Innehållsförteckning för Spring 2024 från Classic Ford

Cars from the Ford of Britain Heritage Fleet that have previously Cbeen inaccessible to the public have now been put on display at the British Motor Museum. Seven fresh arrivals will join the existing Blue Ovals on display at the Gaydon venue, as well as a 1973 Capri Ferguson 4x4 that is being loaned to museum by a private collector. Ford of Britain’s Heritage Collection, which totals around 130 cars, is normally kept under wraps. However, the museum has secured the loan of a 1961 Mk2 Zodiac, a 1979 Mk2 Granada, a 1986 RS200 Group B rally monster, a 1988 Mk2 Fiesta XR2, a 1992 Sierra Sapphire Cosworth 4x4, a 1993 Escort Cosworth WRC and a 2004 Focus ST170, which have been arranged to form a display in the museum’s…

The historic motoring world has been rocked by the news that Brighton Speed Trials, commonly thought to be longest-running motorsport event in the world, is sadly no more after almost 120 years of history. Organisers Brighton and Hove Motor Club has confirmed that 2023 was the last running of the world-famous spectacle, with rising costs at the root of “heartbreaking” decision. Hosted on Madeira Drive, which lines Brighton’s seafront, the annual event has been enjoyed by generations of motorsport fans since 1905. “Despite Brighton and Hove Council’s help, the new road layouts, the closing of the terraces [in 2016], and the enormous cost involved in providing required safety measures, additional security and many other additional costs, the committee of the Brighton and Hove Motor Club have had to make the…

It was 1964. Great Britain was boring. And although the newfangled pop music was waking up the kids, their parents were so poor that they could only see in black and white. Everyday cars were equally bland; yes, the Jaguar E-Type was a sensation and, yes, the Lotus Cortina was the stuff of pipe dreams, but our nation was driving around in humdrum three-box saloons. Meanwhile, our American cousins were hitting a peak period of car culture. Hot rodding was cool, muscle cars were burning rubber, and a new class of socalled pony car was selling millions. Ford’s Mustang, introduced in April 1964, was big news as much for its fabulous looks and affordability in six-cylinder form as its power as a street-racing Shelby V8. Of course. the pony car’s…

It couldn’t be easier to sign up for a whole year of Blue Ovals with a subscription to Classic Ford — the magazine which loves these automotive icons as much as you do. Guarantee your copy every month with a subscription to Classic Ford and have each issue delivered directly – sent out in plastic-free, recyclable, biodegradable, carbon-balanced paper envelopes – while saving 45% on the yearly cover price. Plus for a limited time, take out a subscription and you’ll receive a free Meguiar’s detailing package worth £99 — so don’t delay, subscribe today. 4 GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE 1 SAVE money on the shop price 2 FREE Meguiar’s car cleaning kit worth £99 3 DIRECT delivery to your door 4 Cancel at any time PLUS: RECEIVE A FREE MEGUIAR’S…

September 1971 was a pretty joyful snapshot in time. John Lennon had just released his second solo album, Imagine, his new signature sound cementing the reality of a post-Beatles existence. Over in Denmark, the Free State of Christiania was founded, an independent commune within a squatted military base where mind expansion and free expression were encouraged and weaponry and negativity prohibited. Concorde made its first supersonic transatlantic crossing. And in Narborough in Leicestershire, a chap named Phil Wylie strolled into Roger Clark Cars with a spring in his step and a song in his heart, for the moment had come to collect his brand-new Escort Mexico. The salesman had offered Phil the standard range of colours, but also tantalisingly dangled the possibility of Le Mans Green, a shade not yet…

Email your hi-res images to classicford.ed@kelsey.co.uk or share them on social media…

A is for… Air/fuel ratio The amount of fuel being sent into your Ford engine’s combustion chambers is measured as an air/fuel ratio (AFR), which is just like it sounds — a number representing the ratio of the amount of air to the amount of fuel being burned in the engine. The engine mixes fuel with oxygen in the air and then ignites that mixture with a spark plug. The optimum mixture of air and fuel is 14.7 parts of air to every one part of fuel for an AFR of 14.7:1. At this ratio and under the right conditions, all of the fuel and all of the oxygen can burn leaving nothing except for the combustion products — this is called the stochiometric ratio. However, a stoichiometric mixture burns…

