Another rotting ford OMG gold dust.

[londonm]

Rotting away on a drive in Tooting in South London, this Capri has a tax disc displayed that expired in July 1998. This means, by my reckoning, that the car has spent more than half its life stationary and laid up. Looking at the remains of the plate, I reckon it's a 1983 model. I seem to remember the colour scheme as denoting a decent spec model, the bulge in its bonnet would seem to confirm this unless it's just a dent. I can remember this being here for years, and the story of these abandoned cars always puzzles me. Was it meant to be repaired at some point? Can some OAP not bear to get rid of it? Do they know the potential value of these things now? To be honest, I think it's held up well on the rust front all things considered, but I guess being on concrete and not grass has helped. Having said that, it could be totally dissolved underneath.

 

 

 

 

[Anglevan]

All the mk3s had the bulge in the bonnet. It's probably just a 1.6 special edition. Surprised it's been there that long.

[Shep Shepherd]

That's a "Cabaret II" special edition. A nice car in its day.

[EssDeeWon]

Plenty of cars like this sitting about, some I have papped in the Southend area, im always interested to know the story behind something being parked up and left for years on end, like that Capri.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

That's got to be worth a knock on the door. You might just catch them at the right time, sometimes just being polite and normal is enough to get someone to part with a driveway ornament. They've probably had hundreds of chancers offering to take it away for no charge etc, the offer of a couple of hundred quid might be all it takes. Of course they might tell you to fuck off and set the dog on you, do you feel lucky ?

[Leyland Lawrence]

Still can't get excited about these cars. I'm pure BL really.

[EssDeeWon]

Here are a couple of abandoned Capri's I have papped on the manor recently;

 

 

And this

[New POD]

I remember my Ford Loving dad, having all the ford brochures for his new company car, and the Littlewoods empire management car list, which included 1.6 Cabaret Capri, and 1.6 Series 80 (mk5) Cortina estate, amongst other options (the list went to 3 A4 pages, but he'd only pick a Ford) and being incensed, that he chose a beige estate. WTF.

 

It was at this point that any respect for my parents disappeared (age 12), which started 3 years of rebellion, where I pretty much refused to do anything they asked of me.

 

It was only in about 1990, that he redeemed himself by picking a 1.8 lx Sapphire from the NHS management car list, and let me drive most of the way to Stuttgart (with him, my mum, and my wife) to visit my big sister. He woke at 2am to find me driving it at an indicated 130 mph, but with me pretending to be asleep, and faking snoring.

[garethj]

 

 

I'm sure I had a jumper in that colour scheme in the '80s.

 

By Christ there was some dodgy stuff around back then

[alfetta]

2.8i looks quite tidy but been sat there a few years now...

 

capri

[AlabamaShrimp]

Sorry I'm guilty of the same and letting a capri rot on the drive. It was a "I'll fix it one day" thing but never did. Eventually I sold it and it's still out there on a sorn someplace

[Asimo]

At work there is an '07 Fiesta, the fast one with stripes and fancy seats, that hasn't moved since I came to work here in '09.

 

Covered in life-forms now, tax disc losing it's colour but none of the tyres are flat.

 

Maybe abandoning them young is a Ford thing.

[dugong]

O NO SUTCH A SHAEM WERE IS THIS CAR PLS U CARNT SAY WERE WINGING JSUT SAYIN WOT A SHAEM NO OLD SKOOL FORD SHUD LOOK LYK DAT

[AlabamaShrimp]

At work there is an '07 Fiesta, the fast one with stripes and fancy seats, that hasn't moved since I came to work here in '09.

 

Covered in life-forms now, tax disc losing it's colour but none of the tyres are flat.

 

Maybe abandoning them young is a Ford thing.

If it's blue with stripes I need both the front and back bumper for mine

 

(it's a long story how they got damaged)

[Asimo]

^^^I don't know whose it is and enquiries are met with a blank wall of bureaocracy.

 

It is Blue with a white stripe though......

[2MB]

I enjoy the way old Capris seem to sag at either side of the front end. Not sure if it's an optical illusion or structural rot though...

[fordperv]

I am guilty of letting a Capri sit there, my problem is space, it's at my mums, i can't get it to mine until my 3 door goes for paint l and I can't do major work on it at my mums because she works nights so she would kill me if the grinder woke her up, i pop round and clean it etc

[jakebullet]

Also guilty.

 

Parked an injection special with 11 months mot at the side of my garage nine years ago. It had just scraped the mot, probably wouldn't make another one and I was suddenly too poor to run it.

 

It's now rather sad. Inner wings are shot to shit being the worst thing.

[the judge]

Calypso edition Shirley? My big sis had one..

[Lord Sterling]

I was watching an old episode of "The Bill" yesterday when I spotted a Capri in the same paint scheme, immediately I wondered if it was the one above but I don't think that one had a White pinstripe like the one above.

 

Calypso edition Shirley? My big sis had one..

Interestingly, the Calypso did seem to have a similar paint scheme to the Cabaret II.

 

 

 

I wonder what the differences were? I know fuck all about Fords.

[DVee8]

I think it is a Calypso too,the lad over the road had one.

[EssDeeWon]

After some brief research it appears the Cabaret 2 and the Calypso both came with that same colour scheme and spec.

 

Without seeing the name on the boot its difficult to call.

[Lord Sterling]

I amended my post as further research has found that they both came in the same paint scheme. There is an ad that shows that they were both released at the same time.

[EssDeeWon]

How odd releasing two special additions at the same time that both look the same. We need some Capri bod anorak to explain this one. 

[saucedoctor]

NORM!

 

The Calypso was mechanically the same as a 1600LS, which replaced the 1600S. The LS didn't have dartboards, though, it had these:
 

 

Edited to add: MY LS had the wheels pictured. Having a look round, it seems earlier LS models had dartboards, and no spoiler.

[londonm]

I was watching an old episode of "The Bill" yesterday when I spotted a Capri in the same paint scheme, immediately I wondered if it was the one above but I don't think that one had a White pinstripe like the one above.

 

Interestingly, the Calypso did seem to have a similar paint scheme to the Cabaret II.

I wonder what the differences were? I know fuck all about Fords.

The Bill was filmed about two miles away from this car, and though the series is long gone Sun Hill police Station is still there complete with mock up South London Streets behind it. It was filming on location throughout Wimbledon, Clapham, Tooting, and Streatham. Basically, could have been the car, possibly.

[Pete-M]

Yup. A calypso. Two tone paint, LS wheels, tinted glass and I think a 5 speed box. The early 80s equivalent to the later Laser.

 

The Cabaret was another strange limited edition. Cheaper, I think. Had dartboards so would have been my choice. I find the LS wheels displeasing to the old optical receptors.

 

Why people didn't save the extra for an S is a mystery to me.

[saucedoctor]

The guy I sold my 1985 LS to was very keen on the wheels. He reckoned they looked good. However, he also reckoned that he himself looked good. He didn't. He had a face like a melted welly and head like a 50 bob cabbage. A travesty of a man, a human pastie if you will. And he was a devious cunt as well (as we later found out)

 

GXI416, for that was my Capri, was crashed twice by said Elephant Man. On consecutive nights. In the same place.