CC Racing Developments Group 1 Ford Capri Mk III's

[Nick Ellis]

Hi folks,while we are on the subject of Australian Capris i have found some footage
on YouTube of possibly some of the cars CapriCarl mentions in his posts.
Sorry i can`t do the links bit yet,but try ATCC 1985 Sandown for starters,there is also a short feature on Steve Masterton with his Mk2 at Bathurst around 1979.
Some of these cars could have CC links.

[Finbin]

Hi
Here is another old picture I found.
I don't know if is was a CC Racing car or not?
I wrote the details on the back of it, so I know the drivers, year, location and where it finished.
Who can get everything right in the quickest time?

The second one I don't know anything about it except it was taken at pre-season test day on the Brands Hatch Gran Prix circuit.

[davyboy]

Just off the top of my head it would be Stuart Graham in the Faberge Capri from 1978. I'm guessing that's Silverstone. Anything more and I'll have to check my programmes and Autosports.

[Finbin]

Originally Posted by davyboy

Just off the top of my head it would be Stuart Graham in the Faberge Capri from 1978. I'm guessing that's Silverstone. Anything more and I'll have to check my programmes and Autosports.

Morning


you have two correct.

[davyboy]

Thruxton then.

[chunterer]

The driver and car part of the question is simple enough: Graham, Faberge Capri.

The year, venue and results bit is quite tough!

I'm going for Trans Europe G1 race, September 1978, Silverstone TT meeting. I think he finished 3rd?

Absolutely no idea!!!!

The Mk1 Capri picture could be the ex Toleman special saloon?

[Finbin]

Yes it was Stuart Graham, Faberge Capri (still not sure if it was a CC car?).

It was at Silverstone in the TT, but not 78,they didn't finish 3rd.

The second driver went on to driver in one F1 world championship race.

[Nick Ellis]

The year was 1979,drivers were Stuart Graham/Tiff Needell(on loan from the Eden-
Durex F1 Chevron B41 team which he drove that year in Aurora AFX rounds).
Am fairly sure that the Graham Faberge Capris were built by Ted Graces team.
The car finished fourth overall and won the big engined GP1 class at the TT.

[Finbin]

I have Stuart Graham, Tiff Needell, 1979 and finished 4th written on the back of the photo.
I remember it being the TT at Silverstone.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Nick Ellis

The year was 1979,drivers were Stuart Graham/Tiff Needell(on loan from the Eden-
Durex F1 Chevron B41 team which he drove that year in Aurora AFX rounds).
Am fairly sure that the Graham Faberge Capris were built by Ted Graces team.
The car finished fourth overall and won the big engined GP1 class at the TT.

Ted Grace built his cars? wow that's an interesting snippet. Thanks Nick, brilliant!

I always associated Grace with BMW's, but he also had quite a partnership with Yogi Muir IIRC? Was Brian's Mk2/3 Capri a Ted Grace built car, and then run by Martin Thomas before they started with the Rovers perhaps?

[Nick Ellis]

Hi Chunterer,yes i ws told that little snippet at a Top Hat meeting three or four
years ago.The chap i was talking to had with him a Graham/Faberge Capri which
from the (original signwritten) livery dated it around 1978.This car was a former
Ford press/promotional tool.Stuart Graham had strong Ford connections at that
time,anyhow the owner who was now using it as a race car which it originally
wasnt,used to work for Ted Graces team spannering on the Graham Capris and
i believe the Camaros previously.The Capri is still occaisionally raced by Richard
Austin in Top Hat/CTCRC in Gp1 spec.The chap i was talking to was Alan Daffin.
I have raced against Daffins Mk1 myself although both his cars were somewhat
more developed than mine!

[terence]

Hi everyone,been taking a bit of interest in this thread,not had an awful lot to say about Capri's because of my lack of knowledge on them. However,they a huge fun to race! I am currently looking at buying one of the CC Racing versions,Chassis No CF001. Apparently this car was built for Gordon Spice as a road/tow car and indeed was used by him for this purpose I am told that the car is currently on 15in wheels,is this correct for the period? Any other info anyone can show me on this car would be very much appreciated , thanks in advance.

[terence]

Originally Posted by terence bower

Hi everyone,been taking a bit of interest in this thread,not had an awful lot to say about Capri's because of my lack of knowledge on them. However,they a huge fun to race! I am currently looking at buying one of the CC Racing versions,Chassis No CF001. Apparently this car was built for Gordon Spice as a road/tow car and indeed was used by him for this purpose I am told that the car is currently on 15in wheels,is this correct for the period? Any other info anyone can show me on this car would be very much appreciated , thanks in advance.

Is the X Pack body kit homologated?,the car has the original Tickford build sheets etc. Dont really want to turn it into a racer if it means ripping the body apart. BTW,it handles fantasticly,even on cheapo tyres!

[Peter Mallett]

Terry,

The X Pack body kit was homologated for Group 2 in 1978 (ish). Prior to that the wheel arch extensions were more restricted. See the pics of Tom Pochciol's ex Holman Blackburn car in the Donington Festival thread.

