Main Menu
Car List
Driver List
Saloon List
Back
Next

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Capri MkI
Engine: Chrysler 7600cc V8
Configuration: front-engine, rear-wheel drive
Driver: Mick Hill
Class: Special Saloons over 2500 and Super Saloons,
Date taken: c 1971
Image Copyright: Gerry Taylor
Information: Gerry Taylor and 8th July, 1971 Autosport
Mick Hill, left in picture, was one of the leading lights at club level Special and Super Saloons. Not only was he a winner, but also the cars he built throughout the seventies and eighties proved to be winners in the hands of others, breaking many lap records on the way. Mick and his two companions, Dave Steeples and Trev Henshaw, were amateur builders in the true sense of the word, all being telephone engineers for the Post Office. The Capri shown here was their first attempt at building a racecar from scratch, most of the parts coming from other crashed racing cars and a crashed Capri. The body of the car from the front bulkhead backwards was metal, with a sub frame front and rear to take the suspension. Front, double wishbone suspension and brakes came courtesy of a Lola T70 crashed at the start of the 1970 BOAC 1000 race. Ford’s original metal doors were retained but the whole front end was a one-piece fibreglass unit. Mick fell back on his experience with the J’anglia, Jaguar engined Anglia, and used a Jaguar gearbox connected to a jaguar limited slip differential and modified Jaguar suspension. All four wheels were 15 inches diameter by 10 inches wide, the racing tyres being changed to suit the conditions. A 5000ccV8 engine was placed well back in the chassis, the rear 4 cylinders being inside of the cabin. This ex-Formula 5000, Gurney-Weslake unit gave out 430 bhp. All in all, the car weight 838 kg, giving it a weight to power ration far better than most in its class at the time. The picture above shows the car partly built, and not yet sprayed in its racing colour of orange (for those of you watching in black and white). In its first season (1971), Mick managed 15 wins, 2 seconds, 1 retirement and 5 lap records from 18 starts. This car is, I believe, the same car driven by Tony Strawson featured elsewhere (see Tony’s Capri). Other cars built by Mick, were the Ford Capri MkII and VW Beetle driven by Doug Niven and Jeff Wilson.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~