i MIGHT have to get rid of 924... help!

[Obin Robinson]

my wife has all-of-a-sudden gone from being ambivalent about cars to wanting to drive everything. i am fully supportive of this.

as many of you know, i've been working on my 1979 924 racing car project. the engine will be in it by the july, and it will be ready to run. however, with the Scirocco 16V, the 944, and the 924, we don't have space for another car.

jess wants a 1977 Ford Capri with a 2.8 litre turbo V6. i think these cars are pretty damn nice and i would not mind getting one. but this leaves the 924 as the odd-man-out.

should I:

put the 924 in mega-long-term storage and get back to it when we get more space...

sell it (at a BIG loss, because a lot of work has been put into it, and it would cost me thousands to buy a car that had that work done).

offhand, here's some pics and specs of the Ford Capri. these were made in Germany (not USA) and they're pretty damn badass cars:

Zakspeed Turbo Capri:

"… Hiding at right-arms length away from the tiny dashboard of the Ford Zakspeed Capri Turbo is a small, knurled brass knob. Twist it clockwise and the horsepower figures instantly leap as if the engine was main-lining nitrous oxide; it is your very own passport to hyperspeed.

Ford of Europe's hotshot factory backed race car uses this warp-factor unfair advantage sparingly. Overboost and your hard-worked pistons will resemble distorted remnants of the Chernobyl meltdown. But judge it right, set the turbo pressure at 1.6 atmosphere for the rolling start, check the Porsche opposition as a fast disappearing dot in your mirrors then slack off the boost and cruise untroubled to the flag ! …"

Tickford Capri:

rare, but still possible to buy

German Turbo Capri:


capri V6:


another Capri:


i'm willing to give up the 924, but i'd rather NOT! i would not be able to find another M471 car. should i just store the 924 long term (like 5+ years?). i would be willing to sell it for cheap to someone willing to do a "grassroots motorsports" project (and then we'll buy it back later on in the future).

suggestions? thanks!

obin

[ch944]

Oh man Obin. I've had close to 30 cars in my 34 years on this earth and I always wanted a v6 Capri but a turbo. I never knew they existed. Beautiful car. How is the body? Keep the 924 if the $$$$$$$ is not an issue. No sense loosing money on it at this point.

ch944

[Z-man]

Obin,
Though dilema. It does sound like your wife is understanding, and that she's caught the driving bug, which isn't too bad...

If your 924 project will be complete mid-summer, I suggest you wait until then to look for a Capri. If you put the 924 to the side now, you probably won't EVER get to it again. If you sell it now, you'll never know what 'could have been.' And if you restore it, you can always sell it at a better price then.

Have your wife wait just a little longer: finish the 924, save up some funds, and then she can have her play car too! That is, if she has the patience to do so... you never know: she may want to play with the 924 instead!

Restoring the 924 first before anything seems to be the most logical idea, IMHO

Good luck!
-Zoltan.

[Obin Robinson]

yeah, the Ford 2.8 litre V6 can be turboed like a 944 turbo... you'll run out of $$ before you run out of HP. i've heard of 400-500Hp+!!! they can take 22+lbs of boost!!!

i'd be driving around with a permanent

we don't want anything that wild, but we'd start with the regular 2.8 litre V6 and then turbo it (not too hard, lots of documentation, and easy to do). the fuel injected Capris use Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection which i know blindfolded.

the only problem is finding a nice Capri in good condition. they rust easily, but we would not drive it much in winter (if at all). even the regular normally aspirated V6 would be a blast to drive

obin

[Bob's944]

http://adcache.collectorcartraderonline.com/10/2/2/21290922.htm

here's one Obin

[Obin Robinson]

Originally posted by Bob's944
http://adcache.collectorcartraderonline.com/10/2/2/21290922.htm

here's one Obin

one downside he doesn't mention in the ad.... that's an automatic tranny

a nicer one:



1976 MERCURY CAPRI, 2nd-owner last 22 years, built V-6 engine, Venolia pistons, ported big valve, heads Isky, MSD, Holley, 4-sp., power brakes, power steering, suspension, body kit, lights, wheels, bumpers from FORD UK, Kenwood, Sony, Rockford, JL Audio stereo, SEBRING yellow, tan interior, drive something different, $4500 or best offer



other than the badge, there is zero difference between the Ford and Mercury Capri II.

we're interested in this too:
1976 MERCURY CAPRI , German CAPRI, SPECIAL body kit, PORSCHE wheels & turbo FOUR engine, 5-speed, 40000 miles, $2450 or best offer, 909-685-3911

obin

[ch944]

I was going to ask if you had a line on a decent rust free Capri. They are rare. I religiously buy all the used car publications for my area on the days they come out and I have'nt seen one for sale in a few years. Cars on my wish list are Opel GT which I had w/ 43,000 and sold for a nice sum at the time and a Saab Sonett.
Best of luck whatever you decide and I envey your wifes understanding for cars. Mine does not share in the enthusiasim.

ch944

[Obin Robinson]

ch944... put it this way, she loves cars, but didn't care about driving anything other than a slow, crappy granny-mobile dog-o-matic. she wanted a big old buick. this didn't float with me.

so one day she says:

"i want my own car, something with an automatic."

i laid down the law and said "well, until you learn to drive this car, keep quiet because i'm not going to let you get into any vehicle by yourself unless you fully understand all the dynamics of driving."

i explained to her that we have three cars already, and there is no valid reason on this planet for her to get some crappy old beater because we can afford something nicer. so she drove the VW around the block... and then again, and then more... and then again... and built up confidence in driving a 5-speed manual.

then all of a sudden she wants to drive to work, then she wants to drive home, then she wants to drive everywhere!!! then she tells me she wants something really small, and really individual and cool-looking. we look at Fiat Abarths, Renault R5 turbos, Mini Coopers, and a host of other cars. eventually i said "what do you think of Ford Capris?" jess looked at the capri and instantly fell in love with them. i mean, what's not to like? German engineering, V6, capability for turbo, rear wheel drive, manual tranny, handles quite nicely. i'm sold too. she now wants a manual tranny, and lots of power (we drove crappy underpowered cars for too long to want to get anything less powerful than what we have now).

yeah, it was odd, over the course of about 2 months she went from not caring, to becoming a fidgety "i need a car with lots of power that looks damn cool" enthusiast. i suggested a 914, but she wasn't interested.

we searched for 18 months to get the 924... we will peobably be searching for a while for the Capri. loan payments would be about $50 a month . how can you go wrong ?

if anyone else knows of any nice rust-free Capris (about as common as a rust-free 914 ).. please let us know!

obin

[ae1969]

Good luck trying to find a Capri thats in one piece Obin.........

I think most have gone to the junkyard by now..........

here are some more pics for you........

On a side note their is nothing sexier than a woman who knows how to drive a stick..................

http://www.capri.pl/gallery/gallery-mk1.php

[Nabeel]

On a side note their is nothing sexier than a woman who knows how to drive a stick..................

I totally agree!

[Lawrence Coppari]

Buy a car stacker. You can also use it as a lift to work on them. I have one in my basement, an Eagle 4 poster. Makes life a lot easier.

[JuiceMan]

Turbo Capris are sweet!

[Obin Robinson]

heh heh, drifter time!



yeah, i think we'll stuff the 924 away somewhere in one of those big bags to keep bugs out. i'm willing to give it up for a turbo capri. we still have the 944 to play with

obin

[drew1]

Obin,

I'd like to see you keep the 924. Let her drive it some.

drew1

[RaF944]

Heh my dad used to have a 85 mercury capri...cool looking car!

[ch944]

LOL


ch944