With my Fordmax Competitions-won Orion back home in Scotland from last month’s collection roadtrip I was more than happy with it. Yes, it’s very much a budget project, but there’s a great car in amongst the niggles, and there’s nothing that can’t be easily sorted. The car made the 300-mile trip fine, but a couple of days local use was showing up some issues which needed immediate attention. The dead heater motor thankfully was just a blown fuse, and since replaced it’s worked perfectly, so an easy win there! The car did suffer from an annoying stutter when pulling away, so logically it made sense to get stuck in at the basic service items, as who knows how long this 36-year-old car had gone without attention. Recent receipts showed a…

Fifty-five years ago, Ford’s Boreham factory was the epicentre of the company’s motorsport business. When Ford’s works team flew back from the London-Sydney Marathon at Christmas 1968, they had only a few days’ rest. Boreham’s workshops opened their doors again on January 2, 1969, and another frantically busy season was in prospect. This is what happened… January When the battered, sometimes broken, Lotus Cortinas trickled back from the London-Sydney Marathon, they were hastily rebuilt, then sold off. This took weeks, but the team had no further use for them. They never again appeared in full works guise. Escorts, Capris and Zodiacs would all be seen at Boreham in the coming months. Two brand-new Escort Twin Cams (BEV 781G and BEV 782G) were prepared to take part in the Monte Carlo…

You can’t deny it, almost everyone buys a classic Ford with thoughts in their head about planning an engine swap to improve performance. The thought of a classic Ford with something big, bad and screaming under the bonnet is just way too tempting a idea not to do look into doing. Plus, in the majority of cases, it’s by far the quickest and cheapest route to getting bigger power figures to the rear wheels. The clincher though, is that there’s a serious wealth of available engines out there to choose from too. From the classic selection of units (Essex, Kents, Pintos) to the list of modern, electronic, start on the button every time motors (Zetecs, Duratecs), virtually everything is acceptable — even the occasional Vauxhall motor! There is a downside…

Crikey, is it that time already? It only seems like yesterday that we were celebrating 50 years of the Capri, yet here we are, five years down the line making a fuss over Ford’s legendary coupe hitting the big 5-5. A lot’s happened in five years — with the main change being the vastly bigger number of body panels that are now available, and consequently we’ve seen a huge rise in the number of Capris being restored recently. The quality of the cars being turned out of single garages and lock-ups has improved immeasurably, too. So turn to page 23 and immerse yourself in the world of Capris, and when you’ve had your fill of that, make sure you head to one of the three main Ford shows happening this…

Are you a weekend warrior? We certainly think so. As Spring beckons and cars get dragged out of garages in preparation for the outdoor show season, in the jam-packed May issue, out April ??, we celebrate standard and modified classic Fords built to rule the A and B-roads on a weekend. Plus we reveal top tips for getting the most out of your Ford. All this plus a Mk1 Transit buyer’s guide, new inspiration feature and pages of cars, parts and projects for sale. The May issue hits the newsstands and is available to download from Friday, April 12. Why not subscribe to make sure you don’t miss out? Check out our latest subscription offers on page 58. ON SALE April 12!…

When it comes to classic Fords, there are many tried and tested approaches to creating the perfect beast. It’s almost impossible to list all the looks and combinations our community have adopted, evolved and created over the decades. There is one very unique look though, that has been born from our love of low, fast and simple — the South London look. The look emerged back in the late 1980s, and has been adopted by many, and perfected over the decades by the die-hard, hard-charging, street racers who simply can’t be swayed by modern technology. Enthusiastically applied with passion across all the wonderful shapes of the classic Ford lineup, it’s timeless appeal is never more evident than when amongst the horde of modern street missiles, a set of wide 13…

MARCH Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show March 22-24 NEC, Birmingham UK www.necrestorationshow.com Wheels Day March 29 Newbury Showground, UK www.facebook.com/surreystreetrodders Zephyr & Zodiac Owners’ Club of Melbourne 50th Anniversary March 30-April 2 Ballarat, Victoria, Australia https://zzocm.com.au APRIL Techno Classica Essen April 3-7 Messe Essen, Essen, Germany www.techno-classica.de Coffee & Chrome April 7 British Motor Museum, Warwickshire UK www.footmanjames.co.uk/coffee-chromecollective Squires Fordmeet April 7 Squires Bikers’ Cafe, West Yorkshire UK www.facebook.com/SquiresFordmeet Goodwood Members’ Meeting April 13-14 Goodwood Motor Circuit, West Sussex UK www.goodwood.com/motorsport Drive It Day April 21 Various club and specialist events and road-runs across the UK www.fbhvc.co.uk/drive-it-day Donington Historic Festival April 29-30 Donington Park Circuit, UK www.doningtonhistoric.com MAY Retro Rides Weekender May 111-12 Goodwood Circuit, Chichester, UK https://retroridesevents.com/weekender Classic Ford Show May 12 South Of England Event Centre,…

