New Jensen Interceptor Discovers an Alternate Route to Production: It's Currently for Track Use Only

      Jensen

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      The Jensen Interceptor was a sleek British touring car from the 1950s. However, many might recall the unique shooting-brake style it adopted in the ’60s and ’70s, if at all. Earlier this year, news broke about a resurgence of the Jensen Interceptor. Recently, it seems to be making strides, promising to unveil a model that is analog (yay!), equipped with a V8 (yay!), but exclusively for the track (boo).

      Here are the main points regarding the new “Jensen Interceptor GTX” from the press release:

      “Developed as an upgraded prototype, the Interceptor GTX will lay the groundwork for multiple future Interceptor variants, including both road models and those focused on the track.”

      “While this car marks a new chapter and proudly carries the Jensen Interceptor name, the Interceptor GTX is neither a ‘restomod’ nor a ‘continuation’ of any prior Jensen model. Completely new from the ground up, it features a striking, modern, hand-crafted aluminum body, an aluminum chassis, and a supercharged V8 engine, delivering the ultimate analog driving experience.”

      From this perspective, the car looks quite appealing to me.

      This GTX version has reportedly been designed, engineered, and hand-built in the UK. The number of units and their pricing are yet to be announced.

      If you’re feeling a bit lost with this information, rest assured, I am too. The original Interceptors were all GTs rather than sports cars. The silhouette that has been showcased certainly seems more “touring” than “raw performance.” A track model seems a bit illogical. However, considering the regulatory side of things, constructing a track car avoids many of the toughest challenges in automobile manufacturing—such as meeting safety, emissions, and other compliance standards needed for road cars.

      Left: The original Jensen Interceptor design (1950s). Right: The shooting-brake style the car featured in the ’60s and ’70s (there was also a convertible).

      Thus, while I’m sure the marketing team wouldn't present it this way, I believe the primary reason for creating a “track-only” Interceptor is simply to get something, anything, rolling out into the market.

      That said, I don’t intend to criticize these folks; it would be fantastic if Jensen could actually create a limited-run V8, manual, touring car, even in small production numbers. The teaser silhouette images released so far look fantastic. Although an old Interceptor might not be the ideal foundation for a track car, Jensen's new management emphasizes that this is not a revival of the original Interceptor.

      I officially wish them the best of luck.

      I increased the shadow brightness significantly on this teaser image of the Interceptor GTX to enhance visibility of the shapes. It does make me a bit concerned that the designers might overdo it with embellishments to make this model stand out.

      Have you spent much time in an old Interceptor? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Reach out to me at andrew.collins@thedrive.com.