Will Holman’s Ford Capri 5-litre V8
Share on facebook302 Ford V8 power with throttle-body EFi.
PPC editor Will Holman’s Capri is what got him hooked on the highly addictive V8 habit. He bought it eight years ago but the 3-litre Essex V6 never performed very well so Will decided it needed a rebuild. But when the price of the parts and machining added up to £1100, Will had second thoughts. Then he read about Basil Green’s Capri Peranas in South Africa. Green ditched the V6s, fitted 5-litre Mustang V8s and cleaned up in South African Touring Car Racing. Ford were so impressed they sold the cars through dealerships and even considered bringing them to the UK – until the early ‘70s fuel crisis, that is.
Will hunted down an old Ford V8, rebuilt it with a kit of parts from the States and mated the lump to a Borg Warner T5 gearbox from a Sierra Cosworth. That was five years ago and since then the Capri has been the subject of continuous development (if not always improvement). The iron block V8 now has alloy heads and weighs less than a Pinto four-pot. The original four barrel carb has gone and in its place sit Jenvey throttle bodies with Jag V8 injectors. An Emerald M3D ECU controls the fuel injection and ignition timing.
Will’s used all sorts of bits to make the Capri work and under the bonnet you’ll find a Volvo water pump pulley, a Renault 5 coolant tank, a Land Rover brake master cylinder and the electric power steering pump from an A-class Merc.Following an extensive bodywork restoration by Auto Mirage (01253 734743), Will’s now decided the engine bay needs tidying up. That’s an engine-out job, so Will plans to rebuild the engine to higher spec with forged pistons, stronger rods and a higher compression ratio so he can better the car’s current 300bhp.He’s also toying with leaving the compression ratio as it is (8.9:1) and fitting a pair of small turbos.
Follow the car’s progress in PPC magazine every month.
