1979 Ford Capri 3.0S

‘YEB 384T’ is a Ford Capri 3.0S with a twist – and that twist is its mileage and condition because it still shows just over 26,000 miles on its odometer, a reading the seller is 99.9% confident is accurate.

And it stacks up because its history includes a decent spell in Malaga, returning here in around 2014. The seller bought it shortly afterwards as an investment for his pension fund, and it’s been in curated storage ever since.

It’s only been wheeled out for the odd run and to be MoT’d and that gentle use has seen fewer than a thousand miles added to the total in the past decade, making this one for the discerning enthusiast who’s looking for the most original Capri 3.0S they can.
 

With the usual caveat that black is a notoriously unforgiving colour, the fact this one seems to have had something of a charmed life means it presents well.

With good shutlines and decent panel alignment, the black paintwork looks good; it’s clearly been refreshed in places but then that’s par for the course with any car that’s sneaking up to its half-century. (Don’t you feel old now?)

But the seller’s confident it hasn’t been restored or fully resprayed, which is a bonus, and its finish has a very good shine to it. There are some ‘love marks’ here and there from polishing, but a professional should be able to machine-polish these out without too much trouble.

The decals, including the ones that run along the (ripple-free) flanks, are in great shape and add period charm.

The good news continues as the painted metal bumpers still run straight and  they too seem to have survived the decades unmarred. There’s no evidence of parking-by-feel to their plastic corners or overriders, either.

Speaking of which, the 5½J13 alloy wheels are in fine fettle being free of  scuffs, scrapes and other parking damage. They’re retained with a locking wheel nut on each rim too, and all four are shod with Falken Sincera SN828 tyres. As you’d expect given the miles they’ve covered, all have very good tread on them still but they were all made back in 2015.

The black Webasto-style roof floods the cabin with light when it’s open, and seals nice and tight to keep the elements out when the sun disappears. It slides fore and aft as it should, and we can’t see any wear ‘n’ tear to the fabric either. A smoked Perspex wind deflector also pops up when the roof is open.

The lamp lenses are in great shape too, with the four headlamps all being matching Hella items.

As for work you might like to do, the nearside door mirror has a light scuff, the boot spoiler has aged and gone hard, the driver’s door handle is scratched, there’s a small dink in the passenger door and the offside front wing, plus microblisters on the roof above the offside C-pillar.

More seriously, rust has started to bubble up at the base of the windscreen.
 

Ford fitted ‘fishnet’ Recaros because their mesh headrests gave extra visibility when reversing – the fact they look so good must have been just a lucky bonus, eh?

And these do look very good indeed with firm bolsters and an attractive two-tone fabric to their facings that is wonderfully of-the-moment and in a very good condition.

The rear seats are even better with plump stuffing and good fabric, both the tartan in the middle and the plain black on the outer edges. However, the vinyl on the top of the rear seats does have a couple of medium-sized rips in it and the driver’s seat has a small hole in the tartan fabric on its bottom cushion. We suspect both could be almost invisibly repaired by a good car trimmer.

The black vinyl door cards are very good with virtually no wear to them. They’re fitted with solid door furniture, too.

The dashboard is also good with no extraneous holes or switches, and bright white lettering to the factory controls.

More authenticity comes via the twin-spindle radio; we love seeing period audio equipment in classic cars and what you might lose in hi-fidelity sound you more than make up for in style.

The steering wheel is largely unmarked too, and is as attractive to look at as it is to hold. The condition of the pedal rubbers, handbrake and gearlever gaiters, and carpets are also good.

The boot is carpeted and plays host to a full-size spare alloy wheel and Goodyear tyre, and jack. The parcelshelf above it is both straight and free of cracks and speaker holes, but then it was sourced from the Capri Club in 2015, so won’t have seen any use since then.

As for flaws, the dashboard is cracked along its top, the headlining on the sliding roof has come loose, and the trim around the driver’s door handle is broken.
 

With 136bhp and 173lb.ft of torque from the Cologne V6, it’ll reach 60mph in under eight seconds before going on to cover ground at almost two miles every minute.

It’s a nice engine too, as you can see (and hear) in the video.

It starts well and if the rev counter takes a few moments to catch up then it gets there in the end. The engine also revs freely, and the twin-pipe system gives the Capri a suitably sporty exhaust note.

The engine bay has been brightened with a bright red lid for the air filter housing along with matching rocker covers.

The front panel is in a good condition being free of rust and creases or other damage, and the offside inner wing still has what looks like the original decal and the chassis number stamped into it, so the Capri is unlikely to have any horror stories in its past.

The brass top of the radiator has developed an attractive patina, the battery looks recent, and the overall impression of an engine that’s been cared for.

However, while the inner wings do show light surface rust, it looks like it’s still more of a cosmetic issue than a structural one and its presence – again – goes to the car’s originality because disguising it temporarily would have been easy…

As for the underside, this shows a good combination of paint and underseal, and the only visible corrosion is to the usual items like the suspension components and fasteners. Certainly, looking back at the online MoT history which starts in 2015, we can’t see any evidence of structural rust having been identified.

The exhaust systems look recent with a good paint finish and new mounting rubbers.

Asa for problems, the rear differential is leaking, so that’ll need investigation, as will the two front wheel bearings, all of which the last MoT identified as advisories.

Also, the offside rear spring seems to have settled more than the nearside, and cable ties have been used on the inner ends of the steering rack gaiters, which is an inelegant way of doing things.

Finally, while the exhaust system hangs nice and level, some of the joints are a bit messy and one of the mounting bolts is waaaaay longer than it needs to be.
 

First registered in March 1979, the Capri has had just five previous registered keepers. It appears to have spent some of those years near Malaga in Spain as there’s an export certificate on file dated 1st of September 2012, with receipts for work in Malaga too.

The Capri’s MoT certificate is valid until June 2026, the recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and the history file includes some old MoT certificates that would seem to support the car’s odometer reading.

The file also contains a few older invoices for parts and maintenance, and a workshop manual.

If you’ve always promised yourself a Capri, you probably fall into one of two camps: you either want a late 2.8-litre injected car or an early 3.0-litre.

We can’t help with the former, but this is a cracking example of the latter. With a time warp interior, a fresh MoT, and said to be running well, we estimate it’s going to fetch somewhere between £17,000 and £20,000.

That doesn’t feel like much to make your dream of joining The Professionals, does it?

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.