Mechanically they also homologated triple carbs.

[terence]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Terry,

The X Pack body kit was homologated for Group 2 in 1978 (ish). Prior to that the wheel arch extensions were more restricted. See the pics of Tom Pochciol's ex Holman Blackburn car in the Donington Festival thread.

Mechanically they also homologated triple carbs.

Thanks for that Peter,I assume that the 15 inch wheels need to go as well?
Good to hear about the tripple carb set up,a friend has a set in his garage!

[chunterer]

Talking of the Pochciol's, I noticed that the other car they entered at Donington was an Equipe Esso Woodman esq version.

Wondering if this might be the car Jim McLoughlin was racing in CSCC or a different car altogether?

[Peter Mallett]

Surely that was the Daffin Group 1 car.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Surely that was the Daffin Group 1 car.

Ok, thanks Peter, I thought Alan Daffin's was the blue Mk1, i'm not all that knowledgeable on who's who in classic racing Capri's these days!!

I knew there was an Esso copy in CSCC and there's the guy who's got the pukka ex CC car, but I knew it couldn't have been the latter, it wasn't quick enough.

[KA]

Originally Posted by Anuauto

In the first part of 1984 Roger Hancock bought a (former Group 1.5?) Capri from Andy Rouse with the intention of rallying it. Not sure whether it came with 3.0 engine but he then put a 2.8i in it for GpA. It was white IIRC and came on Minilites. I only ever saw it once and I don't think he kept it long as with a 2.8i it proved difficult to get much extra power over standard.

Originally Posted by chunterer

Further to that, Annauto posted some time ago that a friend of his (Jeremy Easson was it?) bought a plain white 3.0 in early 1984 from Rouse and took it rallying , wonder if it was this car?

Did we ever clear up the question of the ex-Rouse car sold on for rallying? Annauto mentioned Roger Hancock buying the car, and fitting a 2.8, but his post implies that Hancock may have moved it on fairly quickly- but where?

We speculated about Jeremy Easson, who was certainly rallying a Grp A Capri in 1985/6, but I've recently spotted something else interesting in an old Autosport.
In a December 1985 issue (don't have it to hand and can't recall the exact date) there's a season review article for that year's National Rally Championship, which refers to Nigel Worswick running a Group A Capri- the article specifically describing the car as an 'ex-racing' 3-litre.

There's a pic showing a light-coloured car, with a distinctive personal registration plate 'NAW7'.

I don't know how widely it was rallied- the article says there was a DNF on the first round of the series, the Gwynedd (IIRC a broken flywheel), and it wasn't seen again until mid-season, when it returned, scoring a Group A win on at least one event.

Any chance this could be the ex-Rouse car? Group A Capris weren't all that common on the British rally scene in the 80's

[Nick Ellis]

The Worswick Capri was certainly an ex-BTCC circuit racer.The car was the Mike
Newman GpA car he used in BTCC/ETC in 1983-84.I think he may have sold it either
to Worswick directly or it is possible Tony Sugden aquired the car from Newman,
then it was sold to worswick who did use it for rallying in the British Rally championship around `85/86.The car was originally an Equipe Esso car from
Vince Woodmans team.This could be the 1982 Woodman/Buncombe Silverstone TT
machine which ran as an intrim Gp1-GpA specification,having the suspension,brakes,(rear discs for GpA) and engine mods to suit.Remember Newman did used to enter the car in not only the TT,but also the Donington 500.If it was the Woodman `82
TT car it may already have had the long range fuel tank which made it usable in
the longer ETC races.

[ORP]

[QUOTE=Nick Ellis;2881729]The Worswick Capri was certainly an ex-BTCC circuit racer.The car was the Mike
Newman GpA car he used in BTCC/ETC in 1983-84.I think he may have sold it either
to Worswick directly or it is possible Tony Sugden aquired the car from Newman,


That is interesting, I am wondering if the car is still around?

Chunterer -- Did you get a pic of the 'Esso Equipe Woodman esq' capri you mentioned?

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by ORP

That is interesting, I am wondering if the car is still around?

Chunterer -- Did you get a pic of the 'Esso Equipe Woodman esq' capri you mentioned?

Hi ORP, good to have you back

Yes I took a few shots of some of the cars in the Paddock, you haven't sold your car have you?!!!!!!!

I'll see if I can upload it.

[Nick Ellis]

As Mike Newman is well known to still own his BTCC RS500 and the Vauxhall special
saloon he campaigned in northern events,it is also clear from articles he regreted
parting with the Capri.Unfortunately i am sure this CC built car was lost,IIRC it
was destroyed on the rally special stages at some point around 1986.

[ORP]

Thanks for the information Nick, that is very helpful. Seems a crying shame - knowing the work that went into the last of the 'CC' built cars that it was possibly used as a rally car and subsequently destroyed.

[ORP]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Hi ORP, good to have you back

Yes I took a few shots of some of the cars in the Paddock, you haven't sold your car have you?!!!!!!!


I'll see if I can upload it.

Hi Chunterer, No it was still there the last time I looked!!