CC Racing Developments Group 1 Ford Capri Mk III's

[chunterer]

Maybe that was the car Colin V entered in '81 for a few rounds then?

Back to the CC cars though and I don't quite know why there's such a dearth of info from the period? The Rovers, even in Grp 1 form seem to stir a lot of pics, info and memories.

Then again, the Capris changed hands so many times and then a lot had been hacked about I guess it's difficult to know what's what!

Unless we can start to pick up the pace on the stories and memories we'll struggle to build up the chassis thread much. So far I reckon we've only got 3-4 CC Capri chassis numbers: Jeff Allam's 1978 BP CC3, now in Ade Vickers hands; Vince Woodman's CC20, which Brian Chatfield bought, Ric Wood later restored and is now privately owned and unraced, and an ex Gordon Spice car that Chatfield bought at the same time as the Woodman car that Dave Thomas now owns but we don't yet know the chassis number for!!

That leaves at least 15-20 remaining!!

Where's all the people that raced them in modsloons in the mid 80's - surely they'll know who they bought their cars off like Dave Streather, Colin Woodcock (and sons?).

Didn't Skid Scarborugh run an ex CC Woodman car in Modsaloons for a while as well?

[chunterer]

Right, as there's been a fair bit of Group 1 and Group A discussion recently by different posters including what appears to be several new members who may or may not have been active/around in the 70's and 80's, I'm going to stick this thread up for a while and see if we can develop it a bit further.

We still need to expand on the Capri histories as well as the BMW's and other activities.

chunterer

[gfm]

Some of you guys will know I uploaded these images before.
But if this about Capris then these are a couple I raced. The white car I drove at Spa 24 hrs with Les Blackburn who'd built it down near at the Blackburn family country Ford dealership near Midhurst. Gorgeous it was and they came up with a novel way of renewing rear brake linings which appeared to involve a complete rear axle assemble removal/refit affair but apparently save so much time that we ended up in 6th place in the 24 hours ahead of some real dynamite. Like Derek Bell in a Waterloo BMW and Gordon Spice Capris.
We'd started this race with the Essex Wire boss who was doing some tri-continent Endurance Driver World Championship series. I think Les started the race and handed over to the yank, who promptly piled it into the armco top of Radion. Into the pits to put it back together, he says 'hey you guys, I'm out of my depth here, you do it; I'll see you in the morning' so we did and it was great. Les knew what he was doing and I'd done a couple of 24 Hrs with Walkinshaw Mazdas, so we had a ball. The Capri in all honesty was quite a bulky thing to man handle around the place but an honest car it was and just ground out the laps without any chat-back. We were pretty shattered by the end, much sustained by Mrs Blackburn’s chocolate cake at 4.00 am as I was.
The picture is from a Euro saloon bash we did at Donington which I recall mainly because it rained early on in my session so I stayed out for what seemed like hours on drys on a wettish circuit. The powerslides out on to the main straight were enormous. I think we came 8th or so. Real good car.
The red Capri was OK YAH with a couple of quick UK production guys as team mates at a Snetterton 24 hrs, and again they knew what they were doing; I had had the previous year in something or other so knew what was needed and again, the Capri well prepared never missed a beat and gave us a fighting 3rd place. I can't remember but was James Weaver 6th at that one? I can remember he was wont to try top outbrake you from 100 yards back; in truth I don't think he had any brakes. Scary sod.
I'm sure i had a go in another white Capri also at Snetterton but it's disappeared in my little frazzled brain ... that was before a win in an M3 with Cox Burtt & Mike Jordan 93.

[Peter Mallett]

Spotted on e bay. Interesting note about chassis numbers.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...E:B:SS:GB:1123

[Sarnie]

It's not what it seems, the car was re-shelled a few years ago!

FC003 is no more.

[chunterer]

Sarnie feel free to elaborate on the 'no more' and 'reshell'

This 'FC' numbering business - are these the road cars that were built by CC that were referred to earlier in the thread?

[Peter Mallett]

Thanks Sarnie. (BTW those group 2 models look great). As Chunterer says, the interesting bit is the chassis number discussion.

Another point, why would the seller call them "Spa" Capris?

