I love the Ford Capri and I’ve owned 12 in my lifetime – but I would NEVER drive the new EV version
WHEN it comes to the Ford Capri, Stuart Turp certainly knows more than most.
After all, the 79-year-old from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, has owned 12 of them in his lifetime.
In November, I was lucky enough to visit the Classic Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham, where I met Stuart sitting proudly alongside his Capri amidst a sea of 3,000 classic cars at the UK’s largest such event.
But of those thousands, Stuart’s Capri was one of just 20 cars that were finalists for the 2024 Pride of Ownership award.
The special gong, sponsored by Lancaster Insurance, celebrates enthusiasts with the best stories relating to their rare, unusual and cherished vehicles.
Stuart’s Capri is certainly all of those things, having come a long way since its place at the centre of a large hall in Birmingham.
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“Somebody asked me today, ‘What’s it worth?’ And I said, ‘Well, it’s only worth the insurance value of £18,000.’ And the guy said, ‘Well, I’ll give you £20,000 for it’,” Stuart tells me with a grin.
The Capri, first released in 1969, was Europe’s response to the Mustang and was built on the Cortina’s underpinnings.
Initially codenamed ‘Colt’, its stylish design and reasonable price point led to nearly 1.9 million sales over three generations of car, before production ended in 1986.
Today, they’re something of a rarity, seldom seen on UK roads - especially in the kind of shape Stuart’s got his into.
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This example has been lovingly restored, having been badly corroded after being kept off the road for some 10 years.
It took Stuart the best part of 18 months to complete.
But the Capri enthusiast has been here before, having entered and won the inaugural Pride of Ownership award back in 2016 with another Capri; a Mk1,1600 GT XLR model from 1969.
After that win, Stuart said he received an incredible offer for his pride and joy that led him to uncovering the Mk3 he owns today.
He said: “This guy pestered me and pestered me for it, so I went up to his museum. And he said, ‘what do you want for the Capri?’ And I said, ‘I want £30,000’.”
After doing business with the man, Stuart enquired about a Mk3 Capri he saw in the lot looking worse for wear, parked away in a corner.
“So I said, ‘What’s that worth in the corner?’” he told me.
“It needed restoration, and I asked what his basic price was and he said, ‘give me £10,000, you can take it’.
“It cost me about another £15,000 to get it into this condition.”
While owning two Capris in a lifetime might be a dream for many, Stuart’s actually had 12 different examples over the years.
He told me: “I've had three Mk1's, two Mk2's, and many Mk3's, and I've got this one.”
I had to ask him: what is it about the Ford Capri?
“Cut me in half, I’m Ford,” Stuart said.
“I'm Ford all over. I like Ford. I've always liked Capri. I've always loved them.”
Stuart’s work on the Capri has included a complete rebuild of the engine, which he says “runs like a dream.”
However, this Capri will be his last.
“I’m turning 80 next year. That’s me done. I’m getting too old. My health is deteriorating, it’s not very good.”
As something of a Capri connoisseur, I thought it fitting to ask Stuart what he thought about the recently revived Capri model that Ford unveiled in July - bringing the famous nameplate back after some 38 years.
This new Capri, a large, electric SUV, greatly contrasts the cool-looking sports car that’s a cult favourite among petrolheads.
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“The only thing it resembles of a Capri is the steering wheel and the curved back around the passenger windows. That’s it.
“If they gave me one to drive, I wouldn't drive one. I wouldn't have one. No.”
