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1981 Ford Capri 3.0 S (FIA) 'Group 1' Ex-Gerry Marshall/Graham Scarborough Autoplan Car

Lot Number: 731

1981 Ford Capri 3.0 S (FIA) 'Group 1' Ex-Gerry Marshall/Graham Scarborough Autoplan Car

Raced by two giants of British saloon car racing, initially in Production Saloons and now 'Group 1', this well-known Autoplan Warranties 3.0 S Capri has amassed a trophy cabinet full of wins over the last four decades and is now on offer with a new set of FIA papers.

  • Sold for: £42,750

LIVE AUCTION: This lot was auctioned on Friday 23rd February, 2024 at 2.00pm GMT at The Wing, Silverstone Circuit, NN12 8TN

  • Body Colour

    BODY COLOUR
    Diamond White

  • Drive

    DRIVE
    RHD

  • Registration Number

    REG NUMBER
    N/A

SUMMARY

Raced by two giants of British saloon car racing, initially in Production Saloons and now 'Group 1', this well-known Autoplan Warranties 3.0 S Capri has amassed a trophy cabinet full of wins over the last four decades and is now on offer with a new set of FIA papers.

DESCRIPTION

A slightly tongue-in-cheek suggestion by Roger Williamson, proprietor of Willhire Vehicle Rentals in Norfolk, resulted in the arrival on the club motor racing scene of the Willhire 24 Hours, an endurance race for production cars and Britain’s first 24-hour motor race.

The event was staged every year between 1980 and 1994 at Snetterton Circuit, becoming known simply as 'The Willhire', and there can’t be many drivers at club and national level during those years that didn’t get involved at least once. Many Willhire winners went on to enjoy success in other forms of motor sport and we are proud to mention that our own Lionel Abbott won the race twice, firstly in 1986 with Mike Smith (the first two-driver team to win the race) and in 1988 with Graham Scarborough.

It was initially assumed that a production car being hammered around Snetterton for 24 hours would self-destruct and so, for the first two years, it was a team event with up to four cars used, however the survival rate was surprisingly good and, from 1983 onwards, it became an individual event with cars shared by between two and six drivers.

The Capri on offer today is a 1981 3.0 S that was originally built from a Ford-supplied trimmed body shell for the 1981 production saloon car championships. With funding from Autoplan Warranties, it was put together by Roger Dowson of Gerry Marshal Racing (prior to Roger forming Roger Dowson Engineering) and was finished just in time for the Willhire, where the ebullient Gerald Marshall and the equally quick but considerably better behaved Graham Scarborough co-drove the car to second place in that race. Gerry continued to race the car for the rest of the season winning every race entered and both Production Saloon Car Championships (BARC and BRSCC). At the end of the year, Gerry sold the car to Harold Hagan in Ireland, where it continued to race with much success.

Some 15 years later, in late 1996, Graham Scarborough bought the car, still in it’s original Autoplan livery, and set about fully stripping it and rebuilding the Capri to 'Group 1' specification in order to compete in the Classic Saloon Car Club Pre-83 'Group 1' Championships. Graham’s well known standards of preparation and his undoubted ability behind the wheel resulted in years of success including many wins, dozens of class wins plus the Championships outright in 1998 and 1999 and the Class in 2000 and 2001. The car was well known at Spa, enjoying many successful visits up to its last outing there at the end of 2016.

The Graham Scarborough-built 'Group 1' engine was refreshed in 2018 and was set up on Neil Brown’s dyno late in 2021 having done just three races and not used since. A new clutch has been fitted which transmits through to an original Hewland 'Group 1' close-ratio gearbox and an Atlas 3.44 ratio rear axle. More recently, the car has benefitted from a thorough refresh with the paintwork and period livery being restored to a very high standard. The car is well set up and well balanced with Bilstein dampers all round. 

The Capri is complete with recently issued FIA/HTP papers valid for ten years, making it eligible for Legends, Goodwood Members' Gordon Spice Trophy, Classic Touring Car Club (CTCRC) and the Historic Racing Drivers Club (HRDC) Gerry Marshall Trophy.

Well known, much admired and superbly prepared, the 'Autoplan Capri' has always proven to be a very fast and very reliable front-running car and, in the right hands, should continue to be a winner.

SPECIFICATION

Lot Number
731
Make
FORD
Model
CAPRI
Variant
3.0S
Registration Number
N/A
Chassis Number
N/A
Transmission
Manual
Body Colour
Diamond White

GALLERY

CONSIGNOR

Consignor

For further information regarding this lot please contact Lionel.

CONTACT

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SEE IT IN ACTION

SEE IT IN ACTION

Due to the change in venue all vehicles must now be collected from The Wing, Silverstone Circuit, NN12 8TN on Sunday 25th February between 10am and 3pm

Any vehicles not collected by this time will be transported to a secure storage facility in Northampton by our transport partner EM Rogers, the charges for which are £175 plus VAT for removal and £10 plus VAT per day for storage. We will make contact on Sunday morning to confirm how you will be removing your vehicle(s). If we do not hear back from you by 1pm on Sunday, we will arrange collection with EM Rogers on your behalf.

 

Did you know that you may be able to finance your upcoming auction purchase? Our exclusive finance partner Apollo Capital are able to organise fast pre-approval for car funding on the latest interest rates and terms, minimum £50k lend.

An agreement in principle could see you arrange a finance package so the funds are ready to be paid out when you’ve bought your dream auction purchase. Please speak to their experts for a quote on 01423 590242 or visit apollocapitalgroup.co.uk/iconicauctioneers/.

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A classic car or motorcycle is a source of great pride and enjoyment but, whether your car or motorcycle is in storage or on the road, you’ll need a specialist insurance policy. We have partnered with Howden Insurance a leading insurance brokers with a team dedicated to classic cars and motorcycles. They cover a vast array of classic and vintage models and only work with insurers who provide a great service and share our passion for the classic motor industry.

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