A Jensen Interceptor Owned by Drummer John Bonham Heads to Auction
Here’s your chance to own a car from rock ‘n’ roll’s golden age.
A 1972 Jensen Interceptor III originally owned by Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham will be put up for bid by Iconic Auctioneers next month. The potent coupe may be over a half-century old, but thanks to an extensive restoration, it looks as good as it did the day the late rock star first got behind its wheel.
The Interceptor is the closest thing the British have to a proper muscle car. The grand tourer debuted in 1966, just two years after the class-defining Ford Mustang, was assembled in England but featured a massive V-8 supplied by Chrysler. The vehicle would even end up being sold on this side of the Atlantic. It wasn’t able to draw buyers away from its American-made peers, but it did manage to develop a cult following.
Inside John Bonham’s 1972 Jensen Interceptor III
Iconic Auctioneers
Bonham, who was Led Zeppelin’s drummer for the entirety of its history, took delivery of his Interceptor III in March 1972. The musician’s example is an H-Series model finished in Reef Blue with a soft crimson leather interior. It is powered by a 6.3-liter V-8 that made 330 hp and 410 ft lbs of torque when new (the mill would be replaced by a larger 7.2-liter V-8 later that year). All that power, in true muscle car fashion, was routed to the rear wheels via the automaker’s three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission.
It’s unclear what happened to the car following Bonham’s death in 1980, but it is said to have effectively been in “barn find” condition when it was acquired by its current owner in 2020. They would spend the next three years and £83,000, or roughly $110,000, restoring the muscle car to like-new condition. It has been returned to its original colors, inside and out. The car comes with an extensive history file that documents not just Bonham’s time with the vehicle but also the restoration work, which was handled by Martin Robey, Prestige Panels and Riverbourne Classics.
Bonham’s Interceptor III is powered by a 6.3-liter Chrysler V-8
Iconic Auctioneers
Bonham’s Interceptor III is scheduled to cross the block during the Iconic Sale at the BRDC Classic, which will be held at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England, on Saturday, July 25. The auction house expects the muscle car to sell for upward of $67,000, but considering the condition it is in, and who owned it, it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if it surpasses that number.
Click here for more photos of John Bonham’s 1972 Jensen Interceptor III.
