New Member to the group

Use this forum to post you cars pictures, history and modifications.
Daz-RSK
Posts: 170
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2018 5:23 pm
Car(s): 1985 Capri 2.8i Special

New Member to the group

Post by Daz-RSK »

Hello Fellow Capri Owners,

After a bit of a loud bang that you may have seen me enter in the forum with, I thought I ought to introduce myself more properly. I did say I would on the other post/thread.

So me personally - well, I have quite a bit of motoring history as I am approaching the half century very early next year (ironically, my birthday is within spitting distance of the Mk1 Capri to enter our roads). I have drifted through different motors over the years. Probably had more of an interest with coupe style motors when 4 doors weren't quite so much required in my later teens and early 20s.


My motors - So I started out in a Mk1 Escort and then into a Mk5 Cortina. These were motors of convenience and cheapness just to get me into the motoring world on a budget. Remember those days when you used to buy 10+ yr old motors at 18 yrs old, not buy them brand new, on the tick. :D

I had those for the 1st 2 years of my driving career and then, aged 19, this was where we suddenly had lift off. 3 x Opel Mantas, 2.8i Capri, Opel Monza, Nissan 200SX and the turbocharged Datsun 280ZX. No, not all at the same time - but what a flock of motors, if I do say so myself. What surprises me now is that all of those motors, even the 1st 2 Ford motors I had - how much are they today ?

Of the bunch that I should never have sold - easily the Manta GT/E, Monza and Datsun. The Capri, unfortunately, started to show signs of age and it was time. But the Manta was sold to buy my 1st house, the Monza was a beaut of a motor - a real sleeper and very modern looking - but I had invested a lot of money restoring it to be a daily runner and I just felt it was time to move on.

The Datsun, 21 yrs old when I bought it in yr 2000, 44,000 miles and needed a full resto. It was passed from a friend's Dad to a friend to a friend and then another friend and then me. One of those types of motor. BUT I knew 10/12 years of history of the motor and that was why I decided to give it a go.

My god, that shifted. Much like the turbo technics 2.8i Capri, also a 2.8i lump in the Datsun was pumping 210bhp with the charger on it. Beautiful 6 pot lump as well. A real peach!

Again, it had to go as we were moving house. I still had intent on it coming to the new house and just as I was about to start packing it all up ready for the move a few months ahead of the date, the turbo blew on it, smoke everywhere. It was the calling sign. There was quite a bit of work required to the body and with now the turbo letting go, it seemed we were going backwards.

I know - small fry compared to the restoration. But there were a lot of things going on at the time with the house move and everything else, so I sold it for £500 to a guy in Ireland, who flew over to Stansted (£500!!!!). I picked him up and he drove all the way back to Cork in Ireland. No MOT, no tax, turbo blown (although I bypassed the oil feed so that there was no oil loss), not been run in anger for 8 years and then, the phone call at 10/11pm that night - I am home and the car now is in Cork. Those were the days you could do this with limited chance of being caught!. Amazing motor. It had come off the road in 1994 and never been driven much distance since then other than up and down the road. The hole in the floor prevented it passing an MOT, so it was garage bound until someone (was going to be me) put it back on the road. And then, bang - journey to the other side of Ireland.

In between all of these years leading up to the Datsun, I had other motors as well, at the same time. I learnt from a young age that the only way to keep a car nice is to keep it as a 2nd car away from all the grime of the daily shunt. So I have hoarded motors for years.

In the 2000's I moved into Japanese stuff more. I think the Datsun being sold gave me a bit of confidence to move east for my motors. I descended into Subarus. It was the McRae itch as I had been a rally fan for years and they just looked a bit different and sounded different on the stage, from all of the rest of the stuff out there. But I did not go for the Impreza. The Legacy! And fast ones at that. Proper 175mph stuff!

That doesn't sound like your average Legacy ??

No, these were twin turbo JDM's. I still have one today - the wagon (GTB). But my 1st was an RSK saloon that I bought soon after we moved in 2003 and I had that until late 2016. A garage queen, saw 30k miles in that period under my ownership. Lovely motor and one of the few that you could sit at 140/150mph all day but it didn't seem that you were going that fast. Obviously German Autobahns were where I used sit like this and actually it was just great sat there behind a big German 6/8 pot and him topping out at 155mph (250kmh) due to the limiter - a German bruiser getting in the way of the pesky Jap.

