video guys! I had no idea Damon Albarn was doing electric car conversions
Don't expect Gwyneth Paltrow.
This shows the potential problem with an EV conversion of a light gar. I've got a K-series Caterham that weighs about 550kg, so the same as the engine, exhaust + bits, spare wheel and engine fluids from the Interceptor. I'd be interested to see a conversion of something skinnier to see what's possible.
And no room for and battery to get you anywhere.
@@MrLeovdmeer Re: Caterham, there's plenty of room. The motor doesn't have to be crazy huge and there are potential frontal and rear areas to store the battery packs. The issue is one of packaging, and branching off from that, weight distribution. However to have a go at half solving these problems, the level of engineering required to make the most efficient use of the space, would be intensive and quite pricey. Not impossible though. A light car such as the Seven needn't have a whopping great battery pack or a big Tesla motor.
We always knew this was a heavy car so no surprised there... be interesting to know the cost of a full conversion.
Princess Ann broke the speed limit in one of these and was fined. Yep I am that old (81) regards, Jim in NI
Thanks for the info 👍😀
How's the Teslarossa conversions going?
Update coming soon 👍😀
and weight to suit suspension, ie springs
More Electric car conversion please. Your videos are very educational.. May I suggest converting a Toyota Hi-Ace van..This is popular in South East Asia.. More power to you guys 🙏🇵🇭
Life is cheap in south east Asia but these dangerous conversions should be banned elsewhere.
Motor could still go in the back with a DeDion axle on the original leaves?
Boot floor probably gets in the way
@@Mardy72 Maybe not, and you'd be encroaching on the floor under the back seat rather than the boot. But either way, all doable with the appropriate application of time and money! But it would be a tidy handling improvement getting rid of some unsprung weight and getting rid of the tailshaft as well.
@@froggy0162 I agree mate, but normally Moggie and the lads aim to make their conversions 100% reversible, so no cutting and shutting
Yep, boot floor is in the way. 👍
@@ElectricClassicCars That’s what god invented angle grinders for ;)
Excellent comparison video, what would be the typical conversion cost and how are you guys able to source the Tesla drivetrains for your conversions?
I'd love to drive this car. I've wanted to drive one ever since I was a kid. EV would be a hoot!
Are there any follow up videos to this one? If not, would love to see some! 😊
Coming soon!
@@ElectricClassicCars Great! Looking forward to it!
I’d buy this conversion. This classic conversion is ‘classier’ than any current EV body design. Thanks for the video! Actually, I thought it would be that heavy.
Update on the Magnum PI EV?
Coming soon 👍😀
Don’t understand why you didn’t just weigh the stripped shell ?
Because we wanted to show what was removed. 👍
We did but it's more interesting for the filming to show the weights of the parts coming off.
How are things going with the documents for converted cars? do they get electric vehicle status? Are they allowed on public roads?
It's a wash chaps but also fewer moving parts in the end that will stay cleaner.
I reckoned the engine and gearbox on the pallet would come in at 400Kgs. Not so dusty methinks. Regards Jim in NI
Good but no cigar 😂😂
Excellent video guys. Details like this are far more interesting to some of us that just the finished product. I was actually surprised that the whole car was not heavier to start with. Also, the near 50/50 weight balance was also a surprise. Cheers
I was very surprised by the weight distribution. 👍😀
My Mazda 6 with 2 light people on board is 1600kgs. My Tesla S is 2200 kgs with 2 people in it.
@@markmark5269 yes, new EV's are extremely heavy. I just can't wait for one on them to crush me in my 1100kg Beetle.
Excellent!!! Cliff Richard drove one as well.
He did. 👍😀
@@spudproductions7606 Any update on this build?
@@ruaraidhmcdonald-walker9524 coming soon
@@spudproductions7606 Cheers chap!
Another great first principles video Richard. Who needs complicated computer analysis. Always loved the Jensen Interceptor, it will find its true self with this conversion - I only know of Eric Morecambe owning one 😅
I'll be really interested when you install the reVolt Systems Tesla crate motor. I know you don't work on non-classic (or any) Toyota trucks but my 2013 Tacoma double cab, 4WD, might be an interesting project for someone. Looking at the reVolt motor, my Tacoma has a transfer case connected to the transmission so a special adaptor plate would need to be made to go between the Tesla "gear box" and the transfer case to make it work. 350-450kW power and 800+ lb-ft torque at the yoke would give me the towing power I'd really like to have. I don't need to go 0-100kph in 3 sec, 6-8 sec is fine. Drop the gas tank and there's plenty of room under the bed for batteries.
