GARY COTTERELL
1971 Jensen Interceptor Series III
Cape Town
“I owe my love of cars, particularly the classics, to my dad who bought Matchbox die-cast cars for my brother and I every payday, as far back as I can remember.
"This car is a very iconic design representing the ‘craziness’ of British motor manufacturing and the dreams of that period: bigger, faster, more opulent, prettier. I’d always dreamt of owning one like this. At the time when they made this Jensen — introduced in my birth year but way before I was driving — they were one of the most expensive hand-built cars around and priced above Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce.
"I was busy doing research for a Business Day WANTED magazine feature about Jensen Interceptors and the rumored revival of the marque by a private investor. There was also talk of a new concept car but while I was on Google I got sidetracked by a ‘for sale’ post that came up on Gumtree. I wasted no time. Despite some idiosyncrasies, she has served me very well.
“Much like Rolls-Royce, the Interceptor was built for comfort and speed, sourcing what the company believed to be the best possible parts to achieve this. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2016, the body was designed in Italy by Carrozzeria Touring, launched in 1966 and powered by a 7.2-litre V8 work-horse of an engine based on the venerable Plymouth ‘Golden Commando’ — a version of the Chrysler B383.
“Almost forgotten by most, the Interceptor found more recent fame and growing fortune through its appeared in somewhat retrofitted guise in ‘Fast & The Furious 6’. I also read somewhere that the designers of the Ferrari FF were also inspired by this car's cousin, the FF which was the first all-wheel-drive car. Way before Audi."
MOTORING PORTRAITS
Gary Cotterell & his 1971 Jensen Interceptor Series III
Globetrotting photographers Desmond Louw and Antonia Heil share their portrait series of characters and their cars
Globetrotting photographers and journalists Desmond Louw and Antonia Heil are based between Cape Town and Berlin. Combining their love of cars, travel and people, they've been gathering content for a book, which they hope to publish next year. “We love photographing people and their wheels and listening to their stories,” says Antonia. Visit the ‘automotive’ section of their website and you’ll understand why we are so obsessed and why they’re in high demand. When Wanted chatted to them in late October (2016), they’d just wrapped up shooting for the Porsche Sport Driving School in Portugal and were heading to Finland on another Porsche commission.
“The people we are including in our book are among the many we have met on our travels in South Africa, the US, Portugal, Germany and Thailand.” While working on this project, they discovered that most of these characters are not only passionate about their modes of transport but are also entrepreneurs, creatives, people who love their jobs, and as Desmond says, “are altogether pretty happy people!” Titled wor{king}, we persuaded them to share these portraits with us as weekly posts. First among these is Capetonian Ali Kemali and his 1973 Porsche Carrera RS 2.7.
Image: DNA
GARY COTTERELL
1971 Jensen Interceptor Series III
Cape Town
“I owe my love of cars, particularly the classics, to my dad who bought Matchbox die-cast cars for my brother and I every payday, as far back as I can remember.
"This car is a very iconic design representing the ‘craziness’ of British motor manufacturing and the dreams of that period: bigger, faster, more opulent, prettier. I’d always dreamt of owning one like this. At the time when they made this Jensen — introduced in my birth year but way before I was driving — they were one of the most expensive hand-built cars around and priced above Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce.
"I was busy doing research for a Business Day WANTED magazine feature about Jensen Interceptors and the rumored revival of the marque by a private investor. There was also talk of a new concept car but while I was on Google I got sidetracked by a ‘for sale’ post that came up on Gumtree. I wasted no time. Despite some idiosyncrasies, she has served me very well.
“Much like Rolls-Royce, the Interceptor was built for comfort and speed, sourcing what the company believed to be the best possible parts to achieve this. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2016, the body was designed in Italy by Carrozzeria Touring, launched in 1966 and powered by a 7.2-litre V8 work-horse of an engine based on the venerable Plymouth ‘Golden Commando’ — a version of the Chrysler B383.
“Almost forgotten by most, the Interceptor found more recent fame and growing fortune through its appeared in somewhat retrofitted guise in ‘Fast & The Furious 6’. I also read somewhere that the designers of the Ferrari FF were also inspired by this car's cousin, the FF which was the first all-wheel-drive car. Way before Audi."