The Interceptor name is actually one which has been applied to two distinct bloodlines of Jensen vehicles, so it makes sense to tackle both of these when covering the topic of this venerable motoring marque.

The older Jensen Interceptor was launched in 1950 and remained in production for a further seven years. It borrowed elements from a number of Austin vehicles, most notable the Sheerline and the A70, although it had its own distinct style.

The original Interceptor was only made available as a two door convertible, although in 1952 there was a hardtop edition released.

The first Jensen Interceptor is very rare since only a handful had been produced by 1957, so today they are not commonly seen.

The Interceptor brand was revived by Jensen a little under 10 years later when it introduced the 1966 model which was built in the UK using bodies that were initially produced in Italy.

Jensen chose to pair the Interceptor with a V8 engine built by Chrysler and the styling of the car has become its most memorable aspect, thanks largely to the expansive rear window which wraps around its rear end.

With two doors and four seats, it was a kind of GT-class muscle car that could comfortably house plenty of passengers.

By 1969 the Interceptor Mark II had arrived, with a few notable changes made, including disc brakes with ventilation to improve braking performance and some stylistic touch-ups carried out to the front end and the interior dashboard.

1971 saw the Interceptor Mark III arrive and by 1973 the previous 6.2 litre engine was ditched in favour of a more powerful 7.2 litre option.

While the Interceptor was no longer produced in large numbers from 1976, it did get a fourth generation update during the 1980s, but it was only built for buyers who were willing to pay bespoke prices for their vehicles.

Financial issues caused the sale of the marque in 1988, but the Interceptor was briefly revived in the early 1990s, before once more being put out to pasture due to money problems.

Thankfully none of this has prevented the Interceptor from becoming a true classic and it remains popular amongst those who appreciate the finer aspects of British performance motoring.