1963 Ford Consul Capri GT

Description

• UNSOLD at auction July 2023
• Please contact Evoke for more information / to arrange a viewing : team@evoke-classics.com
• Full restoration
• Interior by Aldridge Trimmers
• Converted to Alternator
• Stage 1 pre Crossflow engine
• Less than 50 Consul Capri GTs believed to be left!
• Part of a private collection

For more images, see our LOT GALLERY

The Capri Project was code named “Sunbird” and took design elements from the Ford Thunderbird and the Ford Galaxie Sunliner. It was instigated by Sir Horace Denne, Ford’s Sales Export Director. He wanted a “co-respondent’s” car to add glamour to the product line. It was designed by Charles Thompson who worked under Colin Neale and had sweeping lines, a large boot space and a pillarless coupé roof.

On its September 1961 announcement the Consul Capri was for export only, but went on sale to the domestic British market in January 1962. The bodies were sub-assembled by Pressed Steel Company, with only final assembly of the drivetrain taking place at Dagenham and from February 1963 at Halewood. It was intended as part of the Ford Classic range of cars, but the body was complex and expensive to produce. With new production methods, time demands from Dearborn and a need to match opposition manufacturers in price, the Ford Classic and Consul Capri were almost doomed from the start.

The Consul Capri included Ford Classic De-Luxe features, including four headlights, variable speed wipers, 9.5 in (241 mm) front disc brakes, dimming dashboard lights, and a cigar lighter. The four-speed transmission was available with either a column or floor change. It was proclaimed as “The First Personal car from Ford of Great Britain” (Ford of Great Britain, sales literature, December 1961)

In February 1963 a GT version (also 116E) was announced. The new GT engine, developed by Cosworth, in fact this was the first collaboration between Ford and Cosworth, featured a raised compression ratio to 9:1, a modified head with larger exhaust valves, an aluminium inlet manifold, a four-branch exhaust manifold and, most noticeably, a twin-choke Weber carburettor – this being the first use of this make on a British production car. The Consul Capri was the first Ford to use “GT” as a model derivative worldwide.

This stunning example is one of only 2002 GTs to be produced and it believed that there are now less than 50 Consul Capri GTs left worldwide.

Fully restored it will be supplied with:

• V5 in our vendor’s name
• A large box file containing loads of provenance
• Five photocopies of previous Logbooks showing previous owners
• A couple of original V5 sections
• Handful of old MOTs
• A very large amount of previous invoices
• Loads of Consul Capri info

Exterior

If you’ve managed to pull yourself away from the images of this wonderful example and have reached this point in our article, you’re probably wondering if it is even worth your time reading this part as it is clear to say the car is absolutely stunning

Now sixty years old, yes you read that correctly, looking very close to how it did when it left the factory you would be hard pressed to find another Consul Capri GT, let alone one that is in this stunning condition.

Our vendor is rightly proud in sharing that this Consul Capri is as beautiful underneath as it is on top but was very honest in his appraisal when noting there is a very small amount to bubbling to the near side rear wheel arch and a small nick on the edge of the driver’s door, to be honest they are highlighted in the gallery but come on, they’re hardly worth noting but fair play to our vendor for pointing them out.

The brightwork is just that, lovely and bright with tons of chrome sparkling in the summer sun. There is a little area of damage that has been treated on the rear bumper but again you need to be scrutinising the car thoroughly to spot it.

There isn’t a lot else to point out other than advising you to go back to the image gallery and take in the spectacular design and wonder at the condition of the wonderfully designed car. A truly wonderful car from a bygone era when cars were built without the finance director deleting the expensive design quirks.

Interior

The interior of sixties cars has always impressed us here at Evoke and this Consul Capri GT doesn’t fail to impress either.

Slide into the drivers’ seat and the first thing you will notice is that the interior looks virtually brand new having been retrimmed by the very well-respected Aldridge Trimmers, like the rest of the car the interior has been lavished with exception quality all round.  From the door pads that look brand new to the carpets that look like they have had next to zero use.

We haven’t even got to the seats yet that have had new sponge as well as new leather all round.  It is noted that not only is it all wonderfully clean and comfy, but it is also a correct replica of the original interior that the Consul Capri GT left the factory with.

The original bakelite steering wheel is very nice to use but unfortunately has a couple of cracks, easily restored but unfortunately our vendor did not get the time to do this before the auction.  That said it really is the only thing of note that is worth mentioning as everything else in the sumptuous cabin is in fine fettle.