Now, I have replaced that with the latest WRX STi and that's now the latest garage queen, along with the GTB Legacy I mentioned. I can't lose the flat 4 rumble and the style those twin turbo Legacies drive like. So I hope to keep that one.



BUT anyway - not a lot about Capri's above other than if you didn't blink when you read the monologue above, you would have seen I had one in the past.

The one I have today is my parents. They bought it as a 2yr old in 1987 - a March 1985 2.8i. It 's one of those that stayed with us. My Mum drove it as a daily until 2001, when she bought the Cougar (a spiritual successor but seems now, nowhere near the kudos of the Capri). Then when we moved house, along with my buying the banzai Legacy RSK, they gave me the Capri to store, as they were also moving (downsizing) and less room around.

So I have had this thing, albeit in my parents name, for 15 years and it's been one of those summer / dry day runners since my Mum gave it up as a daily driver. It's presentable and has all of the hallmarks of a car that was run through all weather for the 1st 15 years of its life and then, in the last 18, has done every little. Back in 2004/2005, I thought it might be worth selling as it wasn't really for me. I was now sucked into the East and the Subaru world more.

It was worth £1000 back then and that would help the bank o/draft. Well not mine!.But you get my point. My parents didn't want it back and whilst in their name, they would have supported me selling it. So I was lumbered with a car that I didn't mind having but could quite easily sell or it just sit about. So it sat about! And sat about! And then 10 more years, still sat about!

And now, it seems that, that same car worth £1000 to clear my bank o/draft could be worth 5 times that money today, to the right buyer. And people like to see you on the road. And they stop to talk to me about it such that a trip down the road, my wife is wondering why it's taken all morning. :D

So having now completed 90,000 miles in total, I suppose that in the last 3 to 5 years I guess, I am seeing the richness of keeping it and next year, finally, some money is being thrown at it. It is in for a restoration - not fully and not to the condition of some of your cars, for sure. But it is worth now tidying up, now I have the Capri buzz back around me.

The thing that is completely without challenge is that when you have owned or know a car for over 30 years, it takes on a whole new chapter of ownership, knowing everything that has been replaced by my hand, my Dad's hand or a garage at some stage. You can't buy 30 years ownership. It is a slog through that time to rack that duration up.

When I sold the Legacy RSK I mentioned above - the German car basher - I could have sold the Capri instead and got my latest banzai thing. But someone caught me cold. He said, when I was growing up, what did the Capri mean to me ? I said The Professionals, The Sweeney, Minder etc and the memory of them being on every street in the 1970s / 80s.

What did the Legacy RSK mean to me in that time ? I said, nothing - they didn't exists and there were few Jap branded cars here.

Does that solve the questions as to which should be sold then - he asked ?

He was a fellow Subaru Legacy owner.

There you go. Sorry for the monologue - but it gives you a bit more understanding of the latest member to join. :D
User avatar
Andrew 2.8i
Donator
Donator
Posts: 14723
Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2014 7:38 pm
Car(s): '83 2.8 Injection (sunny days only)
'04 Toyota MR2 (owned from new)
Location: Ceredigion
Contact:

Re: New Member to the group

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Hi,
Welcome to the forum!
It sounds to me as though you've had some really interesting cars in your ownership over the years, however, the Capri you have now sounds like the best of the lot. Judging by your enthusiasm for Capris, you definitely made the right decision to keep it. :D
Have you considered uploading some photos to this forum?

All the best,
Andrew.
Image
User avatar
Jasonmarie
Donator
Donator
Posts: 4707
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2015 12:30 am
Car(s): Ford Capri 2.0 Laser Mercury Grey 1987 hobby .
Mercedes Vito tourer 2.1 Big Bus Daily Driver
Location: Kent

Re: New Member to the group

Post by Jasonmarie »

:welcome: yes loads of information on here and a funny thing is we do like a Capri . Your also have to put some pictures up .
Ford Capri 2.0 Laser 1987 Mercury Grey ....... :beer:
andyd
Posts: 8268
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2014 10:43 am
Car(s): 1981 XR3
Location: Devon

Re: New Member to the group

Post by andyd »

Welcome aboard :wave:
As Andrew says you've had a variety of cars and your knowledge shows.

I had an Impreza turbo, great cars :) Celica, Honda CRX and Prelude. There's something about Japanese vehicles, not luxury but more reliability I think....And yes the boxer engine sounds great :D But I always come back to a :ford: :D

Your Mums Capri was definately worth keeping as it's been in your family so long now it wouldn't be right to sell it imo.

