The main reason Jensen Healey’s aren’t popular is because there aren’t that many people who want an LBC that’s unique, goes faster and handles better. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif For those of us who do it’s a great car.
Just kidding. Well, not exactly kidding. It really is faster and better handling than most other (stock) LBC’s of the era.
The real reason you don’t see or hear much about them is that they just aren’t widely known. There aren’t many people who look back and remember them from “back in the day” and go looking for them.
There weren’t many of them made. Look at the TR6. They made around 100k of them (ish). I don’t know how many are left but if for example 80% were lost over the decades there would still be 20k on the road. That’s about twice as many cars as JH
ever built in the first place. Nobody knows if there are even a thousand of them left in the world.
For a relatively obscure car parts availability was quite good for the longest time. It’s not as good as it once was but it’s still reasonable. Lotus engine parts are more expensive than many other LBCs’ but not hard to get.
The engine in the second Craigslist add is very obviously a Lotus 907. It’s very distinctive. Not that you can see it in the pic but the motor is slanted over at a 45deg angle. The twin carbs stick sideways out the top, there are twin cam covers with plugs down the middle and the exhaust drops down the opposite side.
As for the other stuff in the add:
Jensen Healy convertible – JH’s are
only convertibles. The coupe is a Jensen GT.
Rare 5 speed – Most were 4-sp but the 5-sp is hardly “rare.”
Rebuilt Lotus Motor – Only a good sign if he can show that the work was done right.
WestCoast head – well know local builder, potentially a good sign
J&E pistons – popular high perf improvement, if the machining was done well.
New Paint – Done well, fine. Earl Scheib, …
Spax Adjustible shocks – A common upgrade. They were the only shock upgrade available for a few years. There are others now.
needs a little finishing – Yeah, there’s a surprise. If it really is
just a little the advertised price is a bargain.
As for desirable years, that’s one of them. I think most guys will agree that ’74 and up are preferred but every car is unique. It’s better to have a good example of any year than a thrashed one of “the best” year.
Early ‘74s had steel bumpers (my preference) and 4-sp’s (not as big a deal as one might think, both boxes have the same top gear, 1:1. The 5-sp cars have closer ratios and a
slightly taller diff).
PC.