Some features on classic Fords scream race car like no other. The sound of a hot engine helps and some of the bits you can’t see like an FIA logbook truly confirm it too. But what about the physical hardware to create both the right image and all-important safety? One of those high on the list has to be a rear firewall, which helps to keep the driver and the car safe from the evils of burning fuel. After all it’s common practise to mount the fuel pumps in the boot and if you haven’t got a method of isolating fuel, you could end up frying more than the local chip shop. But safety’s one thing because there’s another argument for adding such a structure too — get it right…

QUERY OF THE MONTH Window seals Q I’m having some issues with my opening rear quarter windows on my Mk1 Capri. The old glue that used to hold the glass to its fittings has failed. I’ve tried various epoxy resins and glues from my local motor factors and hardware store to repair it, but they all seem to fail after a while. Ford managed to hold them in for 40 years, but I’m struggling to keep them in for a week, and I always have a constant worry that they will fall out at any time. Is there any other sort of glue/epoxy I can try? Robin Beaumont UK A “I have two options for you,” reckons Trevor Steadman from Steadspeed Restorations. “One is a product called JB Weld. It’s…

The 65th edition of what was initially called Boucles de Spa, and since 2006 as Legend Boucles à Bastogne, took place over the first weekend in February around the Belgian Province of Luxembourg. We were expecting a fiery rally and we weren’t disappointed! At the end of the first leg on Saturday, eight Escorts were in the top 10. On Sunday morning, Ghislain de Mévius and Johan Jalet (Escort RS1800) were in the lead when they set off on the five forestry stages but on stage 12 everything went wrong with their Escort which came to a halt following a broken axle! The best performer of the rally was local hero, Cédric Cherain with co-driver, Damien Whiters. They missed the two first stages, because the car wasn’t ready, and started…

Our classic Fords can suffer in any number of ways, from neglect that results in rust and rotting, to crashes that bend and destroy parts. But the most destructive force to any old car is a fire. With so much being combustible a blaze can wreak utter havoc in seconds. That was the fate of this rare 1984 Tickford Turbo Capri. The man who saved it with extensive restoration work will be a familiar one to regular readers; Sean Horsey from 1st Choice Car and Body Repairs. “In 2021 this Tickford Capri was being driven through Portsmouth when it caught fire,” explains Sean. “Apparently it was well ablaze within moments. Fortunately the entire car wasn’t destroyed, but the Capri was heavily burnt at the front with extreme damage to the…

It wasn’t until six months after the demise of the Mk1 Lotus Cortina that the Mk2 version appeared, but on its February 1967 launch it was obvious that the new generation model was worth the wait. Granted, the Mk2 wasn’t as specialised as its predecessor, being devoid of the earlier Mk1’s aluminium panels, lightweight transmission casing and trick rear axle set-up, but what it lacked in exclusivity it more than made up for in terms of reliability and usability. Ford had already fettled the last of the Mk1s to be more durable and it went even further with the Mk2, bringing production in-house at its Dagenham manufacturing facility in order to significantly boost build quality. Much of the Lotus Cortina’s new-found robustness and user-friendly nature was down to it being…

Name: Jordan Lowe Age: 33 Profession: HGV driver Location: Lancashire, UK Car: 1982 Fiesta 1100L Start Condition: Bought as a rust-free project Condition now: Paintwork complete, engine and gearbox now installed Time taken so far: 11 years Estimated date of completion: Spring 2024 Growing up alongside a family of Fordoholics, it’s hardly surprising Jordan Lowe became afflicted with the same addiction. “My dad and brothers had 1600Es, XR3is, RS Turbos and there were even a few Cosworths on our driveway,” he recalls. “There was always a car that needed either fixing or required a full restoration and I became involved at an early age.” For the Lowe family and their friends, every Wednesday has for many years been dedicated to Car Night where this small group of petrolheads get together with the…

The Government has scrapped a ‘madcap’ change to MoT rules that would have made testing compulsory every two years instead of annually, as well as abandoning proposals to extend the first MoT for a new car, van or motorcycle from three to four years after purchase. The major shake-up of the MoT regime was proposed in January 2023, accompanied by the consultation from the by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). At the time, the Government suggested that the new measures could be rolled out because fewer vehicles were failing MoT tests thanks to improving technology, helping drivers to save money. However, the move was slammed by many in the automotive sector, who pointed out that the current frequency of MoT testing plays a…