Our vendor shared that all the switches and knobs work as they should, and the dash is showing no unsightly cracks or fading.

Engine

The GT was released in 1963 and it featured a Cosworth-developed version of the 1,498cc engine, this time with better compression, a four-branch manifold and a twin-choke Weber carb – there were two firsts with this engine, as previously mentioned, the first being that this was the first time that Ford and Cosworth had collaborated and the second first was that the twin choke weber carb had never been fitted to a production car.

This meant the GT was somewhat more quick and more usable that the base models, it also meant that since Cosworth could inject its DNA people trusted that the engine could take even more power.

The odometer is showing 71k miles but I wouldn’t worry too much about that as the extensive document pack shows invoices for an engine rebuild that not only replaced many of its components but also included an upgraded Stage 1 rally camshaft alongside, new pistons and rings to go in the rebored top end, new valves on the machined valve seats, new bearings and so on.

As you would expect it drives extremely well and with that engine now having the power to match those looks you will find it to be a very enjoyable experience behind the wheel.

On top of all that and within the extensive document pack there are receipts covering everything from a penny washer through to a starter motor and almost every consumable part you can think of including the important stuff that will affect the GT’s reliability, see just a handful of them below:

• Distributor cap
• Rotor Arm
• Spark Plugs
• Plug Caps
• HT Leads
• Oil and Filter
• Engine Mounts
• Fan Belts

Wheels Tyres Suspension and other

The thirteen-inch steel wheels were sandblasted, and powder coated in the correct silver paint at the same time the body paintwork was carried out, if scrutinised you will now see some minor signs of age, but they are very presentable with both the chrome hub caps and outer rims gleaming in the sunlight.  Shod with very deep tread whitewalls, you have to agree they look just as nice as the rest of the car.

With such a painstakingly good restoration across every area of this Consul Capri GT would you scrimp anywhere else? No of course you wouldn’t so when it came to replacing the exhaust cost was not an issue.  Yep, the ubiquitous Stainless-Steel jobbie had to be fitted.  Just another area that will not be needing any attention for years to come.

Look at the rest of the car and you will see that it is just right everywhere, that goes for the running gear as well.  As expected, and just like the rest of the car the GT drives perfectly with no tell-tale knocks or squeaks coming from the suspension or running gear.

Again, there is evidence of brake pads being fitted within the document pack and considering how little miles this has travelled in recent years you can be forgiven for thinking that there really is nothing that needs doing on tis super rare little GT.

Serious praise indeed for a sixty-year-old car.

Our view 

Forget the fact that this car wants for nothing, If the spectacular styling alone hasn’t already convinced you that this is the classic for you, then the driving experience offered by the Consul and Capri almost certainly will, you’ll definitely appreciate the extra power and torque of the 1500 GT, especially with the subtle engine upgrades and modern alternator fitted to the best engine of the range.

On top of that, we challenge you to find a Consul Capri in such wonderful condition, we then challenge you to find at Consul Capri GT in this condition.  We are pretty confident that you will not find one available on the market right now.

So, if you have been keeping a sideways glance at the market for one then you will be acutely aware that these just do not come up often.  We don’t expect this to stay around long so do yourself a favour and get your bid in early and don’t let this beautifully restored GT pass you by.

Good luck! Please remember, our site uses anti-sniping software which ensures fairness to all bidders. So, if a bid for a lot is received in the last minute, the auction will go into a 2-minute overtime period for each subsequent bid.

Vehicle Location: Rye, East Sussex TN31 – it’s the responsibility of the winning bidder to make collection / transportation arrangements directly with the vendor.

Would like to arrange a viewing or have a question about this Ford Consul Capri? Please contact us at team@evoke-classics.com and we will speak to the vendor on your behalf.

Guide Prices?

We’re different. But you know that. And we’re always honest. In a sector where no two classics are same, how does anyone put a ‘guide’.

Well, everyone knows the broad value of classic, let’s all be honest. So we don’t need to tell you what you already know, do we.

The ‘market’ decides and the old cliché that ‘it’s worth what someone wants to pay’ is no less true. So why kid everyone!

But, because we are different, if it really does matter to you, that’s fine, we want you to be happy. Just drop us a line at team@evoke-classics.com and one of us will be delighted to ring you back and discuss, it’s what we do.

Tedious but it’s vital you read this, please.

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