1973 Jensen Healey MK1

Evolve Motors and Chicago Car Club are pleased to present this '73 Jensen-Healey
Exterior
While definitely a head-turner, this car is first and foremost a driver. It's rare and interesting enough to be welcome at shows, but it's not quite a show-quality finish. Black paint has its fair share of rock chips up front. Many of the chips have been touched up but are still visible. The body itself is in really nice shape; there's a light ding on the driver side rear quarter, which looks like a broom handle fell on it. Very, very minor. Chrome is free of oxidation and has a nice shine to it. All glass is clear and crack-free. All lights and signals are functional and crack-free. Convertible top is in excellent shape; this car will come with a convertible top, a zip-up interior cover, and bras for both front fenders, so that the car can be worked on under the hood without scratching or dirtying the fenders
Interior
The interior is nice and simple. Seats are comfortable and in pretty good shape, with just a couple cracks on the outside of the drivers seat. Dash is in great shape and all gauges are functional. Interior fan blows, though neither hot nor cold. Carpets are in nice shape, as are the door panels. Doors open and close without any fuss. Original radio is present but not functional. Steering wheel is in nice shape and has a great grip to it
Under the Hood / Underbody
This is where this car really shines. It fires up first turn of the key and warms up (so you can push the choke back in) in just a couple seconds. The car will idle steady and cool all day. It's a very confidence-inspiring driver; the car feels planted through the corners and stable at speed. It's pretty peppy too, with 144hp on tap and weighing in at only 2,400lbs. Carbs are Stromberg 175 CD-2 units. It'll do 0-60 in a very respectable 7.8 seconds, which is only a fraction of a second off the times of the Porsche 911 and Jaguar E-Type of the same vintage. The exhaust note from the Lotus 907 motor is great, it keeps you wanting to wind it out in every gear. The car stops well, with discs up front and drums out back, and doesn't hook in either direction. The four-speed gearbox in these cars is actually a Chrysler unit, and shifts nice and smooth. Clutch grabs as it should. From a mechanical standpoint, this car is well sorted. The previous long-term owner was an engineer and enthusiast, and I have a number of service receipts from his ownership as well as the original owners manual and service manual. Much of the suspension has been gone through and replaced in recent years, including shocks, springs, and bushings
A compression test shows that the motor is very healthy
DRY COMPRESSION TEST RESULTS
1: 116
2: 120
3: 119
4: 134
WET COMPRESSION TEST RESULTS
1: 130
2: 128
3: 126
4: 140
The underbody of the car is fantastic. There isn't even surface rust to note. There is absolutely no rot – the car has clearly been garage kept and treated well
Overall, this is a rare, interesting, and charming driver. It truly is a blast to drive. The smiles-to-dollars ratio is extremely strong. For the money, we can't think of many other cars we'd rather enjoy a sunny weekend drive in. Buy with confidence