PRODUCT OF THE MONTH ATLAS-TYPE LSD FOR ENGLISH AXLES £654 Rally Design Rally Design reckons this is one of the most-important products they have designed in recent years, and it’s not hard to see why. As part of their Blackline range of uprated transmission components, this plate-type LSD has all the design features and strength of an Atlas-spec LSD but is manufactured slightly smaller than the Atlas unit to fit into the more-popular English casing — and correctly set up they reckon it should be good for 300 bhp. With 18-tooth, larger-diameter halfshafts and high-quality crownwheel and pinion sets also introduced for the English, there’s now no reason not to stick with this axle for most applications. The default break-torque setting is 60 lb.ft (rally-spec) but plate sets of 37…

1960 SEPTEMBER 1961 Ford’s first use of the Capri name tag was on the Classic-based coupe, sold in GT form for a time. The Classic saloon had that characteristic reverse-slope rear window style. Mechanically, there were few links with the Capri which was to follow 1967 Prototype Colt starts development. Inspired by the Ford-USA Mustang, the British Capri family took shape in 1967. Except for a slight change to the side window profile, all Mk1s (with engines from 1.3-litres to 3.1-litres) would use the same basic structure, based on a Cortina/Corsair floorpan. Seating was a compact 2+2 layout JANUARY 1969 ‘The car you always promised yourself’ is launched, with prototypes on display featuring BDA motors in the engine bay. Sadly, this option never materialised OCTOBER 1969 The 3000GT joins the…

For many Ford fans, the Mk3 is the definitive Capri. So long-lived yet so similar to the original — in style, layout and even performance — and still a car that can be driven with pride among today’s technological marvels. In fact, the Capri’s simplicity was what kept it cost-effective; its place in British culture was what kept it relevant. Today, you need only mention TV’s The Professionals, and you’re instantly taken back to Bodie’s Mk3 Capri 3.0S skidding around side streets. And Ford was all too aware of halo models shifting units; so there was no surprise the third-generation Capri came in as many different colours and flavours that the German factory could produce. Internally codenamed Carla, the Mk3 Capri was essentially just a facelift of the Mk2, initiated…

When it comes to car fanatics, it’s not unusual to find people who live and breathe their favoured marque or model. To many of these enthusiasts, simply becoming the owner of one example of their dream machine is an achievement to be proud of, with even the most hardcore of the breed topping out at around two or three cherished examples. So when we heard about the father and son car collecting duo of Mark and Callum Marsdon who share a lock-up with Simon Carter, our interest was immediately piqued. You see, Mark, Callum and Simon like their Granadas. In fact, they like Ford’s boxy executive cruiser so much that they have amassed a collection of 14 of them! And we’re not just talking about run-of-the-mill models here, as the…

In my last update, the Pinto had been refitted after having to be removed and mated to yet another baffled sump. In the absence of off-the-shelf options for Capri sump guards, as usual, Steve Pester of Steve’s Classic Cars came to the rescue. We decided that a bespoke sump guard was the way forward but if they’re poorly designed sometimes they can cause as many problems as they cure on a fast road car. After much research and development, trial and error, and tea and biscuits, I’m delighted with the end result. A heat-treated alloy plate manages to be both fairly light and very strong. Thank goodness Steve has got a hearty hydraulic press as it took some persuasion to shape. The factory, welded-on towing eye was removed from the…

1. Don’t just renew It’s all too easy to let the direct debit continue and sign up for another year with your existing insurer. Before you do though, have a look at quotes from other insurers. If they come in cheaper and you don’t want to switch, call your existing insurer, quote the cheaper prices and quite often they will be able to bring your renewal quote down to a similar level. 2. Look at classic insurance They’re often tied into Agreed Value, limited-mileage polices but classic insurance specialists can offer some great-value policies. Most class a vehicle eligible for classic insurance as being over 20 or 25 years old, but some allow exceptions for modern classics, so do your research before you dismiss a classic insurance policy out of…

This fascinating image dates from 1968 and shows a prototype of the forthcoming Capri — known prior to launch under codename Project Colt — undergoing cold-weather testing in Finland. What makes this pre-production example particularly interesting is the shape of its rear side windows. Although Ford had decided on the characteristic U-shaped windows as early as October 1967, prototypes were still be used with the design originally drawn up for Project Colt. The window shape was changed for the production version of the Capri following complaints from rear seat passengers of a claustrophobic feeling.…