Pic of the Week: South African Specials
This weeks POTW is a homologation duet
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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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.
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.
http://www.worldcarfans.com/109022717461/perana-z-...
And the Lee Noble connection....new car??
http://www.worldcarfans.com/109022717461/perana-z-...
And the Lee Noble connection....new car??
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.
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
CC
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