CLASSIC GR.4 - Ford Capri RS3100 1974

Motor racing success has often proven to be a very powerful marketing tool, so it came as no surprise that Ford announced a racing program soon after the launch of the all new Capri in 1969.


In 1971 the Capri RS was the car to beat in the European Touring Car Championship and it was beaten only once. Jochen Mass took the driver's title, but it was Alfa Romeo who campaigned in a smaller class, that took the manufacturer's title. More competition was expected in 1972 from the newly founded BMW Motorsport team. Driving force behind the new team was Jochen Neerpasch, who had left Ford after the first race of 1972.


For the 1974 season the sport's governing body allowed DOHC heads to be fitted, of which only 100 examples had to be produced. With the help of Cosworth the new 3.4 litre quad-cam V6 engine was developed in 1973. The engine and heads were homologated by a short production run of the Capri RS 3100. Another big modification was the move of the radiators from the nose to the rear wheel arches for weight balance purposes. Performance of the revised Capri increased by quite a bit, with the engine pumping out around 440 - 450 bhp at around mid-season.