by Mike Gulett –
I am amazed when I think about the many beautiful classic cars we see that are either concept cars or prototypes that never made it into production.
We write about many of them here on My Car Quest and here is another one; the Jensen P66. This beautiful car would have likely been renamed the Interceptor had it gone past the prototype stage.
I can see Italian lines in this beautiful aluminum body even though it was designed by Jensen in house designer, Eric Neale. Only two examples of the P66 were made, one was a convertible that was later disassembled by Jensen and this coupe, which I believe is in private ownership.
The P66 was planned to be a replacement for the Austin-Healey 3000, which Jensen was building in West Bromwich, England. Powered by a Chrysler V8 you can imagine the P66 was quick and reliable. We can see it is great looking and has an elegant style.
The convertible P66 was well received at the 1965 Earls Court Motor Show. Unfortunately the management in charge of Jensen decided this was not the car they wanted and so it was canceled and instead we have the Interceptor from that period designed by Italians. The Interceptor replaced the Jensen C-V8 and not the Austin-Healey 3000 as was planned for the P66.
After this episode Eric Neale, who had been with Jensen for 20 years decided to leave the company and was soon followed by the Jensen brothers.
Oh well, another missed opportunity. Would you rather have the Interceptor we all know or this unknown P66? As for me I want both!
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
Car photos by Classic Driver.
I had never seen this car before. Absolutely stunning. I agree Mike….it would have been great if Jensen had produced this car along with the Interceptor.
Great looking car! I could do w/o the Chrysler lump, but I understand that sources had to be coaxed at the time.
Great find! Fun The P66 is stunning. Too bad there’s only one. Yes, I’d rather have the P66.
A very beautiful car. It would also do well with a modern update as that body is timeless. It is nice to see these types of classics.
The car was still in use, at least prior to the Coronavirus pandemic. These links confirm that:
“GOV.UK – Display Vehicle” https://vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/VehicleFound?locale=en
It’s intriguing to note how the date of manufacture contrasts with that of first registration. Possibly the latter is a typo, because the “E” suffix of the GB number plate indicates January thru July of 1967.
“JENSEN P66 – Check MOT history”
https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk
The colour is not unlike Aston Martin Chiltern Green.
The side view is not unlike the mid 1970s De Tomaso Longchamp and the front end appears to be a carry-on from the CV8.
A friend bought the Jensen and it’s now in Germany awaiting registration:) and it’s even more stunning in real life!