CC Racing Developments Group 1 Ford Capri Mk III's

[chunterer]

As a life long racing Capri fan, I would like to discuss the most successful (arguably) series of Mk3 Capris built for competition, in numbers at least.

CC Racing (latterly CC Motorsport) run by Dave Cook and the late Pete Clark built and ran a lot of the Capris for customers that competed in British and European Grp 1 touring car racing from 1977-82, cars which then went onto various club racing series like Mod saloons in the UK.

There is some debate as to how many were actually built and I would like to identify how many are actually still in existence and their chassis numbers if possible.

Dave Cook believes around 25 were originally built (although the last car is thought to be number 20.) The later ones being sold to Belgium and France possibly off the back of their Spa 24 hours successes.

Some are still competing today:
David Thomas has an ex Gordon Spice CC car that Brian Chatfield may have later owned.
Ric Wood runs a modified 4 litre car, (not sure of origins)
There is an ex Vince Woodman CC Esso car CC20, that Brian Chatfield definitely later owned that was restored by Ric Wood but the current owner is not currently competing it.
Stuart Graham's Faberge car which Terry Nicholls later ran as a modified Gartrac GA 3.4 car in Thundersaloons. This is either in a museum somewhere back in original black green and red colours, or is in bits awaiting a strip down and rebuild (one of them must be right!!)
There is also an ex Jeff Allam shell somewhere which was latterly run in modsaloons and northern sports saloons.

There was also Group A BMWs and a Group C Lamborghini project (see separate thread) that never really got going so there's plenty to discuss!

So can we start to unravel what else is still out there and the respective histories - hope this sparks off a lot of memories and interesting histories!

[Speedy norm]

CC were indeed the team to use if you wanted to be competitive up to 1982. off the top of my head the list of customers would be:
Gordon Spice - 2 cars plus Spa 24 hrs car
Vince Woodman 1 new car each year with the old one going to Jonathon Buncombe
Jeff Allam
Peter Lovett
Colin Vandervill
They had no opposition untill Andy Rouse set up on his own and produced a competitive car but by then the TWR Rovers became the car to have then the 635 which was also run by CC
Build time was in the region of 300 hrs according to Autosport interview with the team.

[vaughan jones]

i raced in modsaloons the 80s when i first started pukka capris were raced by milton bishop,also john farndale,brian chatfield had i think two,one i think
went to david streather,one went to pete winstone then on to graham wait.i feel that this might account for 3 or 4 of the cars,i am sure am i might be proved wrong in true 10/10s style . i know that some capris raced by various drivers in modsaloons were home built.

[Peter Mallett]

The Martin Brothers ran one in 1980/81 (?) at Spa and it sits in the Stavelot Museum.

[Al Weyman]

A friend of mine has a CC built Capri, not a race car but a very special road car that they prepared for their own use from a shell gifted by Ford, he may pop in here and tell you about it.

[roger saretzki]

who can remember the MC NAMARA capris?
a good friend of mine (armin stengele) build them at the time .............

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Speedy norm

CC were indeed the team to use if you wanted to be competitive up to 1982. off the top of my head the list of customers would be:
Gordon Spice - 2 cars plus Spa 24 hrs car
Vince Woodman 1 new car each year with the old one going to Jonathon Buncombe
Jeff Allam
Peter Lovett
Colin Vandervill
They had no opposition untill Andy Rouse set up on his own and produced a competitive car but by then the TWR Rovers became the car to have then the 635 which was also run by CC
Build time was in the region of 300 hrs according to Autosport interview with the team.

I can't remember Lovett pedalling a MK3?! Whuch years were they out of interest?

Rouse set up his own team with cars prepared by Ralph Broad in 1981 with Charles Sawyer-Hoare as teammate (he provided the sponsorship 'Juicy Jeans' and Mirror) but returned to Spice CC run cars for '82.

Other guys to have run MK3's towards the end of Grp 1 were Nick Whitting, Dave Brodie, Gery Marshall, Graham Goode, Yogi Muir (plus others??). I'm not sure if they were self build or CC built cars?

[Peter Mallett]

IIRC Gerry built his own cars.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

IIRC Gerry built his own cars.

Yep, so did Graham Goode...

[chunterer]

Some probably were guys.

I think Gerry's prodsaloons were built by Richard Asquith, i don't know if the Grp1 cars were - i seem to remember him mentioning Roger Dowson or somebody at one point?

I wonder were Gerry's and Graham's cars built from new of were they purchased from an exisitng prep firm like CC?

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by roger saretzki

who can remember the MC NAMARA capris?
a good friend of mine (armin stengele) build them at the time .............

Can't say i'm that familair with them? Were they 70's beasts??

I think we'll hold this thought and open another thread!!

[Sarnie]

25 seems about right, in Jeremy Walton's Capri book it says "They made 17 by the time the 1980 season got underway".
Were the 6 road cars on top of this ?, one of which was built up from a shell meant for Gordon 'FC003' and had an X-pack pic below...



