Friday 23rd October 2009

Pic of the Week: South African Specials

This weeks POTW is a homologation duet

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This week's POTW has been unashamedly pinched from the latest edition of Classic and Sports Car, and shows a 1972 Ford Capri Perana and a 1973 Chevrolet Firenza Can-Am in a cracking 'rolling pose' on a country lane.

During the 1960s and early '70s South Africa saw somewhat of a hey-day for saloon car racing, with many would-be racers converting family cars into racing specials. As these two cars demonstrate, some of the results were pretty awesome, and often impressed the manufacturers themselves. Both of these cars had full factory endorsement, and 100 of each were built of each to pass homologation regulations.

These V8 saloons will both exceed 140mph and hit 60 in around six seconds (just 5.4 in the case of the Firenza), and we can only wince in jealousy at the thought of the noise these two were making during the photo shoot that brought us this great wallpaper.

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[Stevie Mojo]

Now you're talking! Two stunners.

[soad]

Beautiful - saved as a desktop. Cheers

[BoRED S2upid]

Very nice. What the Capri should have been as standard!.

[Bobdenero]

Love that Firenza

[mustard tab]

Bobdenero said:

Love that Firenza

+1

[Swill]

Love both, there's a guy in Hemyock (Devon) called Chris Smith (previously Streber Motorsport) had one of these capri's from S.A. last year, was alledgedly going to enter it at Combe, though as far as i know never got around to it..shame!

A beast

[Cotty]

Great picture.

[aeropilot]

mustard tab said:

Bobdenero said:

Love that Firenza

+1

Absolutely

[Alfanatic]

Beautiful. Thanks for that . Now I'm off to get a copy of Classic & Sportscar!

[pozi]

I never thought I would see the day that a Firenza would grace Pistonheads !!

The 1.3 Viva E Coupe was my first car and I followed it up with a 1.8 Firenza then a 2.3 Magnum Coupe, all the same shape but alas I never did work up to the V8 !!

[LuS1fer]

My dad had a Firenza 2000SL but preferred his Cortina Mk II GT. Conversely, after a Cortina 1300 and 1600E, I preferred the Vauxhall though only got as far as the Viva 1800 and lusted after the 2300SL and Droopsnoot from afar. Of course, the reality was the 1800 was, like most Vauxhalls of the period, strangled by small carburettors and the drive was ruined by the lousy pedal arrangement and not very good gearbox.

I'd still love a 2300SL in the dark blue or green metallic though and still think the Droopsnoot was one of the best-looking cars ever made.

Edited by LuS1fer on Friday 23 October 13:57

[Tim16V]

Great pic - looks like the 'Hounds of Hades' coming straight at you!

[stolenink]

I have had the great pleasure of catching a fleeting glimpse of this beautiful featured Firenza in the owners garage and viewing the engineering masterpiece that is the contents of the imaculately presented engine bay.

A stunningly preserved vehicle that looks great in the picture but, and trust me on this, it is way better in the metal.

Great stuff TP and SA.

[Oddball RS]

More of this please and less about the ring and which version of the GTI/GTR/GTS has been round it today.

[Rocketeer]

Perana - a name to conjour with from my boyhood in SA - nice to see things may be happening again

http://www.worldcarfans.com/109022717461/perana-z-...

And the Lee Noble connection....new car??

[Alfanatic]

Rocketeer said:

Perana - a name to conjour with from my boyhood in SA - nice to see things may be happening again

http://www.worldcarfans.com/109022717461/perana-z-...

And the Lee Noble connection....new car??

M12s were built or assembled in SA. Can't remember which.

[Lawrence5]

Heard the Ford Capri Perana v8 was made becuase they couldn't get the cologne v6 in SA due to sanctions - true ?

[Alfanatic]

Lawrence5 said:

Heard the Ford Capri Perana v8 was made becuase they couldn't get the cologne v6 in SA due to sanctions - true ?

I think that the Peranas predate the Cologne V6. In those days the Essex V6 was current, wasn't it? You could certainly get a 3.0 Mk1 Capri in SA. In fact, I believe the Peranas were built from 3.0s.

Anyway, I could be wrong about the timing, but I can confirm that the Essex V6 was available for years in SA in anything from Mk1 Capris to Cortinas and Granadas and it lived on until the Sierras and Sapphires went out of production. It's the engine used in any Ford XR6 in SA, and in the last Sierras and Sapphires it finally got fuel injection and 112kW. On the other hand, the Cologne was never offered in any SA ford. So you could be right about the sanction, but I'm sure that wasn't why the V8 was dropped in. It was an homologation special, I'm sure. The Peranas were built in the early '70s. I'm pretty sure the Cologne only replaced the Essex in the early '80s... at least everywhere but in SA.

Edited by Alfanatic on Friday 23 October 20:01

[LuS1fer]

Essex V6 was UK only until replaced by the 2.8 Cologne in Capri and Granada but Germany always had the 2.8 Cologne.

[Chipchap]

I very nearly bought a Chevvy Can-Am in 1975/6 for 3000 SA Rand ! [about £1200 then] but instead I bought a newer Mazda RX-2 Capella Rs Coupe' another homologation special. It was only 1700 Rand taken as a px against a new Mini 1275 GTS as fuel had just gone mad over there.

What a misssed opportunity.

Made up for it later though with:

Ford Mustang Mach 1 351 Cleveland
Lotus Europa
Ford Fairmont Gt 351 Cleveland. I think it was a Falcon GT in Aus.

Among many others, then I found bikes with a Kawasaki Z1000 A2 in 1977/8


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