The four lives of the Interceptor
08/18/2023
Well, four? The British luxury coupé with the Chrysler V8 and the huge glass dome in the rear was only built in three series. Quite right: initially equipped with a 6.3-liter engine from 1966, the Jensen Interceptor increased to 7.2 liters within ten years, only to go under together with its manufacturer Jensen Motors in 1976. But its death was short-lived.
The Interceptor returned just eight years later. The Jensen Parts and Service company, which was actually only supposed to ensure the supply of spare parts for the existing cars, launched the Interceptor Mk IV in 1984 with an unchanged exterior. Technically, however, it was adapted to modern standards and, above all, to US emissions regulations. Between 11 and 36 units are said to have been built by 1993, before this company also ran out of money.
But the Interceptor survived. In 2007, the company V Eight Ltd. presented the Interceptor S, which still looked like its ancestor but concealed modern drive and chassis technology under its bodywork. The V8 now came from General Motors. But things turned out as they always had: just three years later, this lifesaver also had to file for bankruptcy.
In 2010, the rights to the Interceptor S were taken over by the newly founded Jensen International Automotive, which immediately added the Interceptor R with a supercharged Cadillac V8 to the cuckoo's child with the Corvette engine. However, for every new Jensen, an old one has to die. Nevertheless, the fourth life of the Interceptor is the longest to date. As of August 2023, it is still available to order.
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