I was offered a CC road car a few years back in part ex. for an RS3100 I had that was in bits, but as I had 5 Capri's I needed to cut down not do a swap.
This one was then bought by John Hill of the Capri Club Int.

Here are some pics I have taken of CC20 Brian Chatfield / Peter Winstone / Mike Sarsfield then as you say restored to Esso colours by Ric Wood.



I spoke to Ric about these cars maybe 15 years ago as most seem to have passed through his hands at some time, but have forgotten most of it. I remember seeing the yellow 'Metro Breakers' Mod Saloon at his place which may be his 4.0 car and I think is a CC car ?

Is the Jeff Allam car the one raced by Dave Streather then Graham Wait.
What about Colin Woodcocks Mod Saloon, I think that was a self build ?

Wasn't Terry Nichols car up for sale recently in France and in Gulf colours? There was also a Ford press car dressed up as the Faberge car on ebay recently, a friend took a pic of it in Ford's secret storage unit in Chiswick. This may be what is being stripped as I think Alan Dafyn bought it to reshell his race car.

Pic I took of the one in the Stavelot Museum...

[chunterer]

Top pics there sarnie!

Peter M will be quite excited by the one at the bottom no doubt!

Yes, I think this thread will take some researching!

Like you I thought I had a reasonable idea a few years ago about a few of the cars but now i'm not sure.

For example we know who drove some of the cars originally but what we don't know is their original identity.

What we need is people like Ric, Brian, Dave Streather and co to get wind of this and post some ideas!

If we can get enough info the thread can go into the Chassi numbers forum!

[Sarnie]

I think Peter has probably been there a few times with some tracing paper

Agree there seems very little to go on in the way of build numbers. Need somebody who was at the front line to get the ball rolling.

[Sarnie]

This thread reminded me that a friend who lives in Kirkbymoorside knows where the CC paperwork is, so I emailed him earlier and just got a reply....

"I know where it is but I cannot get access to it... the guy who has it all (who works with my brother), keeps it in his loft and won't let anyone see it... I know it is there because he showed my brother a "taster"... basically one day he turned up with a little book crammed full of rolling road info for some of the Gordon Spice cars and others... my brother was allowed to look quickly, but not touch.

The guy knows he has something that a lot of peeps in Capri circles would glady sell parts of their anatomy for, but he's sitting tight...

My personal guess is that he doesn't have as much as he says, but he definately has something hidden away... It' doing my head in, because I REALLY want to have a look though the stuff"

Oh well I guess it will end up on ebay one day !

[Al Weyman]

Sarne, you live in middlesex so probably close to me, do you know if a guy called Jim ended up with the ex Spice (I believe) road car because he definitely has one and has documentation.

[Sarnie]

Hi Allan, just down the road from you in Greenford. Do you know the colour ? the white one pictured above was sold on ebay last year so could be that. The one John Hill has is metallic blue/grey. Have also heard of a green one.
Apparently 6 road cars were done (5 converted road cars & the white one which was built up from a shell).
Is it possible to find out the build # ?

Simon

[Peter Mallett]

Thanks Sarnie, and I resemble that remark!

[Al Weyman]

Greenford yes thats about 5 miles from my shop in Harrow. The car is red at the moment but he has owned it a long time to my knowledge and I know he did a complete resto number on it, he spanners for me on occassions I will try to get more details but I know it has some special chassis plate and some sort of special diff he was telling me, I think he said it was a Motorsport development one or something.

[Sarnie]

Thats alright Peter...hehe

Al is it the same shop i visited about 10 years ago ?
Would be interested to hear more about the car if your able to find out, also a pic would be great

[xpitf4]

I have very little knowledge of these cars I'm affraid,we didn't get too many
of them in these here parts.Imagine my surprize when one showed up at Mosport last year. I think.
Were these cars powered by a steel block V-6 Cosworth,or is that a differant Capri again?

[Al Weyman]

I have been there a while Sarnie may have been. I will find as much detail as I can and post it back with pictures.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by xpitf4

I have very little knowledge of these cars I'm affraid,we didn't get too many
of them in these here parts.Imagine my surprize when one showed up at Mosport last year. I think.
Were these cars powered by a steel block V-6 Cosworth,or is that a differant Capri again?

You may be thinking of the Group 2 V 6. This was the Cosworth GAA engine built for the ETCC of 1973/74. The CC Capris were built to the Group "1.5" regs as run by the BTCC and many of the European Saloon championships of the time from 1976 to 1982 before Group A became the norm.

The engines were originally Essex V6 three litre but later they ran the Cologne 2.8 V6 but it was never competitive because of the siamesed 2/3 and 4/5 cylinder (?) heads.

[Al Weyman]

If someone wants to build a replica one of my customers wants rid a of a 2 litre 1983 Capri that I think his old man has had from new and has just failed its MoT. He only wants £100 for it which sounds cheap to me, pm if anyone interested and I will give you his contact number.

PS there is NOTHING in this for me but it may help a Capri nut for that type of dosh.

[Peter Mallett]

I paid £50.00 for mine.