Did anybody ever tell you that you sound a little bit like Richard Hammond if he had a cold, of all people? 🙃
My husband loved that sort of old car (not the particular make and model though, he was a Mustang lad with pride), so watching the conversions is a ton of fun for me. Remembering his interest and combining it with mine for sustainability! Keep doing what you do!
Thanks. 👍😀
Is that a time-travelling Steve Merchant in the E-type at 13:36?
😂😂
NOEL EDMONS WAS THE ONLY ONE I REMEMBER WHO DROVE AN INTERCEPTOR BUT IT WAS THE FF ( four wheel drive ).
Looking forward to this series. Such a beautiful looking car.
Lol, not in my opinion, but then I'm not British. I guess it is what you are used to.
Was Jenson Button named after this car?
I used to have an Interceptor. The rumbling V8 was the best part. Take that away and you are left with a rattling, squeaking old thing that you would quickly get bored of because it would have no soul. And of course it will burn you garage down when it catches fire. Interesting video though. So an original Interceptor is 30kg lighter than than the new Maserati MC20 full carbon-tub supercar!
Burn your house down. 😆😂🤣 Thanks for that... I needed a laugh. 😆👍
@@ElectricClassicCars I don't mean as a result of your workmanship, I am sure it's first class. I have seen far too many EV battery fires. My friend charges his Taycan at the other end of the yard - a long way from the building that houses his car collection for a good reason.
@@burgundyexpress It's a good idea he keeps his Taycan away from those petrol cars that catch fire all the time. 😆😉👍 www.thecarexpert.co.uk/are-electric-car-fires-really-that-common/
Love the 541R
Me too. An old boss had one. Very cool. 👍😀
@Antonio Palmero. Do you like the Jensen CV8? If you haven't already seen it, have a look at Retropower on TH-cam. They are resto - modding a CV8 which will be quite something when finished. Stay safe and well.
Will the EV Jensen do hi 12 sec 1/4 mile times ?
I guess there's only one way to find out. 😎👌
Great video, bet no one back in the day ever thought you'd see an electric interceptor, I had a mk1 and tbh it was the fuel consumption that did me in, you could actually see the gauge dropping, had an e type s1 at the same time and that was a lot more frugal, I used them as every day cars at the time.
Can you remember what the mpg was? 👍😀
I used to have a mark 1 as well loved it fuel consumption was bad but dodgy care and I don't to this day
@@garrysimpson4056 yes it's worth it for the experience.
@Royston Vehicles yes it was fantastic I sold it for £2500 ish in around 1985
@@garrysimpson4056 I sold mine in about 2010 for 5k as the sills had gone, they weren't expensive until recently, used to like to put it in 2nd and floor it!
It's a pity that some sort of in-wheel electric motor isn't an option. Dropping the weight of the drive train, differential, etc. for a cable and transistors would be great.
It would likely weigh more as in wheel motors mean you now have 4 motors, 4 inverters, 4 cooling systems for the motors and 4 times the cabling.
@@ElectricClassicCars Why wouldn't you have one inverter before the cable splits? Would four cables be heavier than a drive shaft? Would air cooling four smaller motors not be possible?
Such a beautiful car. Wondering: Why didn't you just re-weigh the car after removing the smelly parts instead of measuring all this stuff individually?