Look forward to some pics :cheers:
Daz-RSK
Posts: 170
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2018 5:23 pm
Car(s): 1985 Capri 2.8i Special

Re: New Member to the group

Post by Daz-RSK »

Thanks all. Yes I will upload some pictures. I was about to this morning then forgot that Photobucket now don't let you share piccies unless you pay.

I have another source though and will place some pics up.

There was another snippet of info here that I left out because that was quite a monologue as an opener. This could be the same - sorry.

My parents bought the car from their friend in 1987 and he purchased it from the local Essex dealer brand new. So I have known the history of this Capri since 1985, but more closely really since 1987 when my parents purchased it. I never claimed to know the car when it was new - it was friends of my parents and it was their car.

But this next bit was a bit spooky. I have never seen the V5 until more recent times because it didn't matter that I didn't have it. If I needed it, I would ask for reference numbers from it to tax the car. It was with my parents because it is their car.

I work at Ford Motor and every year, we have a Vehicle Enthusiasts Day - basically where employees can bring in their treasures. Normally happens in the summer. When I asked Ford if they would do a 40th anniversary special for the Capri in 2009, they shut the door on me. If you've read my other thread and you can see a theme here. Anyway, Ford did pull out the stops and placed all of the heritage Capri's in along with mine, my mate's and another guy. I thought I would do an article for the CCI for them to place in their magazine. So that was all done and dusted and we moved on.

Next, I get an email from CCI that someone is trying to get hold of the owner of this motor we own. They claim that their Dad bought it new. They had seen my article in the CCI mag and tied up the registration. The CCI were contacting me because they didn't want to divulge my details without my permission.

What!! Why would someone some 25 years later be reading the CCI mag and know this vehicle ? How did they know it ? It's a 2 owner motor, what they are claiming isn't true. Some scammer!

So I was just about to go back to CCI and thanks but no thanks. Then a little bell in my head thought, we have always assumed it is a 2 owner motor and this guy seems to claim that there are 3 owners - what if.......

So I ring my parents and they are as gobsmacked as me. It must have been years since they actually looked closely at how many owners the car had. I guess, to be honest, it's not always something we have in our minds. They probably knew at some stage but some time after, they decided it was only them and their friend that owned it. But this was wrong - it was a 3 owner motor.

So I go back to the CCI and state that I would love to get in touch with the 1st owner. So he makes contact and I find out he lives quite local to me. Him and his Dad come along to a pre-arrange meeting. His Dad sits in the car he bought new and sold when it was 1yr old in 1986 for the 1st time in 24 years. It's all quite emotional really. You could see that he was touched by the whole deal.

So I couldn't work out why, of all of the cars his Dad had, this one would be remembered. Why he saw my Capri and recognised the plate ? All of these questions.

So he explains - he was 16 in 1985 (same age as me) and his Dad worked at Ford. He used to rotate between Escorts and Sierras every year but decided on this 2.8i Capri in 1985. It was one of those cars that they never forgot - the one that got away and shouldn't have done. He used to see it about on the roads and then it disappeared from the roads. When the internet started and you could trace number plates, it didn't exist. Must have been written off. But then it surfaced again in 2001. So he was as confused (and overjoyed) to see it still existed when he saw the pics in the CCI mag.

My mind then jumped - of course, Mum placed on a personal plate in the early 1990's and then released it onto the Cougar in 2001.

Anyway, before we departed, I received some souvenirs from them. So I possess a picture of it when it first came home in 1985. Also, they gave me the little fabric pads that you place in the front seats for lumbar support. I think I also have the sale document of 1985.

That must have been one hell of the car to have treasured in the mid 1980's if they had been searching it out all these years and kept hold of these pieces all that time.
Caprifan Rob
Posts: 1838
Joined: Tue May 06, 2014 8:47 pm
Car(s): 2.8injection special

Re: New Member to the group

Post by Caprifan Rob »

Brilliant story. The Capri must have left quite an impression on them. Glad you’re now enjoying it yourself. The previous owner of mine owned it for 10 years & wanted to have the option of buying it back if I ever sell. He may have to wait a while :D .
I can see how it might have got emotional for the first owner, must have felt good to reunite him with it. Cheers for sharing it.
Daz-RSK
Posts: 170
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2018 5:23 pm
Car(s): 1985 Capri 2.8i Special

Re: New Member to the group

Post by Daz-RSK »

He really was touched, Rob. Can you imagine sitting in a car you bought as new some 25 years on and just remembering back to the time ?

