1979 Ford Capri V8 – Classified of the Week

It’s no secret that we’re fond of a Capri here at Car & Classic. (No, not that one.) In fact, to say we have a soft spot would be somewhat of a gross understatement. We bloody love the things and the sheer number we’ve owned in the past is testament to that. However, there was always one thing that, to us at least, the Capri was sorely lacking. Yep, that’s right, the choice of a stonking great V8 under that iconic bonnet. Well,  this Capri V8 certainly bridges that gap.

Go back far enough though and you’ll discover that the Capri did technically get a V8 in the form of the Perana but numbers were sorely limited and it was only available in South Africa. Here was a privately built Mk I Capri but with Ford’s blessing that showed that not only was it possible to build and sell the Capri with an eight cylinder powerplant but that there was also the demand for it.

Basil Green of Basil Green Motors in Johannesburg made a name for himself in the late ’60s by tweaking various Ford engines whilst simultaneously operating a racing team. From Cortinas and Escorts to the Capri, Basil Green Motors would become affiliated with Ford in South Africa as its go to tuning company. Having produced a number of Capris with Ford’s Essex V6 engine, Green switched to Ford’s 5.0-litre Windsor V8 (that of Mustang fame) when Ford itself began offering the V6 as a factory option in the Capri.

With around 280bhp on tap the resulting V8 Perana goes down as one of the coolest Capris (if not Fords) ever to grace tarmac but sadly production only lasted for a few years in the early ’70s and whilst fully sanctioned by Ford, including being made available with full factory warranty, the Perana was short lived. The light that burns twice as bright and all that…

Well worry ye not, dear ready because we have the next best thing in the form of this early Mk III Capri. It may have begun life as 3.0-litre S with the aforementioned Essex V6 providing forward motion but at some point that was ditched in favour of an extra two cylinders in the form of the ever popular and inherently swappable 3.5-litre Rover V8.

Not only that but this 1979 model is apparently a genuine X-Pack car which means it has the muscular looks to compliment its similarly brawny performance credentials. The X-Pack was a performance option available between 1977 and 1980 on the 3.0-litre Mk II and Mk III Capris. Improvements over the standard cars included, amongst other things, larger ventilated front discs, a limited slip diff and a choice of beefier Essex V6 engines. The most noticeable feature, however, was the fibre glass body kit and wider wheels and tyres. Customers could buy the kit through Ford Motorsport and get them to carry out the conversion work to their current car or order a brand new Capri with the X-Pack kit already fitted.

Suffice to say the Capri we have in question certainly looks the business and backed up by that Rover V8 it definitely has our juices flowing. The seller, who owns a collection of classics, states that everything must go following a permanent move abroad and that the car comes with “fantastic service history with full folder of receipts”. A five-speed manual Ford Type 5 gearbox completes the mechanicals and a full compliment of leather Recaro seats sets the tone for the interior.

This looks to be a well sorted Capri and a spiritual successor to the South African Perana V8 mentioned earlier. If we could stump up the 25 grand asking price then we’d be all over it in a flash and if the X-Pack and V8 aren’t enough to convince you then take a look at our Capri video on YouTube for five more reasons why you should snap this up.