Writing this at at Reading Services, just headed out of London on the A40, M40, M25, M4 in the 123d. Was followed by a guy in a smallish Renault van who whenever I indicated to change lanes flashed me as if to indicate that all was clear, this must have happened 20 odd times, he clearly meant well ...
... and before any one says it is not a matter of BMW drivers not indicating!
|
He meant well, as you say.
But the phrase: 'You drive yours and I'll drive mine' springs to mind.
|
I had something similar not far from there a few years ago. I was returning from a drop-off at Heathrow in my 406 estate, and whilst in lane 2 of the motorway I came up behind a police Transit van that was gaining on an HGV in lane 1. I flashed my headlights just at the point that the van driver would have been checking his mirrors to plan an overtake, and slowed slightly to allow it to pull out ahead of me. We both overtook the HGV, the van then moved over and I accelerated slightly to overtake the van.
At which point he put all his blue lights on and pulled me over onto the hard shoulder for a rollicking about my aggressive driving!?! Saying how if he hadn't got a prisoner in the back he'd have arrested me and made sure I wouldn't be driving for a living again!
I don't let police vans out on the motorway any more.
Last edited by: Dave_TDCi on Wed 25 May 11 at 15:52
|
Most times when I am undertaking a long journey from here to down south, using M74 and M6, I always seem to end up with a couple of "buddies" who basically stick at same speed, read each others overtaking maneouvres, flash lights etc.
It almost makes the journey bearable. But not quite.
|
Years and years ago in the late 70s, I was driving back from Exeter on the A303, late late late at night, and myself and another guy happened to be the only two on the road. We kind of shared running shotgun every 7 or 8 miles or so, and managed the 100+ plus miles at a very illegal average.
Tho it has to be said, I bettered the average a year or so later, one very very early bright sunday morning, where I managed the A303 journey to exeter at as near a 100mph average as makes no difference.
I can still see the coppers awe struck face as the the RS3100 capri flashed past his blue and white austin 1300 panda car parked in the layby.
|
|
Bet you wish you had that Capri now? I still yearn after my old 2.8i - Cologne built with the 4 speed 'box. Lovely. Perhaps we should start a Capri thread. That should get some opinions in!
|
|
I had a shed load of them over the years, (capris that is, not RS3100's!) it was my first car and my first love. Mk1 (facelift) was my fav. Never had a late 2.8i tho.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 25 May 11 at 17:26
|
|
Or is that a load of sheds? Rose tinted specs for both of us I reckon...
|
|
I prefer to think of it as cars with character. The big engine capris could drift, understeer or oversteer depending on the tides of the moon or if there was an r in the month.
|
>> Or is that a load of sheds? Rose tinted specs for both of us I
>> reckon...
Are they really sheds? There's not much to them for there to be much to dislike. I'd love to own one at some point.
I think getting panels can be hard - the front wings rust badly and there's only rough fitting aftermarket panels available in poor steel made with inferior presses.
Depending on the model, they can look amazing. Thirsty but bearable i think? 22-24mpg?
Would definitely love one, do a bit of "resto-modding", keep it looking stock but with modern suspension, brakes and engine management.
|
|
Yep indeed. Used to very occasionally get to drive or borrow my boss's 3.0S Capri. Roman Bronze with gold swoosh down the side and gold painted wheels, Rostyles maybe? Beige velour buckets ( might have been Recaros ? ) Don't remember but do remember the car being a total hoot to drive.
|
I had a go in one of the ultra-rare Tickford Turbo Capris a few years ago.
Example pic: www.fordcapri.co.uk/mk3/specials/tickford.htm
Terrific on-boost performance but with turbo lag you could drive a bus through, turn it round and drive it back again; brakes off an 850 Mini; and a seating position so low it felt like the bonnet was 3 foot off the ground and you were just about peeking over the top of it.
I also drove a young lady friend's brother's W-reg beige 1.6L about 20 years ago. Come on, a Capri 1.6L, what was that all about?
Last edited by: Dave_TDCi on Wed 25 May 11 at 18:48
|
My first car was a Ford Capri, and I loved it! Naturally, it had the vinyl roof and "go faster" stripes.
The rest of my car-buying life has been to try to regain what the Capri represented to me, namely a great all-rounder with style, practicality, comfort and reasonable performance.
(Plus a bonus of fairly cheap running costs).
