The Saint's Jensen Interceptor

Jensen and Simon Dutton as The Saint

The Saint's car as driven by Simon Dutton was a 1976 Jensen Interceptor Series 3 Saloon in Brienz Blue. The car was supplied directly by Jensen and upgraded with a new radiator grille, wheels, and accessories to make it look like the latest Series 4 Saloon. After filming had completed, Jensen sold the "Saint's Jensen Interceptor" to Dr. Chetiyawardana, a cancer specialist in the Midlands. The car, now registered as OND 954P, came with an engraved plaque on the dashboard describing its Sainted providence, along with a nice album full for photos of Simon Dutton with the car in various locations and other letters between Jensen and the film company about the car. Dr. Cheti' is a member of The Saint Club and does use the car in rallies and exhibitions from time to time. A second Jensen on loan from a private collector was on-set for backup use, and was never involved in any filming.

The registration was reversed as '1 ST' and used by special arrangement with the DVLC -- the "ST 1" plates were not used as the current owner would not allow them to be used for filming. This 1 ST registration now adorns a Rolls Royce in the West Country while the previous ST 1 is currently carried by a Mini in London.

There is another Jensen connection to the Saint, in that not only is it a powerful British sport car for a roguish gentleman, but that Jensen was involved in the manufacturer of the first Volvo P1800 models. Jensen supplied all the bodies for the Volvo until production was moved to Sweden for the 1800S model -- the 'S' stood for Sweden, not Saint as many would wish. Therefore in the early Roger Moore series, The Saint was driving a Jensen!

The Jensen Interceptor was a strong and stylish GT-class car built in the United Kingdom by Jensen between 1966 and 1976. Gutsy and impeccably finished, this car has been called a Cad's car. The Jensen Interceptor was one of the few cars that Jensen tried building in an all steel body designed by the Italian company, Touring. Their normal method was to use glass-reinforced plastic bodies designed by their own in-house talented staffers. The early bodies were also built in Italy by Vignale before production was moved to Jensen's West Bromwich factory. Almost all Interceptors used the Chrysler TorqueFlite 727 3-speed automatic transmission and a Dana 60 limited-slip differential. About 32 right-hand drive Interceptors were built with manual transmissions, and exactly one LHD manual was built by the factory.

Jensen Interceptor Models

Saloon - The Jensen Interceptor Saloon was built from 1966 to 1976, and then again from 1984 to 1991. There were 5655 Saloon models produced. Earlier models carried a single bumper; whereas later models featured a double bumper. Series I models were built from 1966 to 1968. Series II was from 1969 to 1970. Series III was from 1971 to 1976, and was the first model to readily available for sale in the USA. Series IV cars were built from 1984 to 1991.

Ferguson Formula (FF) - The Jensen FF was built from 1966 to 1971 and only 320 were produced in total. The FF can be distinguished from the Saloon by the appearance of dual air vents behind the front wheels -- The Saloon models sport a single air vent on each side. The FF is about 6 inches longer than a Saloon as more space was needed for the additional four-wheel-drive mechanical components. The split bumper is a notable feature on the FF. Some FF models also feature a canvas sunroof, which was a popular addition on British cars of the 1970s. The FF is an upgraded Saloon with all-wheel drive and anti-lock brakes. It was the first production car to have these features, and was declared the world's safest automobile when it was introduced in 1966.

Six Pack (SP) - The Jensen Interceptor SP was built from 1971 to 1973 and only 232 were produced in total. This model was only sold in Great Britain, and could hit a top-speed of 140mph. Externally the only differences between the SP and the Saloon are the badges and hood louvers. An SP has louvers running the full length of the hood. Early Saloons had no hood louvers, with later Saloons sporting louvers running halfway up the length of the hood. The big differences are under the hood, where on the SP you'll find three twin-barrel Holley carburetors in the classic Chrysler "six-pack" configuration. Horsepower was 330 HP in this configuration, and a very few were produced with the high-compression 385 HP option! This is quite a upgrade in performance from the standard 220 HP for Interceptor Saloons of the same era.

Convertible - The Jensen Interceptor Convertible was built from 1974 to 1976, and then again from 1984 to 1991. There were 480 Convertible models produced. The convertible models are easy to spot as they have very distinct convertible tops.

Coupé - The Jensen Interceptor Coupé was built from 1975 to 1976, and then again from 1984 to 1991. Only 55 were produced in total. The "targa bar" across the top is made of smoke-colored glass. The Coupé had more headroom for the rear-seat passengers than any of the other Interceptor models. This is due to the fact that the top went pretty much straight back, rather than sloping down. Jensen Cars Norway has some good pictures of the Coupé.

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Photos of The Saint's Jensen Interceptor

Dr. Cheti' and his Jensen Interceptor driven by Simon Dutton in The Saint TV movies.
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Interior showing right-hand drive and automatic transmission of the car used in the 1989 TV series, The Saint, starring Simon Dutton.
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Other Jensen Interceptor Photos