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[YZ250]

This thread got me googling my old Ford reg numbers. My beloved black 1979 MK3 Ford Capri 3.0S was still being taxed until August 2003.  .........

Also on my list was/is a 1972 MK1 3000E finished in yellow and complete with a BVR.   

The father of one of my ex girlfriends owned a white MK1 Capri 3000E with BVR. Due to the distinctive exhaust tone I could always tell when he was travelling back from the local pub at night, which gave me just enough time to stop doing to his daughter anything that may have offended him. 

[TheBoy]

which gave me just enough time to stop doing to his daughter anything that may have offended him. 

Is drinking tea offensive?

[YZ250]

which gave me just enough time to stop doing to his daughter anything that may have offended him. 

Is drinking tea offensive?

It is if you happen to be drinking it from his daughters furry cup. 

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

which gave me just enough time to stop doing to his daughter anything that may have offended him. 

Is drinking tea offensive?

It is if you happen to be drinking it from his daughters furry cup. 

Far less likely in 2021.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Anyway.....back to the MK1 Capri 3000.

Which extra bits of kit were added for GT......GTX.....GTXL......and GTXLR. I'm not sure if even Ford know.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Extra dash gauges for a start. I had a MK1 1600 GT XLR which had lots of gauges and plastic wood dash. Seats were black and shiny and could have been leather, but I wasnt interested enough to find out.
I found it a very unimpressive car in every respect, as I did the 3.0 V6 I had a drive in. The 3.0 had a lot less grunt than I thought it would have, and of course the handling on any Capri was shit.
As for the TR6 of your dreams. I have driven a standard road version and a highly tuned race version and wouldnt give more than a fiver for either of them.

[Kevin Wood]

Extra dash gauges for a start. I had a MK1 1600 GT XLR which had lots of gauges and plastic wood dash. Seats were black and shiny and could have been leather, but I wasnt interested enough to find out.
I found it a very unimpressive car in every respect, as I did the 3.0 V6 I had a drive in. The 3.0 had a lot less grunt than I thought it would have, and of course the handling on any Capri was shit.
As for the TR6 of your dreams. I have driven a standard road version and a highly tuned race version and wouldn't give more than a fiver for either of them.

One of my school mates managed to drive her Capri Mk 1 backwards through a lamp post on the most gentle of bends you could imagine. She replaced it with a Volvo 343.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Extra dash gauges for a start. I had a MK1 1600 GT XLR which had lots of gauges and plastic wood dash. Seats were black and shiny and could have been leather, but I wasnt interested enough to find out.
I found it a very unimpressive car in every respect, as I did the 3.0 V6 I had a drive in. The 3.0 had a lot less grunt than I thought it would have, and of course the handling on any Capri was shit.
As for the TR6 of your dreams. I have driven a standard road version and a highly tuned race version and wouldnt give more than a fiver for either of them.

In some ways it is probably best to leave our dream cars of the past as just that. It is almost inevitable they will be shit slow have brakes that don't work and handle like a dog on polished lino.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Extra dash gauges for a start. I had a MK1 1600 GT XLR which had lots of gauges and plastic wood dash. Seats were black and shiny and could have been leather, but I wasnt interested enough to find out.
I found it a very unimpressive car in every respect, as I did the 3.0 V6 I had a drive in. The 3.0 had a lot less grunt than I thought it would have, and of course the handling on any Capri was shit.
As for the TR6 of your dreams. I have driven a standard road version and a highly tuned race version and wouldn't give more than a fiver for either of them.

One of my school mates managed to drive her Capri Mk 1 backwards through a lamp post on the most gentle of bends you could imagine. She replaced it with a Volvo 343.

The only Capri I owned was a 1.6XL of 1973/74 vintage. I paid £200 for it in about 1988.

It drove like a lorry and would just about pull an indicated 100MPH.

[ronnyd]

Extra dash gauges for a start. I had a MK1 1600 GT XLR which had lots of gauges and plastic wood dash. Seats were black and shiny and could have been leather, but I wasnt interested enough to find out.
I found it a very unimpressive car in every respect, as I did the 3.0 V6 I had a drive in. The 3.0 had a lot less grunt than I thought it would have, and of course the handling on any Capri was shit.
As for the TR6 of your dreams. I have driven a standard road version and a highly tuned race version and wouldnt give more than a fiver for either of them.

In some ways it is probably best to leave our dream cars of the past as just that. It is almost inevitable they will be shit slow have brakes that don't work and handle like a dog on polished lino.

Reminds me of my daughters little dog when the door bell goes. She has a wooden floor in the hallway (daughter, not dog) and the poor little bugger nearly always smacks into the front door. 

[Nick W]

One of my school mates managed to drive her Capri Mk 1 backwards through a lamp post on the most gentle of bends you could imagine.

The modern equivalent of that is rearranging the back end of a 3-series BMW. Using a lamp post.

[Raeturbo]

The Tickford Capri was the only version that interested me, although I couldn’t afford a gambo at the time😂😂😂😂

[YZ250]

One of my school mates managed to drive her Capri Mk 1 backwards through a lamp post on the most gentle of bends you could imagine.

The modern equivalent of that is rearranging the back end of a 3-series BMW. Using a lamp post.

I know what you mean but I found my Capri very predictable once you were familiar with it. People used to say about loading the boot for better handling but part of the fun was knowing when the rear was going to break loose, to the point of inducing deliberate power slides mid bend. (I was young and invincible at the time).
Turn the nanny toys off on my 430 BMW and with a bit too much enthusiasm it will snap out of line and things can go wrong very very quickly. 

[Rangie]

With me it would be only one car that I'd kill for ,AC Cobra had pictures of them when I was a teenager & was fortunate to have a neighbour who had a spray shop who brought one home one weekend that he was working on , the sound of raw power was fantastic.

[Nick W]

One of my school mates managed to drive her Capri Mk 1 backwards through a lamp post on the most gentle of bends you could imagine.

The modern equivalent of that is rearranging the back end of a 3-series BMW. Using a lamp post.

I know what you mean but I found my Capri very predictable once you were familiar with it. People used to say about loading the boot for better handling but part of the fun was knowing when the rear was going to break loose, to the point of inducing deliberate power slides mid bend. (I was young and invincible at the time).
Turn the nanny toys off on my 430 BMW and with a bit too much enthusiasm it will snap out of line and things can go wrong very very quickly.

As a serial Capri owner, I agree. They have a couple of characteristics that need to be accounted for: the front and rear roll at different rates, and the front structure is a bit floppy. What's needed is more rear roll stiffness(but not, under any circumstances more spring rate than  new, standard single-leaf springs), strut and chassis braces plus struts that don't bend in use(the real reason why the 2.8i Bilstein is preferable). Once you've done that, the need for getting the car settled into a bend early and not changing the steering is reduced. That's a good way to make safe, fast progress in anything.


They don't need a lot of tyre either; a four cylinder car has a lovely progressive feel on 185/70 13s, and will switch to a four wheel drift at 70mph on a big roundabout, for as many circuits as you like. Not that I've ever done that you understand