To make the episode more interesting. It’s usually done the way you suggest. 👍😀
Some celebrities Interceptor owners: Sir Cliff Richard, actor John Thaw and ex-heavyweight champ Henry Cooper, and nightclub-owner Peter Stringfellow, Princess Anne, Ginger Baker (musician), Jason Bonham (musician) owned several Jensens, Peter Butler (pro golfer), Jim Colbert (pro golfer), Cher (artist), Bing Crosby (artist and actor), Elton John, Tony Curtis (actor), Farrah Fawcett (actor), Mick Fleetwood (musician), Frederick Forsythe (author), Eric Morecambe (comedian), Harold Robbins (author), Johnny Rutherford (race car driver), Frank Sinatra (actor and singer), Dusty Springfield (singer), Donna Summer (singer), Tanya Tucker (country singer), Petter Sundt (multibillionaire ship owner), Mike Winters (comedian), Simon Dutton 8actor), Anneka de Lorenzo (Penthouse-model - she won it!), Quentin Wilson (classic car journalist), Kjell Qvale (USA's most prominent classic car salesman and Jensen-factory owner), Mike and Bernie Winters (comedians), Jack Straker (musician Beachbuggy), Barry MaGuire (singer), Jan Blehr (lawyer and car chase lector), Hollywood-producer Quinn Martin and his wife both owned one, Lynda Carter (actress), financier Winthrop P. Rockefeller and celebrity lawyer Steinar Wiik Sorvik had 2, and still owns one.
Both Clark Gable and Jack Nicklaus drove Jensens, but not Interceptors, and have never owned one.
Wow. Now that's a list. Thanks. 👍
Good effort. Go to the top of the class. 👍😀
Ginger Baker took his FF Interceptor accross the Sahara, and finally dumped it after it broke down somewhere near to Nigeria. Apparently it was discovered some years later and returned to the UK. I wonder where it is today?
Great story 👍😀
Interesting as not many celebs actually owned a Jensen as Jensen used to lease their cars out to famous people. The Jensen interceptor was the first car fitted with a type of ABS power Breaking System and the FF version was the first car to have four wheel drive single gearbox with Limited Slip Differential. Like the Jaguar E type 4.2 the Jensen was known to hit 150MPH. Also unlike today all vehicles had to carry a full size spare wheel and jack tool kit . As the tool kit was not part of being weighed very strange.
Interesting, there was no tool kit in it. 👍
I shared your video with my experimental department colleagues from Jensen Motors. An informative video but we're not convinced - yet! Also seems sad to pull apart a car which has recently been restored, but I guess the customer is always right.
it was defective, smelly fumes came out the back 😉
I think you should have left the spare tire out of the equation. EV conversion does not prevent flats. Regardless, the weight still comes in a few pounds less (or kilos) with the EV equipment. Which is good to know that they are so close. Bring on the conversion.
He said they’re using the space, so there won’t be a spare.
True but we need the space for the rear battery pack, also new cars haven't had spares for decades. 👍
@@ElectricClassicCars "...new cars haven't had spares for decades." Huh? Say what now??🙄
@@ElectricClassicCars fair enough taking that into consideration. Keep up the good work.
@@eGazTheFirstAustralian I figure he means there in the UK. We still like our spares.
Fabulous cars. I had a ride in a Jensen Interceptor in 1973. My then girlfriends fathers car. A real head turner - the car that is 🤣
Why can't the motor be mounted between the rear wheels?
Why make modifications when there is such an elegant solution?
The Jensen Interceptor has a live rear axle with leaf springs!!! Oh no. Quick talk to RetroPower about an IRS conversion. You have to get rid of that pick up truck rear end.
@@BrianBoniMakes thanks, shame such a supposedly upmarket car would be so primitive! Thought id found the ideal ev conversion candidate
3:51 Wow, that engine alone is the same weight as an entire Honda Gold Wing or Harley motorcycle!
Or a gold wing and Harley are the same weight as a car. 😂😂👍
@@spudproductions7606 A fairly small one, yeah :-)
4.17 in and I'm wondering why you didn't just weigh the car on each corner again?
Because we wanted to show what was removed. 👍
Do you guys convert vehicles for export ?
Yes 👍
I think Cliff Richard had one, it broke down pretty soon after buying so he handed it back! Epic conversion though, put me down for one 👍
Cliff - good one 👍😀
Clark Gable did not own an Interceptor or a FF model he died in 1960, the interceptor wasn't available till 1966.
However the Jensen brothers Alan & Richard did build him a special car this was in early days when Jensen had just started building cars.
1936 jensen-Ford convertible
Jensen built an Interceptor from 1950-57 with a 4 litre straight 6 Austin derived engine, nothing like the later V8 engined Interceptor models from 1966>.