RS Fords are heading to the stratosphere, you only need to look at the RS Escorts & Sierras to know this. However one RS Ford that isn’t so well known in the UK is the Ford Capri RS2600. This is because it was never actually made for the UK market, instead Ford released the RS3100 for the UK. The RS2600 however is a very special car. The car is a “homologation special” designed and released by Ford for the sole purpose of allowing them to take the Capri racing in the European Touring Car Championship! Ford’s “Advanced Vehicle Operations” team did some serious modifications to turn this into a car some would argue is the ultimate Capri!
Features unique to the RS2600 Capri include:
– High compression 2.6 litre mechanically fuel injected V6 engine
– Re-drilled cross-member to provide positive camber
– Strengthened front struts
– Vented disc brakes
– Unique “scheel racing” interior
– Springalex deep dish steering wheel
– Flared front arches to allow for wider wheels
– Lowered and improved suspension
Wow, what a rare beast this is. Ben bought it last year and had it imported from Switzerland. The car has spent most of it’s life in the South of France so the bodywork is incredible. Ben is now in the process of performing a complete “nut and bolt” restoration on the car to bring it back to it’s original state!
Ford Capri RS2600
Highlights
- This is a VERY rare car and it's actually one of the first Fords to wear an RS badge
- They only made these in Europe, they never came to the UK so they're hard to find
- The Capri RS2600's are pretty special – they've got a fuel injected V6 engine, different suspension set up, and are lighter than the standard cars
- Ford built these cars for homologation purposes, so they could take the Capri racing in the European Touring Car Championship
- The car was white and blue when Ben bought it, but the original colour scheme is actually "Le Mans Green & Black"
- Ben's plan is to strip the whole car down and rebuild it back to 100% original
Interview with the owner
- When did you first purchase the car?September 2020! Lockdown boredom I guess! I imported the car from Switzerland. It spent most of it's life in the South of France.
- What made you buy this make and model in particular?I've been a Capri nut my whole adult life. I already own two Capris but my dream Capri was always an early "pre facelift" RS2600. This is a super rare car and it's actually one of the first Fords to wear an RS badge. They only made these in Europe, they never came to the UK so they're hard to find. The RS2600 cars are pretty special though, they've got a fuel injected engine, different suspension set up, lighter than the standard cars and other bits.
- What are your plans for the car, and what have you done so far?So the plan is a full restoration right back to original. The car was white and blue when I bought it, but the original colour scheme is actually "Le Mans Green & Black" which will look incredible. So the plan is to strip the whole car down and rebuild back 100% original. Currently the car has been stripped down and the body has been sandblasted. It's pretty solid as has spent most of it's life in the South of France, but there is some rust that needs sorting. The engine has also been sent off to a specialist engine builder to be rebuilt. Lot's of work to do, I'd say we're 15% done so far!
- Will the car be / has the car been modified in any way?No this one has to stay original, they are just too rare.
- Is the car a "keeper" or will you sell it one day?I say I'll sell it one day, but let's see how I feel once it's built!
- Do you own any other interesting cars?Yes I also own a MK1 Ford Capri 3.0 GT, and a MK3 Capri (which is my daily driver)!
- Ok final question – ignoring cost, and assuming you couldn’t go and sell it for profit… what’s your dream car and why?To be honest, my dream car is this… an early Ford Capri MK1 RS2600!
