Ford (D) Capri RS

(1981 - 1981)

Brand:

Ford (D)

Model:

Capri RS

Related:

Capri

Country:

Germany

Car articles about Ford (D) Capri RS by year

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The Ford Capri in racing (Gallery)

June 25, 2011 — Bruno von Rotz 44

The Ford Capri was also extremely successful in motor racing. Ford set the course early on and laid a good foundation for popular and top-class sport with the RS 2600. In many countries, Capri cars were at the top of the national championships, but they were also successful in international competitions. In 1971, Dieter Glemser won the European Touring Car Championship in the over 2-liter displacement class. In 1972, Ford even took the first two places in the European Touring Car Championship and also won the touring car classification at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After the touring car title had to be relinquished to BMW in 1973, it was regained in 1974, when Hans Heyer became European champion. From 1978, after a break, Ford competed with the turbo Capris, which were developed by Zakspeed. The car was a sensation, but for various reasons there were no title wins until 1981. The revenge came in 1981. Klaus Ludwig took pole position in every race of the German Racing Championship and won ten races. A side effect was the lap time of 7 minutes 18.4 seconds that Ludwig set on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring, only slightly slower than the Formula 1 cars a few years earlier. Ford Capri cars were also used in rally and rallycross sport. The 250 hp 4x4 Capri special versions, which were vastly superior to all competitors in rallycross, were particularly special.