Jensen is back, and the Jensen Interceptor GTX is how it’s announcing that. The British marque pulled the wraps off a 960-horsepower track prototype this week — a car built to show where Jensen is going before it starts selling road cars to the public.
This isn’t a concept. It’s not a rendering. The Jensen Interceptor GTX is a running, driving machine with racing hardware throughout, and Jensen says roughly 80 percent of its exterior design carries straight into the production road cars that follow.
Jensen Interceptor GTX: What It Is and Why It Exists
Jensen shut down in 1976. The name has floated around the automotive world since then — various revival attempts, restoration specialists, enthusiast projects — but nothing that put a new Jensen on a road at scale. Jensen International is the group now trying to change that, and the Jensen Interceptor GTX is its opening statement.
The GTX is a track-only prototype — not for sale, not street legal. Jensen built it to run the powertrain, suspension, and aero hardware through real conditions before any of it goes into a road car. Low-volume British sports car makers have done this for decades. The track finds problems a simulator never does.
David Duerden, Jensen International’s Managing Director, put it this way: “While this is only the first step, the GTX gives a clear indication of where we are heading and marks the beginning of an exciting new era for the marque.”
The Jensen Interceptor GTX also connects deliberately to the original Interceptor — the V8-powered grand tourer Jensen built through the 1960s and 1970s that earned the brand its reputation. That car was British in style, American in muscle. The GTX follows exactly the same formula sixty years later.
960 Horsepower From a GM Block Late Model Engines Rebuilt in Texas
The Jensen Interceptor GTX runs a supercharged 6.8-liter V8. It started as a GM block. Late Model Engines in Texas got hold of it next, and 80 percent of what GM built went straight in the bin. The company sent the block to Late Model Engines in Texas for a full rebuild, and fewer than 20 percent of the original components survived that process.
What came back is a racing engine. CNC-machined cylinder heads. Titanium valves. A fully forged rotating assembly. Motorsport-grade internal components throughout. MoTeC engine management software handles fueling and ignition.
960 horsepower is the baseline. The same block, on a different calibration, clears 1,200 horsepower and 1,100 pound-feet of torque. Jensen confirmed both numbers at the GTX reveal.
Jensen hasn’t published a weight figure for the GTX. Aluminum chassis, carbon-fiber propshaft, Tillett carbon seats — the components point light, but a number isn’t on record yet. At 960 horsepower, whatever it weighs, the power-to-weight ratio is going to be violent.
Transmission, Drivetrain, and Chassis
Power from the V8 routes to a rear-mounted Samsonas Motorsport six-speed sequential transmission. The gearbox uses straight-cut dog gears — a setup built for track use, where shift speed and mechanical reliability under load matter more than the smooth engagement a road car buyer expects. A carbon-fiber propshaft connects the engine to the transaxle. A Wavetrac differential sends drive to the rear wheels.
The Jensen Interceptor GTX sits on an aluminum chassis developed with Avant Design. Double-wishbone suspension runs at both ends, with three-way adjustable Nitron dampers giving the driver control over compression, rebound, and high-speed damping separately. That level of adjustability is standard on purpose-built race cars — it lets the team dial the setup for different track conditions without swapping components.
Braking comes from an AP Racing package with floating steel discs. The wheels are custom 20-inch forged aluminum units wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport tires — a road-legal tire, which tells you the GTX is meant for track days rather than full circuit racing series.
Aerodynamics and Downforce
The Jensen Interceptor GTX generates serious aerodynamic load. The adjustable rear wing alone produces up to 771 pounds of downforce. A front splitter and flat underbody floor work alongside the wing to keep the car planted at speed.
Jensen says 80 percent of the GTX’s exterior design transfers directly to the road cars. That means the slim horizontal headlights, large front air intakes, integrated rear diffuser, and exposed aerodynamic surfaces aren’t purely track-day hardware — they’re previewing what a Jensen road car will look like on a public street. That’s a bold design commitment for a company that hasn’t sold a production car in nearly fifty years.
Inside the GTX
The cabin of the Jensen Interceptor GTX makes no attempt at road car comfort. There’s a full FIA-spec safety cage, Tillett carbon-fiber competition seats with six-point harnesses, and a fire suppression system. A MoTeC display handles all instrumentation. Alcantara trim and orange stitching are the only concessions to aesthetics in an otherwise race-ready interior.
The road cars will be different. Jensen has confirmed two versions of the Interceptor are in development for public sale — a high-performance GTR and a more road-focused GT. Both will use conventional transmissions: an H-pattern manual for the driving purist crowd and a fully automatic for buyers who want the performance without the involvement. Neither will have a sequential racing gearbox or a full roll cage.
