Jensen Coupé

The Coupé was the last variation on the Interceptor theme, developed in a rush during 1975 to face-lift the model in time for the October London Motor Show. The impetus probably came from Kjell Qvale who may have been projecting the wishes of his American customers. It could also be that he wanted to see a new model built as quickly and cheaply as possible following the failure of the intended Interceptor replacement for 1974, the aborted F-type project. Coupés are simply Convertible body shells to which a Panther designed hardtop is grafted on. This allowed a decision to be made late in the assembly process about finishing a car as either a Coupé or a Convertible, depending on orders received. In September 1975, Qvale put Jensen Motors into working receivership before production of the Coupé began, so each build thereafter had to be authorized by the Receiver. Few Coupés were actually finished before Jensen Motors ceased trading in May 1976, the others being completed in the following months by a residual company, Jensen Parts & Service. Only 46 Coupés were made of which 25 were RHD. One was sold new to Australia and three are known here today.