Following the Interceptor
Jensen to use "respected design agency" for new V8 grand tourer
Jensen has announced an all-new grand tourer equipped with a V8 engine is on the way, and a familiar name could be behind the design
“Jensen International Automotive” does not quite roll of the tongue in the same way its shorter original branding did, but enthusiasts have certainly had their interests piqued this week at the news that an all-new model is on the way from the company that made one of Britain’s best ‘muscle’ cars, the Interceptor.
And this particular crowd will also no doubt be licking their lips at the prospect of a V8-powered grand tourer, very much a dying breed of late. We do not know a huge amount just yet, but representatives have confirmed to CDN that “an external design company has been involved, thanks to a long-standing relationship with a well-established and respected design agency.”
Could that be Carrozzeria Touring Supeleggera, which penned the ‘66 Interceptor 60 years ago (and the equally stunning Lamborghini Flying Star II)? The business is still very much active, offering what it describes as “one-stop solutions for automotive and industrial design projects, from the first sketches to fully functional prototypes.” Conjecture for now, but worth noting.
Teaser images show quite a different silhouette to the familiar Interceptor, but with a long bonnet, stretched wheelbase and fast roofline it certainly ticks the right boxes. Crucially, that long rear overhang and short front overhang seems to have been carried over into this new model. The announcement issued this week confirmed that this new car will feature an all-new aluminium chassis and ‘bespoke’ V8 (we would assume sourced from an existing supplier as opposed to built in house) and will be put together by hand in the UK.
David Duerden, managing director of JIA, says the aim is to elevate the idea of a luxury British GT “to fresh, thoroughly modern heights” and that the new Jensen is “designed and engineered from the ground up to deliver an unmatched, deeply immersive, V8-powered driving experience.”
Again, it must be emphasised that this will be entirely new, built from the ground up and by no means a resto/continumod situation; there is no donor car. It would be easy to assume as such given JIA’s current business model involves the restoration and re-engineering of the classic Jensen Interceptors.
The current office is in Banbury, north Oxfordshire, and it is unclear whether this “completely new and separate venture” will remain at this site or involve an expansion elsewhere. Further details on the project will come “very soon” we are told.
