A Legendary British Fastback Returns With 960 Horsepower

A grand tourer that defined British cool in the 1960s has returned in a very different shape. Jensen International just pulled the covers off the Interceptor GTX, a track-only machine with a supercharged V-8 and 960 horsepower sent straight to the rear wheels.

• The Interceptor GTX runs a supercharged 6.8-liter V-8 making 960 hp, with headroom for up to 1200 hp.
• Power routes through a six-speed sequential transaxle from Samsonas Motorsport with straight-cut dog gears.
• Road-legal Interceptor GT and GTR models are planned, though pricing and timing remain unconfirmed.

A Familiar Name With Fresh Muscle

Jensen International Automotive spent years restoring the original Interceptor, the striking fastback with a glass rear dome and long-hood proportions. Now the company has taken that heritage in a bold new direction. The Interceptor GTX arrives first as a track-only car, and it sets the tone for a small family of models still to come.

The heart of the thing is a supercharged 6.8-liter V-8 that pushes 960 horsepower to the back tires. It’s based on a General Motors LT-series engine, but Texas-based Late Model Engines reworked it so heavily that fewer than 20 percent of the original GM parts remain. The build includes CNC-machined heads, titanium valves, and reworked variable valve timing and direct injection. A 2.7-liter Roots-type supercharger with electronic boost control feeds it, and Jensen says the setup gives quick throttle response and smooth, linear power. The engine can spin to 7000 rpm, and there’s real room to grow. Jensen puts its ceiling at up to 1200 horsepower and more than 1000 pound-feet of torque.

Built to Attack a Circuit

All that power runs through a carbon-fiber driveshaft housed in a steel torque tube, feeding a six-speed sequential transaxle from Samsonas Motorsport. The straight-cut dog gears mean business, and drivers can shift with column-mounted paddles or a lever on the transmission tunnel. The all-aluminum chassis keeps the structure rigid and the weight in check, though Jensen hasn’t shared a curb figure yet. Suspension comes from aluminum unequal-length control arms with three-way manually adjustable dampers, and the steering rack is hydraulically assisted.

Braking duties fall to steel rotors, with brake balance adjustable from the cockpit. The car rolls on forged one-piece Vossen 20-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. Aero is a big part of the story too. Up front there’s a large splitter with a carbon-fiber plane below a trapezoidal intake, plus vents behind the front wheels that pull hot air off the brakes. A big rear diffuser sits below oval exhaust tips, and the towering adjustable wing can pull more than 771 pounds of downforce.

Styling That Nods to the Past

The design references the classic without simply copying it. You get the long hood and fastback roofline, plus a large glass panel at the rear that echoes the old car’s signature dome. Jensen worked with Avant Design, a studio that has also worked on the electric Longbow sports car and the LEVC TX taxi that prowls London streets. British firm Coventry Metalcraft handcrafted the aluminum body, and the crisp lines give off a hint of Chevy Camaro up front.

Inside, it’s unapologetically a race car. There’s an FIA-approved roll cage, Tillett carbon-fiber seats, six-point harnesses, and a fire-extinguisher system. A digital display sits behind the wheel, but there’s no central touchscreen. Jensen did soften things slightly with Alcantara padding and orange stitching, so it isn’t completely bare.

Where the Interceptor Goes From Here

Jensen calls the GTX an enhanced prototype, and it’s meant to seed a wider lineup. The company has already shown early images of two road-going siblings. The Interceptor GTR reads as a street-legal take on the GTX, with a smaller wing and splitter, while the Interceptor GT drops the aero addenda for a cleaner, more luxury-minded look. Those road cars could use an H-pattern manual or an automatic.

For now, the GTX heads into testing, and Jensen plans to work with each buyer to spec their car individually. There’s no confirmed price and no firm delivery timeline. Earlier talk of ultra-limited UK availability hasn’t been nailed down either. What’s clear is that a beloved British grand tourer is back, and it wants a racetrack.