A RETRO Ford Capri 1973 raced by a member of the Royal family and driven by a Formula 1 icon is up for sale for £120k.
The remarkable motor, which remained in storage for 36 years before a mechanical rebuild in 2014, is set to go under the hammer in April.
The genuine Ford works car, decorated with a blue and white ‘Shell Sport’ livery, was originally built for the 1973 Avon Tour of Great Britain.
It was during this event that HRH Prince Michael of Kent took the wheel of the Capri, which has the registration ‘XWC 713L’.
The royal achieved a respectable 16th place finish after driving in circuit races, rally stages, and across 1,000 miles of public roads.
Later that year, it was driven by Formula 1 World Champion Niki Lauda at a one-off race at the Österreichring circuit in Austria.
Eligible for prestigious events such as Goodwood Members’ meetings, it will go under the hammer at Bonhams’ auction in Goodwood, Chichester, on April 13.
The 3.0 GXL Group 1 Competition Coupé was purchased by its current owner in 2018.
It then underwent a full restoration, costing more than £100k.
The bodyshell required minimal repair, retaining its original condition, and the engine was rebuilt to factory specification.
This work was completed by Neil Brown Engineering, the same specialists who worked on the car in 1973.
The listing states: “Hundreds of new parts were sourced and the car was completely rebuilt over a period of 18 months with no expense spared.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Sports car from long-forgotten brand that went extinct is on sale for under £10k – with only 103 left on UK roads” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6361254400112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]“It is an important part of Ford‘s motor racing history and has the unique distinction of being the only car ever raced by a member of the Royal Family and Niki Lauda.”
The same vehicle was driven by Nigel Clarkson and Jeremy Walton in the 24 Hours of Spa Francorchamps, where it finished 13th overall.
In 1974, the Capri was allocated to Tom Walkinshaw for the British Saloon Car Championship, where he claimed six victories and finished 4th overall, topping Class C.
That same year, Grand Prix motorcycle star Barry Sheene raced the car in a celebrity event at Brands Hatch.
In 2021, after a full restoration, the Capri was driven to a strong finish – despite brake issues – by racing legend Steve Soper at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting.
In November that year, the car claimed 1st in class and 2nd overall at the endurance race 250km of Estoril in Portugal.
