1972 Ford CAPRI 1600GT

It might be best to tell you what this vehicle doesn’t have. It doesn’t have terminal rot. It doesn’t have mechanical horror stories lurking underneath. It doesn’t have a dodgy past. It doesn’t show any signs of ever being unloved or denied the maintenance and care it deserved. All of which is good news, we think, particularly when you consider that this unrestored original car first took to the road in 1972, when T-Rex and Donny Osmond were in the ‘hit parade’ and The Godfather and Carry On Matron were in the cinema.

Yes, it’s got scuffs and blisters, a few bits of bubbling, the odd tear and blemish, but that’s entirely to be expected, some would say welcomed, in a vehicle that’s had virtually no plastic surgery or Botox in the course of its long lifetime. What you get really is what you see. And vice versa.

From new, this car has had just two owners: the current vendor and his father, who bought the car in 1972 and last drove it in 2012. The vendor told us that his father, who ironically worked for Leyland, bought many cars over the years and treated them all with the care and reverence shown towards this one. But he chose to keep the Capri because it was his toy and something he could call his own. The vendor says he has no memory of it ever being driven above 50mph and that the fastest it’s ever been was probably the 65mph he clocked driving it down to us!

This is a car that spent its time in a dry garage. It would pop out maybe once or twice a week, perhaps to go to the shops, maybe to pick someone up from the train station. Then it would be scrubbed clean, polished and put back in the garage.

It had covers for the mats and covers for the seats, although the original owner didn’t go quite as far as retaining the original plastic seat wrap. Well, there are limits.

It is true to its era, to the model, to its history, and to the amount of fastidious care and attention dedicated to it by owners who have kept it safe from the weather, recorded everything ever done to it and faithfully curated all the handbooks, manuals, guides, spare parts and bits of paper it came with.

The vendor has just spent £3.5k recommissioning the car (it cost £1.5k to buy in 1972) with a firm that’s perhaps more used to working with premium, fast, modern German machines. They said that working on this Capri was pretty much a labour of love and spent six months doing it. It’s now ready for the next phase of its life under a new owner. Who could, of course, be you.

A Ford buff would know immediately that the colour of this car is Sebring Red. To everyone else, it’s orange.

Our feeling is that most of the paintwork is probably original, and this is supported by the marks and stone chips which look like the result of nearly 50 years of wear and tear. Certainly, the vendor has no recollection of his father doing anything much to the paint other than avidly cleaning and polishing it.

The panels are straight and the shut lines are clean and even. Most of the chrome is in fairly decent condition but the rear bumper is not so good and conceals beneath it a rust hole big enough to push a finger into.

There are several areas where beneath the paint is a bubble or two of rust but, again, nothing major and none of it too extensive. All of these are photographed and in the gallery.

The only areas where it’s obvious that someone has had a go with a shake ‘n’ rattle paint can are on the bonnet, just to the right of the ‘D’, where a roughly A4 sized area doesn’t look quite right, and towards the rear of the power bulge there’s a similarly sized area of ‘not quite rightness’.

Some of the paintwork on the valances below the front and rear bumpers looks a bit rough and ready, but this may be more a refection of how things were done 50 years ago than an indication of any subsequent DIY work.

The matching tyres are in good condition and are nearly new with plenty of wear left in them. The wheels are OK, but are showing a few signs of age and a few spots of rust. This is particularly evident on the front nearside wheel, where the chrome rim ring embellisher (it must have a better name than that, surely?) is missing.

The black vinyl roof is in good order except for a tear on the inside of the offside rear buttress and some bubbling underneath near the filler cap.

The odd extraneous dial and switch aside (it was all the rage to fit a few aftermarket bits and pieces to your pride and joy in the 1970s), the interior of this car is pretty much original in every respect.

The interior is in very good nick. The wear on the black vinyl with fabric inserts seats is a reflection of its mileage, not its age, with very few signs of damage or deterioration to report. The headlining and carpets are good, as are the door cards. It has a reading light and the original ‘Radiomobile’ radio, which charmingly still has the original handbook for reference. No doubt you can still get T-Rex and Donny Osmond on it, too.

The clock, we noted from the accompanying paperwork, was repaired in 1985. Well, at some point between then and now it’s decided to give up the ghost again.

So, you can either have it fixed, look at your watch instead or just make believe – very easy in this car – that the time is always 1972.

All in all, the upholstery, carpets, headlining, dashboard, centre console and fascia are both original and in excellent shape – which is the best possible combination.

The boot contains all manner of stuff that either came with the car or has been accumulated over the years. Everything from tow ropes and spare exhaust parts to replacement bulbs, fuses and other odds and sods. It doesn’t contain rot or other major concern.

The undersides of the car look nearly 50 years old, but not in a bad way. Everything is in order, if a little less than pristine. There are areas of light surface rust but nothing that looks serious.

The engine bay is an uncluttered and simple place, redolent of the bygone age from which it hails.

One change from the original is that the car now features a manually choked carburettor, rather than the automatic version specified with the car, which could not be sourced during the car’s recommissioning.

We have driven the car and can say that while it doesn’t feel much like a modern Ford Focus, it drives well for its age and the 4-speed manual box has retained the smoothness for which Ford boxes of the era were noted. There is some brake rattle and you’ll hear the odd squeak and groan now and again. But much the same could be said of most things (or people) approaching their 50th birthday.

And, given that this vehicle’s mileage means it’s covered an average of considerably less than 1000 miles for every year of its life, it’s been neither worked too hard nor pushed too far.

The Capri doesn’t have a current MOT certificate, but Glebe Autotech, who carried out the recommissioning work, said they were confident it would pass with flying colours should it be subjected to a test.

While it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have the car re-MOT’d at the earliest. The cost of an MOT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

Astonishingly, this car comes with a hand written notation of all repairs and servicing carried out between 26.5.73 (mileage 1,176 miles) and 7.3.11 (mileage 41,590 miles). That’s the level of care invested in it by its father and son owners.

The recent recommissioning work carried out by the vendor incudes:

* new battery

* unblocked windscreen washers

* new wiper blades

* new horns

* new hazard light switch

* new wiper blades

* new carburettor

* new oil, oil filter, spark plugs

* repaired exhaust

* new cam belt

* new timing belt

* new alternator belt

* new clutch

* new tyres

* refurbished brakes all round

* tuned engine

It comes with a big wad of manuals, bills, handbooks, old MOTs and other documentary evidence of a life well lived.

We feel honoured to have this to auction and even more honoured to have it with us at our HQ for a few days. It’s a very special piece of British automotive history in remarkably authentic condition. We keep nipping out to look at it.

It won’t win a Concours award at Pebble Beach, but it should win something just for being an excellent & honest example of an unrestored, genuine car – slight warts and all.

We’re confident that this beautifully original Ford Capri 1600GT will fetch somewhere in the region of £12 to £20K.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.