[chunterer]

And sticking Neil Brown engines in them seems like a bit of overkill - the engine surely worth double the rest of the car?!!!!1

[Sarnie]

I guess CC had a few shells left over that didn't get turned into race cars, as the shells didn't have any Ford vin no.'s. So they made them into road cars numbering them FC001-006. They were known as Spa-Francorchamps Capri's as they were sold to comemmorate the wins at Spa.
So quite a rare car which is why it's a shame FC003 was re-shelled into a Laser 4-pot shell and the Neil Brown engine was rebuilt by Specialised Engines and a new Fibresports X-pack kit was fitted

Any provenance it may of had as an original CC car is gone, it's now just a Laser with an X-pack fitted, and looking like a very expensive one at that.

(BTW those group 2 models look great).

Yes Peter they are nice, only trouble is I keep too many

Can't wait for the Minichamps 1/18 scale RS2.6 that won the Spa 24h in 1971, should be out soon.

[chunterer]

Cracking info that Sarnie, thanks ver so much. I'd love one of those original FC's must've been a hulluva beastie!

Any chance we might get your mate with the CC set up info in his loft tempted out into the open so we can make some headway with the Group 1 chassis?

Also would you happen to know where the CC chassis plate would've been on the race cars so that anyone who happens to have a race Capri with any history might have a look and see if there's one on theirs?

We know Dave Thomas has got one so I wonder if he knows which chassis it is?

(Oh and I'm praying Minichamps will release a MK3 1:18 diecast soon as they've already done 1:43 models!!)

[Peter Mallett]

Its worth noting that I posted the link to highlight the chassis plate thing as much as anything, I wouldn't wish ill on the vendor.

Sarnie. You have a customer when it arrives!

[Sarnie]

Any chance we might get your mate with the CC set up info in his loft tempted out into the open so we can make some headway with the Group 1 chassis?

He's still trying to get hold of it, but the person who has it is still sitting tight for whatever reasons.

Also would you happen to know where the CC chassis plate would've been on the race cars so that anyone who happens to have a race Capri with any history might have a look and see if there's one on theirs?

This is the one on FC003 as seen in a mag article on the slam panel, looks like they didn't bother making them pretty for the road cars so I guess the race cars were similar....

(Oh and I'm praying Minichamps will release a MK3 1:18 diecast soon as they've already done 1:43 models!!)

Shouldn't be long as the first of the 1/18 Zakspeeds comes out soon so they're half way there with the tooling.

Sarnie. You have a customer when it arrives!

Cheers Peter

[Peter Mallett]

Just a snippet of info.

Dave Thomas tells me he's looking to sell his Group 2 Capri which is built around a spice Racing CC Group 1 Shell. He reckons he has all the original panels too.

[chunterer]

That's right, I recall him saying something similar to me back in 2003 about that car, he's got Red basic panels for it that must've been off of the original car? I asked if he planned to restore it to original spec and he said no, might cost a fair bit or something!

I think it's one of the 2 cars that Brian Chatfield bought in 1983 and then after a few other owners was bought by David.

Peter see if he can tell you its build number!!

[GBRM]

Looks like Dave is selling his car:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ford-Capri-3-5...QQcmdZViewItem

[Jesper OH]

Here's my account of Ford Capri 3.0 Mk. III in Danish saloon car racing during the 1980's. I don't have any information on the origins, but only part of the weeling and dealing that was done among these cars during the decade.

The first Capri I know of was the Dupont single seater brothers, Steen and Kim. Only ever saw this car at an auto show in early 1982 (perhaps 1983, but 1982 is my gut feeling). A few years back I had the opportunity to ask Kim about this project, which he had more or less forgotten. No known history of this car.

By 1983 FF2000 driver Peter Elgaard turned saloon racer with a Dutch Capri. Apparently Elgaard was given a ride round Zandvoort – hanging on to the roll cage! - before the sale of this car, as the owner didn’t want nobody other than himself to drive the car. All of this is third hand account. Elgaard won in only his second race with the car and was a real threat to the establishment, when first gearbox problems and a jump start ruined the third race, and wet weather rendered the advantage of his potent Capri to also ran by the final and 4th round. This car was white on top, red on bottom.

Sometime during the season another Capri turned up in the hands of Peter Jensen Tønder. He was usually as close to the rear of the field as Elgaard was to the front, but this driver and car combo was to be a mainstay in Danish racing until Jensen Tønder died sometime during the mid-1990’s. By 1985 and perhaps 1986, this car was still running to group 1+ regulations, but was gradually developed into a Super Saloon Car over the following ears, still retaining a lot of its original look, including red paintwork and sun roof. During the early years this car perhaps even had vinyl roof, but not sure – it’s been a quarter of a century ago now.

