NEC Classic celebrates 45 years of the Capri

The NEC Classic Motor Show has celebrated 45 years of the Ford Capri, with a superb display of historic cars.

Capri Club International exhibited six classic Fords, including an original 1969 GT XLR. The 1600cc saloon is owned by Stuart Turp and has appeared in numerous episodes of ITV’s Heartbeat. The car also starred in the The Dammed United, a 2008 film that depicted the short tenure of Brian Clough at Leeds United Football Club.

A total of six classic Capris were on display, with the club giving particular emphasis to the 45th anniversary of the mk1, which was launched in 1969. The club also exhibited mk2s and mk3s and caters for modified Capris, as emphasised by Alan Summerscale's 2.8i powered mk2.

The 1974 Capri was originally a 2.0-litre Ghia automatic, but was resprayed in BMW Dakar Yellow and modified with the fitment of a V6. Alan carried out the work to replicate the mk2 Capri driven by John Wayne in  the film Brannigan, which features a car chase across London and a Capri jumping over a half open Tower Bridge.