two lucky PHers
won cash to spend on the car of their dreams in the PH classifieds. Our first place winner John Crook continues his search for the ultimate Integrale, his own money topping up the £10,000 he won as the search goes on. More news when we have it. Meanwhile Matt Purdon, who won £5,000 and used it to buy
a Capri 3.0 S
, has been busy getting to know his new wheels and reports back below.
Thanks again to sponsors Adrian Flux for making this possible as competition sponsors.
Matt's Capri will be in good hands here
"It's been a busy month for the Capri. Since I got out on the downs for the photoshoot last month, I've got to know the car's electrics pretty intimately. Something as simple as fixing a headlight that was out resulted in a week spent chasing a chain reaction of blown fuses and bulbs. I think it was the car, or rather 'Tony' as he's become known amongst friends (put on your best Essex accent and do an impression of Tony from Dagenham; it should make sense) testing my commitment to him as a new owner. "I can only assume I passed, though, as I've enjoyed a several hundred trouble-free miles since.
My girlfriend hadn't been for a spin yet, despite me having had it on the road for the best part of a month, so we decided to find an excuse for a drive and planned a trip to visit some friends. Unfortunately for bank balances we both failed on the geography front, not realising that Bournemouth was actually on the other side of Portsmouth... It was a hugely enjoyable drive nevertheless, burbling our way through the sweeping New Forest roads.
Capri has had odd effect on Matt and girlfriend...
"I was quite impressed that he'd returned over 25mpg on the not particularly steady drive down there and back, but he did promise me it was a one-off detox weekend and his normal drinking habits would be resumed as soon as we were back. True to his word, I've not seen much over 20mpg since.
"I finished uni for the summer at the beginning of June, too. The Capri and Land Rover did great impressions of removal vans and got all my gear back in two easy trips. First home was Tony, but not before we stopped in to see Andy Pawis, owner of Andy's Auto Body based in Rochester. We'd spoken over the phone a few times about plans for the car, but he was keen to see it in the flesh to know what he was going to take on.
"It's an impressive set up; the fully kitted out unit will take on quite literally anything you can throw at it, whether it wears a blue oval or not. The group of guys working there were great entertainment after a long hot drive and Andy himself is clearly a very knowledgeable bloke. Having owned almost everything to have ever left the doors of a European Ford factory, he made it very easy for me to straighten out ideas for the car and work out what parts I'll be able to make use of over the course of the project.
Faulty light opened up a can of electrical worms
"I've sourced an original set of Ford arches already, along with a few other bits and pieces such as the signature 'Turbo Tail', so it's just a case of earning the cash to put it all together now. Andy's pretty well booked for major builds like mine for the moment, so it gives me a little while to save. I'm hoping to do as much of the labour as possible myself to keep the cost down and I'm very keen to stay as hands-on as I can be to keep the car feeling like it's mine at the end of the journey. I don't want to own a car built with a chequebook.
"From all of this, though, it's become apparent that the part of the process that is going to hold back progress is the cost of painting it. I'm happy to get the car prepped for paint myself, but having never wielded a spray-gun in my life I don't think the top coat of a show car is the best place to practice...
Guys at Andy's Auto Body know their Fords
"So, to save it being left looking like some kind of filler-smothered Mad Max reject, if anyone reading this knows anyone who'd like to get involved with the project and help me out when it comes to giving it a decent coat of paint, please get in touch. I really would love to hear from you.
"Before any of that happens though, I'm going to be devoting the first of summer's wages to things more mechanical. Saggy rear springs are great for looking cool, but scrubbing tyres over bumps is less than ideal. When I swap the struts, I'm going to take the opportunity to upgrade the brakes as well. Capris were never famed for their stopping power, admittedly, but judging by the way my mum ended up in the middle of a junction when she had a go, it stops a lot worse than her Golf does. She's very happy to have something a bit out of the ordinary back outside though. Apparently "it's lovely to hear a real engine coming up the drive again, even if it is a bit late." My neighbours might beg to differ!
Matt's keen to get stuck in as project progresses
"Alongside plenty of hard work and parts-collecting, plans for the next month mostly centre on just enjoying the car for what it is; a binge drinker that gets filthy dirty after a few days but never ceases to put a huge smile on my face. Time to make the most of living by those flat, twisty marshland roads.