1983 Ford Capri 2.8i Injection

Vendor John Knowles has owned this fine Capri for a total of 36 years. “I bought it in 1985, and in 1988 my role at work changed to a new managerial role. As not to clock up the mileage I purchased an old BMW to use and locked this in my mother’s dry garage, driving it only when I got the chance, which unfortunately became less and less.”

It was kept there until his mother unfortunately passed away in September 2015. After the sale of her property John entrusted the car to John Collins of Heritage Classics in Middlesboro to get the Capri road-worthy, while he and his wife moved to Scotland.

“John was surprised the car had survived so well generally but the engine and mechanicals needed some work due to lack of use. Over the last few years he repaired it and has renovated it well with a lot of replacement parts (exhausts, tyres, radiator, etc). I left a copy of the invoices in the car but they ended up totalling around £19k.”

The recommissioning was carried out as and when John Collins’ other commitments allowed. As such there was no time pressure on completion, or on space at his business. The dreaded Covid however changed that situation. “I’d love to be able keep it says,” vendor John. ‘But he now needs the space and I have nowhere sensible in Scotland to store the car, or indeed locally on Teeside, so I have made the decision to sell it.”

He confirms that the current mileage of just 56,528 is correct and the included V5 shows just two owners from new. It has a relatively fresh MOT certificate and that runs until 4/10/2021.

“I haven’t seen the car since its completion but it sounds great and looks well in the pictures.” He also confirms that the Capri has never seen a welder’s torch, which makes it a veritable rarity in the world of Eighties Fords.

“The car was a bit of a barn find,” explains John Collins, who dragged it out of the garage at John’s behest. “It was covered in layers of dust and hadn’t been started in years. The fact that it had been put away so early in its life was very fortunate and is the reason why it remains so original.”

John’s team got to work and on inspection the Capri didn’t reveal any signs of welding. All that was done on the body front was a bit of paintwork to tidy up some knocks and scrapes, and some faded areas. This included a re-spray.

Where there was a touch of rust on a wheel arch it was taken back to bare metal. “It’s quite nice,” he says. “But not absolutely perfect, so there is room for improvement.”

As such you get a Capri that presents very well. The exterior paintwork is fresh and fade-free, with no bubbling. Shut lines remain very nice with sag-free doors and the pinstripes on those long flanks match up perfectly. All decals remain sharp and full of colour, and the quad headlamps are bright and clear.

The 15” pepper-pot alloy wheels are scuff free and each is fitted with a new rubber boot. All four mudguards remain in place and the spare wheel sits in the boot.

Under the bonnet there’s been a bit of paintwork towards the front end but at the rear the original paint remains a touch dusty, so there’s a bit of a mismatch. As John stated there’s a bit of room for improvement so the next owner could polish up the engine bay to make for a better match, or even whip the V6 out and re-spray for perfection.

A cabin is only original once and this one is lovely. The dials and fascia are pretty free from any marks, as is the steering wheel, gearstick and headlining – it’s a transformative glimpse back to the decade when greed was good.

The two-tone grey Recaro seats that define the cabin are rip free and still offer plenty of support. The outer bolster on the driver’s seat is a touch squashed out of shape but may respond to seeing a bit of (excuse the phrase) regular bottom action.

There’s no evidence of any water ingress around the sunroof and it opens and closes just as it should. The various velour elements in the cabin all respond beautifully to a light brush of the hand – just check out the pile on the backs of those seats!

All electrics do just as Ford intended.

This example’s brooding demeanour tantalises during the slow walk-around in our video preview below, but hit 2 minute 47 second mark and it all comes to life with the V6 firing with a gruff timber. A touch of throttle sees it spin smoothly, while at the rear the twin-exhaust pipes emit a proper bovver-boy bellow.

On the hoof, we can confirm that it’s just as good; it feels like a nice, solid and genuine example of the breed. The gearbox shifts well, the brakes are firm with plenty of bite and the engine pulls healthily. There’s nothing untoward on the suspension front and that allows the driver to concentrate on piling on the torque, which (it would be rude not to!) we did happily. Window down, elbow resting on the sill, it transports you perfectly to an Essex state of mind.

“We gave the car a comprehensive mechanical going over,” says John Collins. “The radiator was re-cored, new injectors and fuel metering unit fitted, fresh fuel lines and the tank flushed; tyres were replaced as was the full exhaust system. The cylinderhead had had a repair, which had failed, so we replaced that with a fully refurbished unit.

“I was surprised just how taut it was when I eventually drove it,” he says. “It’s not rattly at all and drives very nicely. I was tempted to buy it myself but with 16 cars myself I just couldn’t justify it.”

An expired MOT certificate from 1989 (mileage: 52,294) shows how little action this car has seen since its heyday. The original service book is included, as is an Autodelta Car Repair Guide.

Of most importance are the numerous invoices detailing the work carried out at Heritage Classics. These handwritten notes are comprehensive and list everything done, as well as all costs incurred during the process. If seriously considering bidding on the Capri then it’s certainly worth the taking the time to pore over these, as we’ve only mentioned the big-boy items in the sections above.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been re-commissioned to a very high standard.

Owner John Knowles hasn’t seen the car since the late Eighties so it’s the man that carried out the re-commissioning who’s best placed to offer his thoughts on what the next owner would be buying: “it’s not something that you’d buy and need to start doing lots of work on. You’d also not be embarrassed to use it, as it drives and presents very well. As it’s been in long-term storage there may be small issues (things like oil seals, etc) but I certainly wouldn’t be afraid to buy something like that.”

Having had the car at our Abingdon headquarters for a while and been allowed to cast our respective eyes over it, and to drive it, that’s something we can second. It feels genuine, good and honest.

Unmolested Capris of any generation are a rarity, so the next owner can purchase, enjoy and lightly fettle the aesthetics to their heart’s desire. As such we think this fine example will sell for somewhere between £18,000 and £20,000.

It can be used as is straight-away or even as the basis for a concours example.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), 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’.