Arguably one of the hottest coupes ever built on European soil, the Ford Capri was introduced in 1968 as an Old-Continent equivalent of the Mustang. It became an instant success, moving 400,000 units in its first two years on the market and almost 1.9 million examples by the end of production.
The nameplate soldiered on until 1986. It got two significant redesigns and was sold with a wide selection of four-cylinder and V6 engines. The Capri came with 205 horsepower on tap in its most potent iteration. But that's only as long as we stick to regular production models. Like many Fords from the era, the Capri was also modified for racing.
Initially fielded in the Touring Car Championship, the Capri also found its way into the German Racing Championship (DRM), the predecessor of the current DTM series. The contender for the latter was born after Ford and Zakspeed joined forces in 1978.
A German racing team founded in 1968 by Erich Zakowski Zakspeed became the official Ford team in the DRM series. It was commissioned to build an Escort for the Group 2 series and a Capri for Group 5 specifications. The latter was based on the third-generation car, which the company had just unveiled in 1978.
Initially powered by a turbocharged, 1.4-liter four-cylinder good for 380 to 460 horsepower, the Zakspeed Capri retained only a few elements from the production car. The Cosworth engine was eventually updated to produce about 600 horsepower, which enabled the race-spec coupe to charge from 60 to 200 kph (37 to 124 mph in 6.3 seconds) toward a top speed of 330 kph (205 mph).
The Zakspeed Capri wasn't immediately successful. The German outfit lost the 1979 season to Kremer Racing and the Porsche 935 K3, while the 1980 title went to Lancia Corse and the Beta Monte Carlo Turbo. In 1981, however, the Zakspeed-prepped Capri Turbo won the championship with Klaus Ludwig behind the steering wheel.
There isn't much information about how many race-spec Capris came out of Zakspeed's shop and how many still exist, but some have been restored and still make occasional appearances at track events. The orange, Jagermeister-liveried example you see here is one of those cars. And much like its BMW 3 Series-based counterpart from the 1970s, it kind of looks like a flying brick.
But make no mistake; the Zakspeed Capri is quite agile in the corners thanks to its aggressive aero kit. And it's a gorgeous sight at the race track, especially on a twisty course like Autodromo Mugello. Watch it do a few laps in the video below (it also includes onboard footage), and make sure you crank up the volume for turbocharged four-banger goodness.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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