The Ford Capri was a dominant force in saloon car racing during the early 70's, first with the group 2 RS2600 and then the RS3100 GAA.

By the late 70’s, their mk2 and mk3 variants took over - in group 1b guise - and driven by legends such as Gordon Spice, Stuart Graham or Vince Woodman. Easily adapted and set up for racing, it was a popular choice for the professional and club driver alike.

Naturally in such competitive national group 1b championships, there became certain ‘buzz' words that related to success. CC Racing run by Dave Cook and Peter Clark, Neil brown engines, Gordon Spice all became the names associated with all the necessary ingredients needed to win. Fortunately, the performance developments they originated are widely available today.

This particular 1978 Ford Capri 3.0S Mk III was built by Capri specialist David Margalies (Lavant Garage) in 2010 for David Weir who raced it for 2 seasons as part of a 2-car team effort on the local UK scene, backed by Texaco, Black & Decker and Gaz Shocks.

In 2013, it was acquired by Historic Racing Services and soon entered at Trophée des Fagnes in Spa-Francorchamps, with Pierre-Alain Thibaut and Raphaël de Borman sharing the wheel.

Trophée des Fagnes 2013, de Borman-Thibaut (12th and 11th overall - winner class 2). © unknown

The Capri was then upgraded with a partial respray of the bodywork, a new fuel ceiling for endurance supplied by Capri specialist Ric Wood (the exact copy of the CC ones), new front brakes (AP Racing group 2 or group 1b specs) and period correct group 1b specs drum brakes fitted at the rear.

The Spa 1980 famous Belga livery (Spice / Semoulin) was also applied ahead of the 72nd Members Meeting in Goodwood.

Spa 24 Hours 1980, Spice-Semoulin. © Manfred Giet

Later in 2016, the car was upgraded with a top-spec Ric Wood engine (with engine capacity certificate), new side exhaust and new front suspension to tackle the 74th Members Meeting in Goodwood with ex-F1 driver Gerhard Berger stepping in as Raphaël de Borman team-mate.

In 2019/2020, a new rear diff was fitted and Ric Wood did a rebuild of the 2 engines (race and spare) and was commissioned to make the car fully eligible to FIA papers for group 1b.