1974 Jensen Healey GT review from North America
"A great value and a car that truly is a pleasure to own"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Master brake cylinder rebuild.
Rebuilt 2nd gear in transmission.
Replaced leaking valve cover gaskets.
General comments?
The performance of this car is it's best feature. It's a sleeper. Stock HP was rated at 140 - and reviews at the time showed 0-60 as low as the mid 7's. Generally people expect similar performance to other small roadsters (MGB, Triumph, Alfa, Miata) - but when properly tuned it's much quicker. It's a high-revver, and sounds great at the high-end, especially. Especially impressive to me is that the car won it's class in SCCA back in the early 70's and then won again 25 years later.
The handling is very good. Probably not the tightest in it's class (anti-roll bars, etc aren't standard equipment - but available) - but it also provides a nice ride. It soaks up small and medium bumps nicely and provides a nice touring ride. I have driven it on a 2000m + trip to California that was quite comfortable.
Parts are easy to get and reasonably priced for a vintage car. There is a great Internet community and club (JHPS) available to owners. It has been quite reliable - more than I expected when I bought an old British car.
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model Year | 1974 |
| First year of ownership | 1994 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2006 |
| Engine and transmission | Lotus 907, 2.0L, 16v, DOHC Manual |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 7/10 |
| Comfort marks | 7/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 31000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 44000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Probe |
| Date of Entry | 25th March, 2006 |