Ford’s class-defying coupe was memorably marketed with one of the automotive world’s greatest taglines – The car you always promised yourself.
Well this Ford Capri is certainly the car Ben always promised himself! Beautifully restored, tastefully modified (we love the ‘outlaw’ look), and with some trick upgrades underneath – we catch up with Ben to find out more about this iconic beast.
Ford Capri MK1 3.0 GT
A restored and modified 3.0 V6 Capri GT – affectionately known as "the beast"
Highlights
- The car was bought as a shell and box of bits!
- So Ben fully restored and rebuilt it from the ground up.
- This gave him a blank canvas to modify the car to his (and ours!) liking
- Sounds incredible, smells incredible and LOVES to go sideways.
- Ben bought the car 10 years ago – it took him around 3 years to rebuild.
- Currently running 168 bhp, and 172 lb-ft of torque
- Some great upgrades including LSD axle, and coilover suspension
Modifications
- 3.0 V6 Tuned Engine
- 5 Speed Gearbox conversion & Quick Shift Kit
- Coilover suspension and modern brakes
- Rear axle – Limited Slip Differential (LSD)
- Scheel Roll Top Interior
- RS Style Paintwork
- Body work de-bumpered and smoothed
- Deep Dish Minilite Wheels
- Performance Stainless Exhaust
Interview with the owner
- When did you first purchase the car?I bought the car around 10 years ago.
- What made you buy a Ford Capri?I love Ford Capris, and in particular the MK1. I think they're totally unique, stylish and in some ways "the European muscle car"
- What's it like to drive?It's a beast! It sounds incredible, it smells incredible and it LOVES to go sideways.
- Do you know what power it's running?Yes, it's currently running 168 bhp and 172 lb-ft of torque!
- Has it been restored or rebuilt?Yes, I bought it as a stripped out shell and a box of bits, so it's had a full restoration and lots of customisation along the way.
- Interesting – tell us more about that… So really I did everything to the car! It's had body work, a full respray, full engine rebuild, sourced a load of bits, axle converted to LSD (limited slip differential), I converted the gearbox to a 5-speed box and more! It took about 3 years to complete. I did most of the work apart from the re-spray and the engine building. Sourcing bits was a challenge!
- So it sounds like you've done a fair few mods to it? Yes, it's had modifications done to the Engine, Gearbox, Axle, Drivetrain, Brakes, Suspension, Bodywork, Paintwork, Wheels & Tyres and Interior!
- What did you do with the engine then? The Engine was actually changed to a 3.0 V6. It's had uprated cams, the bottom-end balanced, ported heads, and a performance exhaust.
- It sounds like you've made some big changes to the drivetrain too?Yes it's been converted to a 5-speed box with a quick-shift kit. It's also had a "limited slip differential" installed in the rear axle – so it likes to go sideways!
- And tell us a bit about the suspension and brakes…It's had adjustable coil-overs at the front. Single leaf springs with adjustable shocks at the back. Stiffened anti-roll bars! I've also converted it to having modern 4-pot brakes!
- The body work and paint have been customised too – what have you done there?It's been de-bumpered, had the bumper holes filled, and smoothed! It's also had the paint job that the old RS capri's used to have!
- What have you done with the interior?It's got the Scheel Roll Top interior (again from some of the old sporting Capris) and a Springalex steering wheel – an original one!
- Do you plan to do any further modifications to it?No more planned at the moment.
- Is the car a "keeper" or will you sell it one day?This one I'll take to my grave!
- Do you own any other interesting cars?Yes I also own a MK1 Capri RS2600 (which I'm currently restoring) and a MK3 Capri 2.0 Laser!
- Ok final question – ignoring cost, and assuming you couldn’t go and sell it for profit… what’s your dream car and why?My dream car has to be either a Ford Capri RS2600 (which I'm lucky enough to own) or a proper racing Ford Capri CologneMK1 RS3100.
What a beautiful machine!