Sixty Years of the Interceptor: A Landmark Jensen Display Confirmed for Concours of Elegance 2026
The Concours of Elegance is delighted to confirm a special display celebrating 60 years of the Jensen Interceptor, brought to Hampton Court Palace this September by the Jensen Owners’ Club.
One of the most visually distinctive British cars ever made, the Interceptor will be joined by a carefully curated collection spanning Jensen’s entire post-war history, demonstrating that this small West Bromwich manufacturer punched far above its weight, and did so repeatedly.
Jensen introduced the Interceptor and its remarkable sibling, the Jensen FF, at the London Motor Show in October 1966. The Interceptor’s vast wrap-around rear window made it an instant icon. But the FF was the more extraordinary engineering achievement: the world’s first production road car to combine four-wheel drive with anti-lock brakes – a combination the mainstream motor industry would not catch up with for another two decades.
That spirit of innovation was nothing new for Jensen. The company had been quietly rewriting the rulebook since the 1950s. The 541 of 1954 was among the first production cars in the world to use fibreglass bodywork. The 541 De Luxe of 1957 was the first car anywhere to offer four-wheel disc brakes as standard. The 541S of 1960 was the first British car to fit front seatbelts as standard equipment. When the Jensen Healey arrived in 1972, it brought with it the first 16-valve twin-cam engine in a British production car.
The Jensen Owners’ Club display at Hampton Court will span the breadth of that legacy. Among the highlights will be a 1954 Jensen Interceptor Cabriolet – the first car ever to carry the Interceptor name, a title suggested to the company by Lord Strathcarron – alongside a 1970 Jensen FF, representing the car that changed automotive history. Also present will be a muscular 1972 Jensen SP, powered by a 7.2-litre V8 breathing through three twin-choke Holley carburettors and capable of over 145mph.
Together, the cars trace an unbroken line from Jensen’s first post-war model through to the final years of the original company. It is a story of ingenuity, ambition and some of the most elegant coachwork ever to emerge from the British motor industry.
Concours of Elegance 2026 takes place at Hampton Court Palace from 4-6 September. Further announcements will follow in the coming weeks.