[/quote]
Hello Harry/ Grant et al
Very Nice Collection of IDF's there, Grant. Correct airhorns and all....
Hope you post up Your results with the 440 Mopar, Grant.
(BTW- would like to hear more about Your Capri's. Do you run in some of the historic series in the UK, maybe???)
Nighty, night. fellows.[/quote]
Hi CapriManiac
Sorry for the delay
I have always loved Capri's after having my first 3 litre one at the age of 18yrs, it all stemmed from my age of 13years old when I got a car cleaning job in a Car showrooms for some extra pocket money, I was polishing the bonnet of a Capri, the large long power bulge of a Mk1 Capri, not really knowing what it was, in walked a big brawley chap with a London Cockney accent and asked the Governor about the car I was polishing, it was Gold and had a sticker on the windscreen with a price of £395.
He asked he could have a test drive, the buyer and the Governor looked around it while I stood to the side, they started it up and thought it sounded brilliant as they proceeded to rev the engine, anyway they were about to drive off and the Governor at the last minute asked if I wanted to jump in the back, so I did, I'll never forget how far it seemed to go in 1st gear
with this beautiful exhaust note I could hear from the exhaust,
this car flew down the road and I said to myself when I am 17 yrs old and can drive I am getting one of these!!! so I did, and that was me hooked until now when I am 50yrs old and still love them, I had a few within those times. During my times of Fascination I spotted one once with a Wide Body, we know them as "X" Packs or Series "X", I am sure you know of them too being a Caprimaniac
The Series "X" I had spotted parked on the side of the road looked great, looked correct as opposed to something that had been fitted up by "Anybody" sort of thing, anyway time went by I again spotted the same car probably 5 years later and it was sitting in someone’s house Driveway,
it looked like it had been sitting a while so I knocked at the door, the chap answered saying it was his sons and it wasn’t for sale, something told me it could be but the Dad was not wanting the son to sell it, sadly the son didn’t live there either, a short time later when i found myself constantly driving passed the house in hope I saw what I believed could have been the son there outside the house, he said this was wrong and that was wrong with it etc, under the hood was a big Holley on the Essex engine, but I had fallen for the car, I offered him £800gbp for the car, I guess around $1500 dollars, he said no no way, that was all I had, so I went away sad but carried on doing overtime at work until I had £1500gbp, this I guess around $2500usd, bearing in mind this was in 1990, 24 odd years ago, I went to the house to offer him this but again he wasn’t there, I drove to that house twice a day everyday for 3 months until I found him there and sealed the deal, I still knew nothing really of the Car and any of history, he didn’t even have any paperwork with the car.
I took the car and limped home in it as it was back firing and blowing the choke flaps backwards out of the Holley, I began stripping it and then one day I was in a book shop going through some Capri books, (this was long before we all had access to the internet), I turned the page in the book and there was my car(same registration Number), it turned out this was the 1st Mk3 Wide Bodied Capri Built by Ford and it was their press/demonstration car, there were pages about it testing it for times handling etc, complete with Triple DCNF's and LSD Axle etc, one of the things he said was wrong was the axle was slipping and juddering, obviously no Capri’s had this type of Differential so it seemed obvious to me that somebody had mistaken it for a standard one and replaced the oil with a normal oil instead of Lim-Slip, anyway I then began to collect all the original articles on the car from Magazines etc, I even found the original Sales Brochure for it, I still have the car to this Day and its registration is >>>>> >>
COO 260T maybe you have read about it, obviously someone had thought it may run better with a Holley and so took the Weber’s off and replaced it with a Holley, this is where I began tracing a set of Weber’s and therefore began my Fascination for them, hence so many of them
So hoping I haven’t driven you to sleep and you are still reading this
and back to your question, no I don’t race them I just love restoration of things and although the body/shell of the car was and still is in beautiful condition and did not require restoration it was re-painted after it left the Ford Press Fleet Department in ford RS colours and was then used by a Racing School as a Pace Car, the owner at this time of its life was a Chap called "Mike Wilds" who then went on to become a formula 1 racing car driver, I have made contact with him in the past and he sent me letter saying it was one of his favourite cars, I have added his letter below
I didnt want to take away any of its history, and although I wanted to re-paint it back to the Stratos Silver I couldnt take away its History, the pics below are during those Pace Car times
I also have another 3 litre Capri with a Manual Gearbox and Triple Weber’s with full race heads and Cam, it only delivers around 220bhp but isn’t a lot in today’s standards and it is hard work on the road but again a very lovely example that I have had for the past 15years, also pictured below Caprimaniac.
Here is the 3 litre capri I own and have for the past 15yrs (not COO260T)
Here below are some Press shots of COO260T >>>
This is a Press shot beside a Capri at the Race Track, and was driven by "Gordon Spice" it was chosen as Gordon spice the same "Extravagent" Triple Weber Set up", that was the quote in the Book underneath the Picture Caprimaniac
This is the original sales brochure, it wouldhave been on a stand beside the car in the showroom but you will notice the number plate has been blanked out, but note it is the same shot as above and on the book cover below
Here below are more press shots taken by fFord in 1979 on its 1st release and to try to Promoyte the Series "X" extra's, bearing in mind that if you bought a production model 3 litre "S" capri in 1979 it would have cost you around £5400gbp, but if you ordered a Series "X" it would have been £9600 nearly twice the price
alot of the articles in all the magazines really asked was it worth the extra
This picture you will notice the Chap driving is From the Ford Press fleet for the Photo shoot >>
This below isnt a press shot, but it was a picture I got from someone along the way who taken a shot of it outside a company, note the Old Mk1 Cortina and how the Series "X" made the Cortina looked so dated at this time.
This shot below is the letter I recieved from the racing Car Driver I spoke of Mr Mike Wilds who owned the car and used it as a Pace Car and hence the Ford Racing R.S colours,
I do have more Pic's of press shots Caprimaniac but I thought I may have posted enough
So there we have it chaps, I am more of a resto/collector Freak than a racer sport
Harry >> If you are reading this thank you
SO much as always for your last email and I will answer to thank you again for your help, all has been digested and Logged onto a Collated list for my project, thank you also for the "Fuel Log" Link, I will make mine out of Shiny (difficult to work with but will stay shiney for ever
) Stainless Steel
Thank you again for reading all
Grant
Good catch, Powertrip! I am sure Grant will appreciate this info and take whatever remedial action is required.
Just stop by now and again, Adam. Look forward to hearing from you. My E-mail is still the same.