Some of the stuff that he imparted was just priceless. He worked at Dunton and so knew all of the blessings and failings of the cars. It was a Ford fan dream to sit there listening to all of the woes (and good things), the design stories of Ford in the 1970s / 80s.

So on our cars - do yours have a sunroof ? Does the headlining on the sunroof sag. When he jumped in mine, bearing in mind it was 25yrs old, the Capri had been out of production 24 years and he hadn't worked at Ford since he retired in yr 2000 - he looked up and said

"Yeap - we knew that would happen."

Confused at what he said - he said that through the production of the sunroof headlining in the Capri, they had told Ford Europe to redesign it because the way it was would cause it to sag and it could snag / tear when being wound back. But Ford had no money for the redesign. So all of the customers would have to chance whether this happened to their sunroof.

I tell you - it was like sitting with a classic Ford bible. There were loads of these little snippets that I now fail to remember. But there was one more I do recall.

He looked down and stared at something after he had been looking at the sunroof. I thought "Hello....another gem". He said "The fader - does it work ?"

So I was on the game this time - I said "Another Ford failing ?" He said "No - was just asking if it worked, that was all". Bit of a dry sense of humour, this guy.

He then confessed that these were an after thought when all of the modern cars had a fader normally on the head unit itself and Ford designed some crazy thing down by the knee for the fader instead of asking the company that made the head units to adapt it into the set itself. They wondered (but there were no live casualties at that time) whether they would last. I did say that I thought through lack of use, it hadn't worked as well as it did - it seems to hiss a bit when you move the sound from front to back or vice versa. He just nodded in the knowledge that their suspicions in the 1980s sort of were ringing true.

A gold mine of info. Wasn't just an emotional meet.
User avatar
Jasonmarie
Donator
Donator
Posts: 4707
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2015 12:30 am
Car(s): Ford Capri 2.0 Laser Mercury Grey 1987 hobby .
Mercedes Vito tourer 2.1 Big Bus Daily Driver
Location: Kent

Re: New Member to the group

Post by Jasonmarie »

Great story I also have family that worked at Fords and they did have such a turn around of cars , f your Essex side you must have heard of frog island ? They had all the best Fords at stupid prices . Back in the day you could buy a Top of the range Ford at peanuts and sell in 6 months to a year for the same as you bought it price .
Ford Capri 2.0 Laser 1987 Mercury Grey ....... :beer:
andyd
Posts: 8268
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2014 10:43 am
Car(s): 1981 XR3
Location: Devon

Re: New Member to the group

Post by andyd »

It's great talking to someone that has experience in something. Nice he was still interested in the Capri after all that time too :D
User avatar
Andrew 2.8i
Donator
Donator
Posts: 14723
Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2014 7:38 pm
Car(s): '83 2.8 Injection (sunny days only)
'04 Toyota MR2 (owned from new)
Location: Ceredigion
Contact:

Re: New Member to the group

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

What a great story you have there, all from a previous owner that you didn't even know existed! That definitely adds to the history of your car.

Andrew.
Image
Daz-RSK
Posts: 170
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2018 5:23 pm
Car(s): 1985 Capri 2.8i Special

Re: New Member to the group

Post by Daz-RSK »

You are right there, with it being an owner I didn't realise existed. I took it as sound that this one was a 2 owner vehicle and was about to knock it on the head in entertaining this chancer. :lol:

How wrong was I! But further, what opportunity I would have lost there.
Caprifan Rob
Posts: 1838
Joined: Tue May 06, 2014 8:47 pm
Car(s): 2.8injection special

Re: New Member to the group

Post by Caprifan Rob »

Sounded like a good mine of info on the car & a snapshot of :ford: at the time. Yes, mine has a sunroof & yes the headliner had sagged and was also ripped when I bought the car. Since replaced with a new one from Martin. Fader still works ok though :D
Cheers for the extra story.
Daz-RSK
Posts: 170
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2018 5:23 pm
Car(s): 1985 Capri 2.8i Special

Re: New Member to the group

Post by Daz-RSK »

Not sure if this works - but here goes. Sorry it's not a great picture. I have more but filed them "safely". :lol: So safe......