Most of the opposition at the time consisted of 2 litre cars like Ford Escort RS2000, Opel Kadett/Ascona, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Mazda RX-7 and Trimph Dolomite Sprint, but the performance of Peter Elgaard opened the eyes for the Capri, that had otherwise disappeared some time during the late 1970’s.

Elgaard himself moved on to a BMW 635CSi for 1984, leaving his former Capri to fellow disco owner Peter Werner Hansen, car now in all white. Peter Jensen Tønder was around too, while two new cars turned up.

Søren Sejersen, another former FF2000 driver, had a white/blue car, while Jan Lundberg had a black/red car. Lundberg was also entered for a single round in a Volvo 240 Turbo.

By 1985 was for group A only, but the old group 1+ cars were allowed to bolster the grids. Peter Werner, Peter Jensen Tønder and Jan Lundberg had the occasional outing, while Søren Sejersen seemed to had disappeared.
Hot FWD procution saloon racer Dennis Christensen appeared for the final round of the year in a car of unknown identity. As Tønder was racing that day too, it could be either of the three other or a fifth for that matter. Preseason 1986 reports said that Dennis considered developing the car into group A specs, but nothing came of this.

Other 1986 Capris included Peter Jensen Tønder while Peter Werner Hansen only raced his car during the early part of the year, before buying a Volvo 240 Turbo. Newcomer Henrik Riinbæk took over this car. All three drivers took part in Super Saloon races, so cars probably started a glide towards more modified form by this point.

The Elgaard/Werner/Riinbæk car was looking group 1’ish till the end of 1988, when Tom Rode Hiort bought the car for the final races of the year, but that was soon to be changed. Over the winter the car was rebuild into a full space frame chassis, retaining only the roof and roof pillers!

So three, four or even five Danish Capris might had a CC tag on them. I think it’s significant that the cars only appeared here when they were faced out in other series around Europe. I don’t know the price tags on these cars back then, but I guess they had dropped significantly by 1984.

Jesper

[Peter Mallett]

Where are they now? Thanks Jesper.

[chunterer]

Excellent Jesper, thanks for that informative post about Capris in Denmark in the early mid 80's. We've needed some overseas input to help develop the thread and I hope we get some French and Belgian experts to give us a hand on here too.

Your last point could be key to identifying a number of ex CC built cars and I would agree with you that a good number of those 5 you mention could well have come from Kirkbymoorside in England where CC was based.

To reiterate, what we do know is that 20, possibly even 25 CC MK III 3.0 cars were built between 1977-82. Dave Cook once told me that most of the cars were built for Group 1 customers in Europe like the French and Belgian championships for people like the Martin brothers, Alain Semoulain, Michel De Deyne, Alain Peltier etc, but it's highly likely that the Danish cars could have been bought from these people as well as from Britain?

Jesper is there any chance you have any pics of the cars? You mention colour schemes of some of the cars and liveries sometimes offer clues in the 'flesh' as to a cars origin, even if sponsor logos change.

Cars also ended up in the Far East and many ex Grp 1 cars appeared in Macau Guia Touring Car races in the period too. I suspect some of those 'various vintage' cars may have had interesting histories!

[Peter Mallett]

And we know the Martin Bros car was in the Stavelot museum.

[chunterer]

One is indeed! I suspect there was more than one Belga liveried Capri that the brothers raced though?

I don't understnad why we haven't been able to develop this thread in the same way as the Rover one? Both were highly popular cars of the era and there were similar numbers of CC Capris built as TWR Rovers it seems. So people must know things.....

So what's holding this back?

[Jesper OH]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Jesper is there any chance you have any pics of the cars? You mention colour schemes of some of the cars and liveries sometimes offer clues in the 'flesh' as to a cars origin, even if sponsor logos change.

I have a few pictures, but from magazines and race programmes - not mine, and as such not for public consumption as I understand things. But I will dig them out and send you a PM.

Jesper

[chunterer]

Yes that would be kind of you Jesper. If some of the images are ages old, I wouldn't worry too much about the 'public consumption' side of things but I get your point.

I might be able to tell something by looking at the images so if you would prefer to scan and email images privately to me that would be great!

[Alex E]

I have recently been in contact with Jean Michel Martin and Herve` Regout. If you need any info from them regarding the old Capri`s I can ask.

Alex E

[chunterer]

Yes please Alex, that would be a great help!!!

The Martin's and Regout all pedalled CC cars in the 70's and early 80's....

We really need some more input on the chassis numbers and histories.

[Alex E]

I think you really need to start with a couple of specific questions, & see how we get on.
Alex