The Jensen S-V8 was supposed to restore the British performance car brand to its former glory. Unfortunately, it flopped spectacularly.

If the hype is to be believed, once iconic sports carmaker Jensen could be coming back as early as this year, with clay models currently in circulation hinting at a modern day Interceptor/FF style affair. We're holding back our hopes just in case, this isn't the first time Jensen has staged a comeback, the late 90s giving hope of a new breed of V8 powered sports car only to fall flat on its face. The little known S-V8 suffering from early over exposure, under funding, and poor development that marred the brands' reputation.

On paper, or in motor show form at least, the S-V8 had everything going for it; a robust proven engine and 160+ mph performance at a bargain sticker price. Sadly, Jensen couldn't deliver on its promises, the S-V8 despite attracting admiration from buyers and the press alike sank faster than the Titanic. The S-V8 might have existed for a brief 12 months of production, but it serves as a reminder that even short-lived, flawed sports cars deserve to be recognized among the greats.

For much of Jensen Motors' existence, the brand gained little in the way of recognition, save for the 60-70s era Interceptor FF and the Mk II, Jensen usually goes unrecognized by anyone but die hard gearheads.

The arrival of American V8 power under their hoods transformed the Interceptor from quirky British GT to full on muscle car. Chrysler's engines remaining throughout production until 1976. A later merger with Healy cars gave rise to the MK.II, smaller more agile and using Lotus engines diluting the brand, eventually shutting up shop entirely.

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A welcome return to the world stage kicked off in earnest in 2001, ambitious plans to resurrect the famous Jensen winged logo resulting in the S-V8 backed by a considerable injection of funds from Liverpool council and various government backed departments, Surely a receipt for success.

Yes, and no. The S-V8 prototype having previously wowed crowds during the 1998 London Motor show attracted hundreds of advanced orders, even if the show car's build was subpar, Jensen was back.

Unlike previous efforts with big block Chrysler engines under the hood, Jensen Motors opted for Ford's more compact 4.6-liter V8 lifted from the Mustang, as evident by the famous Cobra branding. Boasting 320 hp in a deceptively lightweight 2,680 lbs body, in theory at least, the SV-8 was a worthy successor to the Interceptor and viable alternative to its US cousin, the Mustang.

The SV-8s divisive appearance the work of Howard Guy and Gary Doy (Desing-Q) aside landed 110 firm orders with each SV-8 listed at £40,000, deliveries to customers commencing in late 2001.

Huge advances throughout the 90s in both semi and fully automatic transmissions, most of the big names today use clever robotized gearboxes to deliver the ultimate performance, more often than not shifting faster than any manual/human combo, delivering quicker acceleration times.

The Jensen is very much the old school bruiser, big torquey engine up-front driving the real wheels via a good old-fashioned 5-speed manual, the choice for die-hard gearheads. Jensen's cars dabbled with a choice of body forms during the car's brief development and production life, but not once did the S-V8 feature a dreaded slush-box option.

Comparing favorably in terms of pricing and specification with Ford's Mustang, the S-V8s was an altogether better proposition when it came down to its interior. Leather adorning much of the car's dashboard and door cards, with little indication of compromises in terms of equipment or finish.

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Both driver and passenger held snugly in place by leather trimmed sports seats, the S-V8 despite its premise of a V8 powered sports car with an emphasis on thrills was more GT than tarmac scorcher. All things taken into account, it is no wonder Jensen struggled to deliver a quality overall package for so little cash.

Gorgeous to look at (from some angles) more so with the top down, Jensen engineers did a decent job with the limited resources available to neatly stow the fabric folding roof out of sight between the cabin and trunk space. While gearheads in the know will remember the S-V8s convertibles profile, few will even know of the still born coupe.

If, like us, you're a fan of Jaguar's F-Type coupe over the drop top, we think you'll agree the sole prototype S-V8 tin top looks way cooler. Never making it past an early development prototype, one was completed and still exists today, a rare special edition of an already incredibly rare sports car.

Slide the S-V8 in to fifth gear with barely 2000 RPM, and the Jensen cruises in near silence at 70 mph, showing its designers were on the right track — even if the numbers financially didn't add up.

Dropping a couple of gears and nailing the loud pedal reveals the S-V8's true nature, Ford's V8 motor powering the drop-top sports car to a potential 160 mph top speed. Even from a standstill, the Jensen was a formidable performer, gearheads balancing engine speeds against grip can expect a sub-five-second dash to 60 mph.

Jensen Motor's original plan to produce 300 S-V8s might have fallen short with customer orders totaling 110 cars, but it was a positive step in the right direction, bringing much needed cash flow. However, it wasn't nearly enough, the entire project's budget was at the similar levels big carmakers allotted to trivial cosmetic tweaks, which would be the brand's undoing.

A raft of pre-production problems that were present on the original show car were never addressed. In 2001, the first customers' cars rolled off the assembly line with little changed or developed from 1998, with appalling quality issues that remained until Jensen closed up shop in 2002, out of the original order book for 110 cars, 20 were completed, with a further 12 examples completed in 2003 by SV Automotive.

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A forgotten 2000s sports car that, despite rarity values and the Jensen name, comes cheaper than you might think. "Factory" builds can be found $40-70,000 depending on condition, remembering Jensen only built the S-V8 for one year.

Craving something a little more in the way of build refinement, the later batch of SV Engineering cars are not too dissimilar in value, and come with improved build quality, just don't expect miracles.

Raised in a car-obsessed environment from an early age ensured a keen interest in anything car-related. first and foremost an F1 fan, but also an avid follower of other motorsports. Professional background working closely with a well established UK based Supercar manufacturer in recent years.