OK - didn't work. Need to read the rule book and come back! :lol:
User avatar
pbar
Posts: 7420
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:29 pm
Car(s): Capri 2.0 Laser, frequent driver.
Location: North-West

Re: New Member to the group

Post by pbar »

Daz-RSK wrote:
OK - didn't work. Need to read the rule book and come back! :lol:
You could try this, it's the easiest way (should be made a sticky really) -

This assumes you have a pic on your computer (for example on your desktop) already -

1. Go to https://postimages.org/ (you do not have to be a member or login)
2. Click Choose Images
3. Browse to the pic you wish to use and double click it (or click once and click Open)
4. Copy the Direct Link in the list (i.e. click the symbol on the right or highlight it and press Control-c)
5. Open up a new message window on here (as if to type your reply/new message, or whatever, as you normally would)
6. Type your message and when done click the Img button and then press Control-v (this will paste the link you previously copied in step 4)
7. Press Preview to see how it will look or Submit, and you're done.
andyd
Posts: 8268
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2014 10:43 am
Car(s): 1981 XR3
Location: Devon

Re: New Member to the group

Post by andyd »

pbar wrote:
Daz-RSK wrote:
OK - didn't work. Need to read the rule book and come back! :lol:
You could try this, it's the easiest way (should be made a sticky really) -

This assumes you have a pic on your computer (for example on your desktop) already -

1. Go to https://postimages.org/ (you do not have to be a member or login)
2. Click Choose Images
3. Browse to the pic you wish to use and double click it (or click once and click Open)
4. Copy the Direct Link in the list (i.e. click the symbol on the right or highlight it and press Control-c)
5. Open up a new message window on here (as if to type your reply/new message, or whatever, as you normally would)
6. Type your message and when done click the Img button and then press Control-v (this will paste the link you previously copied in step 4)
7. Press Preview to see how it will look or Submit, and you're done.
What I do on Post Image is;
1.Choose pic
2.Open
3.Go down to Hotlink for forums: and left click the icon on the right hand side (It will then say copied)
4.Go back to this forum, right click and paste it
:cheers:
User avatar
Brooksy
Donator
Donator
Posts: 337
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2018 7:58 pm
Car(s): 1987 2.0 laser (fair weather car)

Re: New Member to the group

Post by Brooksy »

Hi and welcome to the forum! :welcome:

Looking forward to seeing a photo, or two, of your Capri.

Nige.
Nige Image
Daz-RSK
Posts: 170
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2018 5:23 pm
Car(s): 1985 Capri 2.8i Special

Re: New Member to the group

Post by Daz-RSK »

Thanks chaps for the instructions. This might work - sorry for the bluey tinge. I need to sort out all of the photos as to where they all are and post them up.

The project next year is to lose that RGA kit and a restoration, as said above.


Image
User avatar
Jasonmarie
Donator
Donator
Posts: 4707
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2015 12:30 am
Car(s): Ford Capri 2.0 Laser Mercury Grey 1987 hobby .
Mercedes Vito tourer 2.1 Big Bus Daily Driver
Location: Kent

Re: New Member to the group

Post by Jasonmarie »

Looks nice with the blue tinge . , do like that model T next to you I have been in a model T You need a exam to drive one of them and stopping is something else .
Ford Capri 2.0 Laser 1987 Mercury Grey ....... :beer:
Daz-RSK
Posts: 170
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2018 5:23 pm
Car(s): 1985 Capri 2.8i Special

Re: New Member to the group

Post by Daz-RSK »

I found another that I took 5 years ago or so of the cars I had at the time. Only the white Subaru Legacy GTB and Capri remain with me now.

That black Legacy RSK was a rocket. I sold that in 2016, as I said above. It might become one of the regretful sales in a few years.

Was a lovely motor, even though Jap and no heritage here(which is exactly why the 2.8i stayed with me ILO of that one).

The ST220 was nice but was running into quite a few miles when I was mileage munching that one. So thought I would sell it before it bit me. There was nothing wrong with it - but could foresee that at 150k miles, it had run its course with me. Lovely V6 growl, those have.

Image
User avatar
Andrew 2.8i
Donator
Donator
Posts: 14723
Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2014 7:38 pm
Car(s): '83 2.8 Injection (sunny days only)
'04 Toyota MR2 (owned from new)
Location: Ceredigion
Contact:

Re: New Member to the group

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Very nice 2.8. 8-)

Andrew.
Image
Post Reply