1987 Ford Capri 2.8i Special

Description

• One previous owner (see below)
• 56,000 miles – verified mileage
• New MOT to August 2023
• Handbooks
• Five speed gearbox

The car that became part of British culture, the Ford Capri 2.8i Special was, in a way, a farewell for Ford. The market was moving to smaller, lighter cars. Production moved to Germany, but the Capri was still being bought in large numbers the UK.

When the classic Mk3 Capri was launched, the market for the big UK muscle cars had begun to contract. Production was reduced to reflect that. But not before Ford ordered its Special Vehicle Engineering department (SVE) in Essex, to build the best Capri ever. And it did. The Capri 2.8 Injection Special

Now classic car enthusiasts are queueing up again to get their hands on 2.8i Specials. Suddenly, the Capri seems to have found its importance again.

History

• This Capri 2.8i Special was registered new to a Tyre and Exhaust centre
• All the service, repairs, any work needed, we understand, was done by them
• The owner of the above garage then registered the Capri in his name
• One car, one owner, two registered names on the V5
• Our vendor, Stephen, is the third registered keeper
• MOT test certificates from 1998 – 2020 plus the new MOT just undertaken, are with the car, with the exception of three. Images are in the Gallery

Stephen lives next door to an independent Ford authorised dealer. He was looking for a lockdown project and the dealer was looking for a classic Ford to display. Serendipity took over.

Stephen went off and found this very nice Capri 2.8i Special that needed some fettling / recommissioning. He did some of the light work needed himself, the remainder went through his neighbour, the Ford dealer. For most of lockdown it spent it’s time in lockdown too, on display in their showroom.

Outside

In the iconic Ford Grey colour scheme, this Capri looks very fetching.

Generally, the Capri 2.8i Special looks very good. The usual suspect areas such as front panel, bonnet, boot edges and sills all look fuss free and friendly. The engine bay is clean and tidy. It is great to see the original manufacturer’s decals under there.

The black trim sets the Grey off very well. The unique 7-spoke alloys fitted to the Special look to be in good condition.

As with most classic cars, we see on the Capri 2.8i Special some areas of age deterioration. On the inside of the offside front door we can see an area that looks to have maybe been repaired previously. It is now showing its age. Stephen has honestly highlighted it. He says it hasn’t got any worse in his time. We can also see one of the bumper over-riders has perished slightly. There’s a touch-up needed on the front wing edge too.

Overall the outside of the this Capri 2.8i Special looks clean, tidy and very smart. The shut lines look clean and even too.

As you can the see from the images, the factory fitted steel sunroof operates fuss free, as it should.

Inside

Capri 2.8i Specials were fitted with Steel Grey half leather Recaros. They still look good.

The original parcel shelf in un-modified condition is at the rear. The headlining is good. There is some sun damage resulting in a crack to the dash. Stephen has openly highlighted this so that the new owner can see the extent of that. These cracks are not unusual. It wouldn’t deter us in any way.

On one of the window winders, the centre cap has gone walkabout. As you can see, the original door pads are in very condition. The rear seats don’t look like they’ve ever seen any action and the boot spaces is clean and tidy. All in all, a very nice interior, which reflects low ownership and low mileage.

Stephen has advised us that the after sales alarms have been removed but a flashing red LED light was installed in place to act as a deterrent!

Engine

The Capri 2.8i Special was launched at the Geneva Motor Show.

• Ford’s SVE took the formidable second generation 2.8-litre V6 engine as its base
• They equipped it with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection
• The result was 160bhp and 0-60 in under 8 seconds
• The SVE team lowered the stance
• Larger uprated anti-roll bars were fitted, coupled with gas-filled shock absorbers
• The final addition was to fit the 2.8i Specials as standard with seven spoke RS alloy wheels fitted with 205/60VR tyres. Then add a limited slip diff (LSD).

The V6 engine is bullet proof. When the Capri went through the Ford workshop for recommissioning recently,  it came out with an invoice for just over £1,100.  The low mileage and this recent money spent means this one has plenty of life left in it. The car is going for an MOT this week so this description will be updated soon to reflect that.

Summary

Capri 2.8i Specials are, well, special!

This one has had good, low ownership. We can see that it has been looked after. Recently it has had a good few quid spent on it too.

The simplicity of the mechanical components meant the Capri 2.8i Special was great value, robust and reliable. Nothing has changed.

This is easily an everyday driver. That is one of the reasons Fast Fords are so flippin’ popular.

The classic Ford Capri is back, bang-on trend. The superb V6-engined, rear-wheel drive set-up makes perfect sense to a certain age group. In 2.8i Special flavour, in this condition, this one is an absolute must have. And even more good news, we recently sold a white, one owner model for £30,000, our vendor’s expectation on reserve on this lovely Grey 2.8i is rather lower, so happy bidding!

Vehicle Location: East Sussex TN6. – it’s the responsibility of the winning bidder to make collection / transportation arrangements directly with Evoke Classics.

Have a question about this Capri 2.8i Special? Please contact the Evoke team at auction@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 are 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 auction@evoke-classics.com and one of us will be delighted to ring you back and discuss, it’s what we do.

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