Here at Street Legal TV we pride ourselves on bringing you the best muscle car news and features around. Even though this British-built Jensen Interceptor isn’t a muscle car in the truest sense, we’re hoping that you’ll be willing to forgive that fact once you see just how amazing and muscle car-esque this particular Jensen [3] really is.
Jensen Interceptor [6] was built in England between the mid-1960s to the late-1980s, and originally came equipped with a wide variety of Chrysler V8’s. They may have not been built on American soil, but those big 361ci, 383ci, and 440ci V8s coupled with a 2+2 rear-wheel-drive platform certainly gave them all the trappings of our American muscle cars.
As you might already know, theNow, one British car builder has taken the legacy of the original Interceptors, and kicked it up to the next level – meet the Jensen “Viperceptor SE” [3]. The Viperceptor gets its name and its power from a fire-breathing Viper 8.3L V10, and pays a fitting tribute to its Chrysler powered forefathers. The V10 is mated to a 42RLE 4-speed automatic gearbox, and power is sent to a Salisbury Powerlok limited slipdifferential with 2.89:1 gears.
The Viperceptor is based on a 1973 Jensen, but almost no area of the car was left unmodified. The Viperceptor has flared front and rear fenders, a deeper front valance with Chrysler 300C headlights, and updated side vents. The car rolls on 20-inch wheels that are bolted over 14.5-inch rotors and 6-piston calipers in front, and 13.5-inch rotors with 4-piston calipers in back. The suspension is based on the stock independent design, but has several modifications for better handling including Spax fully adjustable dampers with higher rate springs.
So what say you – does the Viperceptor [3] get a pass as an honorary muscle car?