The current jalopy comes close. We'll see after a few years.
|
|
I had a Mk1 Facelift, Le Mans green with a black vinyl roof. Sold it when I got married because all I could afford to run the first couple of years was a Yamaha DT 175 (I had a crippling £12,000 mortgage), the young guy who bought it from me wrote it off within a month.
|
>> I also drove a young lady friend's brother's W-reg beige 1.6L about 20 years ago.
>> Come on, a Capri 1.6L, what was that all about?
>>
Don't forget, they did a 1.3 Capri as well - now that WAS pointless (and gutless)
I must admit, I grew up around Capri's, drove them all from 1.3 to 2.8i but never really rated them - my brother had a 1.6 and I could run rings round him in my 1.1 Fiesta.... I know I normally prefer RWD to FWD, but the Capri just couldn't corner like the Fiesta.
IMHO Ford missed a trick, they should have updated the Capri by building a Mk4 with Sierra running gear - The XR4 was just too bloated - A light shell with IRS and looking like an updated Capri, would have been a winner.
|
Err.
The Sierra was built with Capri running gear....as was the cortina, and the escort,
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 25 May 11 at 20:02
|
>> Err.
>>
>> The Sierra was built with Capri running gear....as was the cortina, and the escort,
>>
The Sierra had independent rear suspension, not the live axle of the others cars mentioned.
|
>> The Sierra had independent rear suspension, not the live axle of the others cars mentioned.
Yes. You could improve the crude live axle of the Capri with a Scorpion handling kit that was basically some bracing to stop sideways movement.
|
Axle tramp I think they used to call it. UV joints on the prop shafts used to wear on fast Fords. Brought a whole new meaning to "Clunk Click every trip".
I miss those simple chuckable cars. No power steering so you could "feel" the road. Hang the tail out when no-one was looking sort of thing. Happy days....
|
>> Err.
>>
>> The Sierra was built with Capri running gear....as was the cortina, and the escort,
>>
Sorry... that is total rubbish!
the Escort Mk1 and 2, Cortina Mk1 and 2, 105e Anglias, and all Capris shared similar running gear, ie McPherson struts, and live rear axles using leaf springs.
Cortina Mk3, 4 and 80 had wishbone front, and coil spung live rear axle.
Sierra used modified McPherson front, and coil sprung IRS (based on the Granada setup)
Engines and gearboxes, I'll agree where shared fairly through most models.....
|
>> Sorry... that is total rubbish!
>>
Zero wrong, there there is more chance of a Ford missbuild. :-)
|
How do you "modify" a mcpherson strut? make it not a macpherson strut.
All ford running gear was archaic,
|
>> How do you "modify" a mcpherson strut? make it not a macpherson strut.
>>
Original MacPherson struts were a one piece 'shell' with a built in stub axle, but normally replaceable damper inserts.
The 'modified' type used on Sierra's consisted of a strut with built in damper, that fitted into a separate hub carrier.
And yes, it should be spelt MacPherson... we all make mistakes ;-)
|
>>
>> And yes, it should be spelt MacPherson... we all make mistakes ;-)
>>
Wasn't it known as a Mac Fearsome Strut?
|
>> Don't forget, they did a 1.3 Capri as well - now that WAS pointless (and
>> gutless)
Easy to maintain though. You could stand in the engine bay next to the engine. Mind you, by todays standards, all Capris are easy to work on.
I loved the V6 Capris, the growl through the twin pipes and the mean looking front end. I always preferred them over the Manta. If Opel had put the Carlton 3L six into the Manta things might have been different. Some people did the conversion but there was no room for power steering, and thats a heavy lump.
Following Zero's heady trip down the A303, as a kid I saw a black Capri storm past on the M1 followed by a police car. We were doing around 70, so he/she must have been doing well over 100. I hardly had time to recognize the car. There was a lot less traffic on the roads in the 70's, and the cars's doing properly illegal speeds were easily noticed.
|
>I can still see the coppers awe struck face as the the RS3100 capri flashed past..
The V6 engines were a bit underpowered for the South African market so they had the option of a 5.0L V8 from the Mustang. It really transformed the handling :-0
www.capri-perana.co.za/
|
>> whenever I indicated to change lanes flashed me as if to indicate that all
>> was clear, this must have happened 20 odd times, he clearly meant well ...
Probably just french electrics - everytime he indicated to follow you his lights flashed :-)
|
I would love a late mk3 2.8 Injection, or better still a 280 'Brooklands'.
