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Here's my account of Ford Capri 3.0 Mk. III in Danish saloon car racing during the 1980's. I don't have any information on the origins, but only part of the weeling and dealing that was done among these cars during the decade.
The first Capri I know of was the Dupont single seater brothers, Steen and Kim. Only ever saw this car at an auto show in early 1982 (perhaps 1983, but 1982 is my gut feeling). A few years back I had the opportunity to ask Kim about this project, which he had more or less forgotten. No known history of this car.
By 1983 FF2000 driver Peter Elgaard turned saloon racer with a Dutch Capri. Apparently Elgaard was given a ride round Zandvoort – hanging on to the roll cage! - before the sale of this car, as the owner didn’t want nobody other than himself to drive the car. All of this is third hand account. Elgaard won in only his second race with the car and was a real threat to the establishment, when first gearbox problems and a jump start ruined the third race, and wet weather rendered the advantage of his potent Capri to also ran by the final and 4th round. This car was white on top, red on bottom.
Sometime during the season another Capri turned up in the hands of Peter Jensen Tønder. He was usually as close to the rear of the field as Elgaard was to the front, but this driver and car combo was to be a mainstay in Danish racing until Jensen Tønder died sometime during the mid-1990’s. By 1985 and perhaps 1986, this car was still running to group 1+ regulations, but was gradually developed into a Super Saloon Car over the following ears, still retaining a lot of its original look, including red paintwork and sun roof. During the early years this car perhaps even had vinyl roof, but not sure – it’s been a quarter of a century ago now.
Most of the opposition at the time consisted of 2 litre cars like Ford Escort RS2000, Opel Kadett/Ascona, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Mazda RX-7 and Trimph Dolomite Sprint, but the performance of Peter Elgaard opened the eyes for the Capri, that had otherwise disappeared some time during the late 1970’s.
Elgaard himself moved on to a BMW 635CSi for 1984, leaving his former Capri to fellow disco owner Peter Werner Hansen, car now in all white. Peter Jensen Tønder was around too, while two new cars turned up.
Søren Sejersen, another former FF2000 driver, had a white/blue car, while Jan Lundberg had a black/red car. Lundberg was also entered for a single round in a Volvo 240 Turbo.
By 1985 was for group A only, but the old group 1+ cars were allowed to bolster the grids. Peter Werner, Peter Jensen Tønder and Jan Lundberg had the occasional outing, while Søren Sejersen seemed to had disappeared.
Hot FWD procution saloon racer Dennis Christensen appeared for the final round of the year in a car of unknown identity. As Tønder was racing that day too, it could be either of the three other or a fifth for that matter. Preseason 1986 reports said that Dennis considered developing the car into group A specs, but nothing came of this.
Other 1986 Capris included Peter Jensen Tønder while Peter Werner Hansen only raced his car during the early part of the year, before buying a Volvo 240 Turbo. Newcomer Henrik Riinbæk took over this car. All three drivers took part in Super Saloon races, so cars probably started a glide towards more modified form by this point.
The Elgaard/Werner/Riinbæk car was looking group 1’ish till the end of 1988, when Tom Rode Hiort bought the car for the final races of the year, but that was soon to be changed. Over the winter the car was rebuild into a full space frame chassis, retaining only the roof and roof pillers!
So three, four or even five Danish Capris might had a CC tag on them. I think it’s significant that the cars only appeared here when they were faced out in other series around Europe. I don’t know the price tags on these cars back then, but I guess they had dropped significantly by 1984.
Jesper
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