Ford Capri MkIII 5.0 V8

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Ford’s original advertising slogan for the Capri was “The car you always promised yourself”. This car is the Capri you always promised yourself. All five litres of it.

A464 KWT started life in 1983 as just another Capri, - a car with a cult following and starring role in ‘The Professionals’ and – according to the Home Office – one of the most stolen cars in Britain.

Our vendor bought this MkIII back in 1997, with much of the custom body- and trim-work already carried out, and used it moderately over the next few years. A minor accident in 2005 saw it being taken off the road and transformed into the beast you see before you today. The car was officially listed as a Category C write-off, but has been re-built to be better, stronger, faster and has been signed-off by the DVSA.

Inspired, no doubt, by the South African Capri Perana, our vendor installed a reconditioned 302 small block Ford V8 (ex-Mustang, no less) and a Borg Warner T5 manual gearbox with short-throw shifter (that’s a gear lever to you). The engine was treated to a Weiand Action Plus inlet manifold, Holley 600cfm carburettor, and electronic ignition. A custom-fabricated alloy radiator (at a cost of £500) enables the engine to maintain its cool.

A stack of invoices show the extent of the mechanical upgrades and alterations that went into the car but not the effort that went into making the car what it is today. The work was carried out over a lengthy period and the car hit the road again in 2013. Since that time it has covered a little over 2,500 miles and still looks as sharp as it did when first built. It has an MOT to September 2019 with no advisories.

Not a car for the shrinking violet, perhaps, but unmistakable in the supermarket car park, and something else on the open road. And a snip at the estimate quoted.