I owned a black MK111 Ford Capri 3.0S for about five years. It was quick for those days and never let me down. Had to sell it when our kids were born as the boot was too small for a buggy. I bought a Rover SD1 V8 TP Vitesse to replace the Capri and they both hold a place in my heart, one for being a fast for it’s time two door coupe and the other for being a piece of shit. Boy did those SD1’s rust.
I personally see no point reviving old car brands. They’ve had their day, let them stay that way, in the past.
I have only owned one Capri. A 1600XL MK1 from 1973. It was slow and handled like a lorry but looked good in white with a BVR.
I knew a woman who owned a 2.8i with the 5 speed box. This was underwhelming.......probably due to the combination of 'long gears' and little low down stump pulling torque, unlike the old 3 litre V6 Essex lump.
The earlier 2.8i had a 4 speed box and ran similar times to the 4 speed 3.0S. The later 5 speed 2.8i was too low geared and easily outrun by its predecessor. Mind you, Turbo Technics played with plenty of 5 speed 2.8i’s and they went like a missile.
Those V6’s thrived on being driven hard. Being driven like Miss Daisy would bog them down and they’d run uninspiringly flat compared to a good one.
4 speed 2.8s had the same gearbox and diff as a 3.0l. They make a bit more power, and noticeably less torque so the similar performance was achieved by revving the 2.8 more than the wheezy 3.0l could manage. 5 speed 2.8s use the same axle, but the gearbox ratios are too tall which makes for a gutless feel and slower acceleration on real conditions.
There are two fixes for this: replace the 3.09 diff that all V6s had with the 3.44 from a 3.0l which was always quick, cheap and easy, or replace the engine with a 2.9 which was more work and cost. Fitting the 3.44 diff to a 3.0l makes for a car that runs slower 1/4 miles, isn't as nice to drive on the road as stock, and has even worse fuel economy. Milling out the carb mount on a 3.0l inlet manifold adds a useful 500rpm increase to the engine's natural rev limit, and is the real reason why the manifolds modified for a 390 Holley helped. You can also replace the 38DGAS with a 40DFI, which helps performance but drops the average economy well into single figures
Neither the 2.8 or 3.0l have much to recommend their usage anymore, when an average 2.0l makes more power for less weight with better economy and durability.