Anything semi modern would run rings around it, but I can honestly say I wouldn't care. Those old Cologne V6 engines sound lovely, and the shape seems to get better and better with age.
|
|
I had a 2.0 JPS Capri. Feature in recent Classic Car Restorer of the restoration of the same car. Brought a tear to my eye. Even managed to source some of the last of the gold seat material from Belgium I believe.
|
We had a number of late 2.8 injections on the road patrol fleet. I think they were w/x reg cars.
Well liked by the lads although I never drove one, having gone onto other things by then.
Lots of sadness when they went, although I've seen a preserved one in private ownership.
Ted
|
|
I remember Capri Police cars in Manchester when I came to Uni in 1989. And the old London style buses on the Piccadilly line (143?) and sadly missed.
|
All this talk of Capri's and V6 engines is making me love my little Mazda MX-3 1.8i V6 even more. It's hardly a modern day version of the Capri but with it's sweet, smooth and revvy V6, and low down and slung seating arrangement and the fact its just that little bit differant to what everyone else has got makes it a nice little car. Its not perfect by all means but I can live with the slightly cramped interior and low to mid 30's mpg and (just!) adequate performance.
It's worth it for the noise (not the best 6 pot noise, you need a aged straight 6 beemer for that!)
Last edited by: nice but dim on Thu 26 May 11 at 08:18
|
A severe case of thread drift ...
Though while we are on the subject, I too lusted after Capri's, a 3.0S being the one to have in '79, then a shortwhile later in my first job my boss had a 2.0S which he sent me off in all over the place.
Yes Sierras had much more advanced suspension hence an XR4 was dynamically a better car than any Capri though didnt look it.
|
>> Yes Sierras had much more advanced suspension hence an XR4 was dynamically a better car
>> than any Capri though didnt look it.
The Xr4, dynamically, wasnt very good.
|
>>
>> The Xr4, dynamically, wasnt very good.
>>
Dynamically it was step on from the Capri's live rear axle though the 4WD XR4x4 was better still and the Cossies better again.
|
|
We're all forgetting the relatively light weight that helps old cars compared to the modern. The 2.8 Capri was 150bhp standard and 160 in the brooklands (by the way I had a decently long drive in a brand new Brooklands back in '86-fab) These are relatively low outputs now but the Capri was still decently quick compared to todays cars. I'd still like one, but I suspect the reality is rather different from the expectation. As for all that chat about supsension I was in a, um, leading position on a drive home from work early one morning. It might have been a friend behind in a Peugeot 309 GTi (possibly!). I went rather keenly round a wet corner and simply ended up facing the wrong way. Quick 3 point turn with a flabbergasted Mother staring at me from her car, my friend shaking with mirth and off we went... my fault I know, but the Capri simply couldn't cut it compared to something with modern suspension.
|
>>The 2.8 Capri was 150bhp standard and 160 in the brooklands>>
3.0 Capris were 138bhp and all of the 2.8is were 160, the 2.8i in the Sierra was quoted as 150bhp due to the different exhaust.
|
|
The Brooklands 280 was 180. It had the turbo.
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 26 May 11 at 12:15
|
|
Zero! Piffle! There was definitely no turbo on the Brooklands. I'll have a cash wager with you! I also stand by the standard 2.8i at 150 and the Brooklands at 160.
|
|
Hmmm.. snacking on H. pie here. Looks like the 2.8 was 160 P.S. but NO TURBO on the Brooklands. Sorry Zeddo, couldn't find the italics button!!
|
I saw one with a Turbo badge on the bootlid - it was doing donuts in a supermarket car park.
|
There were many non standard non ford specials. Some even had a 5 litre engine.
Some on display at last years Capri Show at brooklands. The engine bay was HUGE you could have fitted the Queen Mary boilers in there if you wanted.
|
Capri 280
1987 Ford Capri Mk III 280
The last run limited edition "Brooklands" Green, 280 model, featuring a limited slip differential, full leather Recaro interior and 15 inch versions of the seven spoke 13 inch wheels fitted to the superseded Capri Injection Special. Ford originally intended to make 500 turbo charged vehicles (by Turbo Technics) complete with gold alloy wheels and name it the Capri 500 but a change of production planning meant a name change to Capri 280 as the cars were simply the last models that ran down the production line. A total of 1,038 Capri 280s were built.
Your getting your Brooklands and 280 brooklands mixed up.
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 26 May 11 at 12:31
|
The 2.8 Injection and Brooklands were mechanically identical, and both produced 160 PS.
The differences between the Brooklands version and the 2.8 Injection were cosmetic, the former gaining 15" alloy wheels, 'Brooklands Green' paint, and a full leather interior.
|
Almost too polite ... - Iffy
