Great Britain is known for producing some enduring classic cars, its cars are idolised by many, driven by those lucky enough and seen as rolling through the country side with an air of quiet dignity. Unfortunately British cars are not often synonymous with good investment.

Last week we looked at the Lotus Elan which, despite its flaws that stopped people buying it, is enjoying an auction house renaissance and values are floating upwards. This week we look at the Jensen Interceptor, a car that many have a great fondness for, but is it worth your time, money and effort to buy one now at auction and hang on to a bargain.

Produced between 1966 – 1976, 6,408 Jensen Interceptors were manufactured in the UK and they offered GT thrills with enormous engines at the front. The most conservative of the engine choices was a 5.9L V8 offered in the S4, however there were also 6.3L and 7.2L variants of the Chrysler V8 engine that Jensen used in the Interceptor.

7.2L block

Over the course of its life the Interceptor established itself as a British brute and a classic in the public’s eyes and now, 50 years on, people have begun to consider them a collectors item. But are they an investors item?

From the graph above we can see that values are, indeed, rising at UK auctions with current average price being around £20,000 compared to the clustering around £10,000 before the turn of the millennium. The bottom end of the results has certainly become more lofty as with increased rarity in the recent past has come a lifting in prices.

The prices are mainly split by condition rather than specification, however some of the highest values in the UK auction data are either the MK2 or MK3 models. We can see the trend going upwards and values are clearly increasing, not at the most steep or exciting rate, but enough to shed some light on the strong Interceptor market.

While the data shows a positive trend, is it enough to make you want to buy into an Interceptor now while the going is good?

You tell us. Let us know in the comments!