Jensen Closed in 1976. The GTX Is Its First Running Car Since
The original Jensen Interceptor ran from 1966 to 1976. It used a Chrysler V8, a Chrysler TorqueFlite automatic, and a body styled by Vignale in Italy. Jensen built it in West Bromwich, England. The car developed a cult following — it was fast, stylish, and rare enough to feel special without being completely out of reach for a successful professional buyer.
Jensen went bankrupt in 1976 when oil prices spiked and the market for large-displacement grand tourers collapsed almost overnight. Several attempts to revive the brand followed over the decades — none reached production at meaningful volume.
Jensen International is the latest attempt, and the Jensen Interceptor GTX is the most serious hardware the brand has shown since the original cars left the factory. Jeff Qvale — son of Kjell Qvale, who owned Jensen during the original Interceptor years — is involved in the revival. That family connection gives the project a direct link to the brand’s operating history, not just its name.
Competition and Market Position
The Jensen Interceptor GTX road cars will target a market segment occupied by Aston Martin, McLaren, and low-volume British specialists like Morgan and Caterham. Jensen has positioned the Interceptor GTX explicitly as an Aston Martin competitor — specifically citing the DB12 as a benchmark.
That’s a steep hill. Aston Martin has global dealer networks, decades of modern development data, and Formula 1 involvement through the Aston Martin Cognizant team. Jensen is starting from zero on production infrastructure.
Jensen has a name with real history behind it. The original Interceptor ran a Chrysler V8 in a British body — American grunt, British finish. No other manufacturer did it quite that way. The Jensen Interceptor GTX is that same recipe in 2026 hardware.
What Comes Next
Jensen hasn’t announced a production start date for the road cars. The company says it will work directly with customers as development continues — a pre-order and co-development model that several ultra-low-volume manufacturers use to fund development while keeping buyer interest engaged.
Pricing hasn’t been disclosed. Given the specification, the target market, and the hand-built aluminum construction, expect numbers well north of six figures when they do arrive.
Testing on the Jensen Interceptor GTX prototype starts now. The data from that process shapes the GT and GTR road cars that follow. How long that takes depends on what the track program turns up — and whether Jensen International has the financial runway to see it through.
What Jensen Is Actually Putting In This Car
Late Model Engines in Texas took a GM V8 block and rebuilt it until fewer than 20 percent of the original parts remained. What came back is a supercharged 6.8-liter unit making 960 horsepower. Turn the calibration up and that same block clears 1,200 horsepower and 1,100 pound-feet of torque.
The gearbox is a Samsonas Motorsport six-speed sequential with straight-cut dog gears — the kind of transmission that snaps between ratios in milliseconds and has no interest in being comfortable. A carbon-fiber propshaft runs to a Wavetrac differential. Power goes to the rear wheels only.
The Jensen Interceptor GTX sits on an aluminum chassis Jensen developed with Avant Design. Double-wishbone suspension front and rear. Nitron dampers with three separate adjustment settings — compression, rebound, and high-speed damping handled independently. AP Racing brakes clamp floating steel discs. The wheels are 20-inch forged aluminum. Michelin Pilot Sport tires.
That rear wing generates 771 pounds of downforce. A front splitter and flat floor pull the rest of the aerodynamic load.
Jensen hasn’t put a number on the price. Two road cars sit behind the Jensen Interceptor GTX in the development queue — the Interceptor GT with a fully automatic gearbox and the Interceptor GTR with an H-pattern manual. No production date on either.
FAQ
Is the Jensen Interceptor GTX road legal?
No. The GTX is a track-only prototype. The road-legal versions — the GT and GTR — are in development and will follow once Jensen completes its testing program.
What engine does the Jensen Interceptor GTX use?
A supercharged 6.8-liter V8. The block started as a General Motors unit. Late Model Engines in Texas tore it down and rebuilt it — 80 percent of the original parts went in the bin. At standard tune it makes 960 horsepower.
When will Jensen road cars go on sale?
Jensen hasn’t announced a date. The company says it will work with customers directly as development of the GT and GTR road cars progresses.
How does the Jensen Interceptor GTX connect to the original Interceptor?
The original Jensen Interceptor ran from 1966 to 1976 using a Chrysler V8 in a British-built body. The GTX follows the same concept — British design, American V8 — on an entirely new platform with no shared components from the original car.
Who is behind the Jensen revival?
Jensen International, with Jeff Qvale — son of former Jensen owner Kjell Qvale — involved in bringing the car to market. David Duerden serves as Managing Director.
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