New Jensen Interceptor Takes a Shortcut to Production: It's Currently for Track Use Only

      Jensen

      The latest automotive news and reviews, no nonsense.

      Subscribe to our free daily newsletter to receive the crucial stories directly in your inbox every weekday.

      The Jensen Interceptor was a sleek British touring car from the 1950s. However, many of you might recall its unique shooting-brake design from the '60s and '70s, if you remember it at all. Earlier this year, an announcement was made regarding a revival of the Jensen Interceptor. Today, it appears to be making strides, promising to introduce its design as an analog (yay!), V8 (yay!), track-only (boo) model.

      Here are the main points from the press release about what's being referred to as the “Jensen Interceptor GTX”:

      “Developed as an improved prototype, the Interceptor GTX will lay the groundwork for various future Interceptor variants, including street-legal models and track-focused versions.”

      “While this car marks the beginning of a new chapter and proudly carries the Jensen Interceptor name, the Interceptor GTX is not a ‘restomod’ or a ‘continuation’ of any prior Jensen model. Entirely new from the ground up, it showcases a striking, modern, hand-crafted aluminium body, an aluminium chassis, and a supercharged V8 engine, culminating in the ultimate analog driving experience.”

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

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

      If you're feeling a bit puzzled by this information, rest assured, I share your confusion. The original Interceptors were all GTs, not sports cars. The profile the brand has been unveiling certainly appears to lean more towards “touring” rather than “raw performance." A track-focused model seems somewhat illogical. That said, when you consider the regulatory requirements, building a track car bypasses many of the toughest challenges in car manufacturing—like meeting safety, emissions, and other regulatory standards for road vehicles.

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

      So, while I doubt the marketers would frame it this way, I believe the primary reason for introducing a “track-only” Interceptor is so the company can release something—anything—into the market.

      I don’t want to disparage these folks, though—having Jensen successfully launch a small-batch V8, manual touring car would be fantastic, even in limited production. The teaser silhouette images released thus far look impressive. And while using an old Interceptor as a base for a track car might not be the best idea, Jensen's new management insists this is not a revival of the classic Interceptor.

      Consider me officially wishing them success.

      I enhanced the shadow brightness on this Interceptor GTX teaser image to help us discern more of the design elements. This gives me some concern that the designers may get overly ambitious with embellishments and shapes to make this model distinctive. Jensen

      Have you had much experience with an old Interceptor? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to reach out at andrew.collins@thedrive.com.