Thursday 7th April 2011

You Know You Want To: 1988 Tickford Turbo Capri

The car that fans of 1980s bodykits always promised themselves...

---

...To paraphrase the original Ford Capri ad slogan. Love 'em or hate 'em, the Capri is one of those cars that everyone has an opinion about, be it as an Essex-boy's bird-magnet, or as a practical and handsome coupe.

Wherever you stand on the Capri debate, the most collectable of the species is considered by many to be the Tickford Turbo, which came about right at the end of the car's production. They were the brainchild of a Lotus test-driver and built by 'Aston Martin Tickford' (who'd also nailed-together the Ford RS200) in Coventry. And the bodykit was designed by the same bloke who went on to design the Ariel Atom. No, seriously...

The original plan was to build 250 (later revised to just 100), but in the end a mere 85 made it into existence. In fact, to be precise 100 were planned, 85 were converted, 15 were sold without having been converted but with Tickford chassis numbers, and a further two were built on a one-off (Surely two-off? -Ed.) basis a year after production ended - one of them for boxing promoter Barry Hearn. You getting all of this...?

In the end the car was a commercial flop - probably because the contemporary Sierra RS Cosworth was considerably faster and cheaper (in 1988 the one you see here would have retailed at an eye-watering £17,220). But of course such low production-volume makes them highly sought-after today.

This Tickford Capri from our classifieds is the very last built (of the original batch) and is a one-owner car from a private collection with a full and detailed history. The vendor owns no fewer than five Tickford Capris and has indicated that he'd need something in the region of £20,000 to part with it.

That's....erm....that's quite a lot, and one did sell on here recently for quite a bit less - although it was an earlier four-owner example and didn't have the full leather interior conversion.

Mind you, given the market for old fast Fords, and the fact that this is number 100 of the originally planned hundred cars, perhaps it's not too far out?

[Johnboy Mac]

Nope, does nothing for me now, has dated so badly. I might have been somewhat impressed back in '88 but can't really remember.

P.s. Best looking Capri was the MK1 I reckon.

[X5TUU]

drools

[richard300]

Wow.... Can't believe as many as 85 were produced!!

Genuinely can't decide if i like it or not, to me the most appealing Capri has always been the 280 Brooklands but i am no expert on Capri's.

I always thought the RS200 was nailed together by Reliant in Tamworth?? or did they just do the bodywork?

Regards the bodykit.... I remember back 'in the day' there was a company called 'KAT'?? who produced a bodykit very VERY similar to the Tickford Kit, they also made that very erm; Boxy looking kit for Metros, MK3 Escorts and other cars of that period.

[paulshears]

A white one came into the Ford dealership were my dad worked & I had a ride in it

[Twincam16]

I like these. The only way I'd own a Capri. IIRC they had IRS too.

I find the Cologne V6 a bit unrefined and strangely gutless in the midrange, lacking torque, but the turbo should see to that nicely. I just hope all that Aston Martin refinement did something to reduce the propshaft vibration.

[GTEYE]

Bit early for shed of the week, no?

[vixen1700]

I remember the white ones at the time and they didn't look good then. They haven't aged well either.

[Superhoop]

vixen1700 said:

I remember the white ones at the time and they didn't look good then. They haven't aged well either.

I thought they were a produced in White - although I guess this proves otherwise

[Speedracer329]

As a self confessed Capri fan - I have owned about 7 over the years - I almost bought a Tickford Capri in the late eighties, but I just couldn't live with the body kit. I hated how it straightened all the curves out of the body shape. So I went for a Turbo Technics 2.8 special instead, 230bhp, uprated brakes (or should that be breaks on here ), & a handling kit which included an A frame arrangement that held the rear axle in place. Now that could move. I sold it after a brain fog moment & have regretted it ever since!

[belleair302]

I have a friend who's father purchased one of these.....properly nasty and the brakes were dreadful. he loved run out editions of fast(ish) Fords, and ran it alongside his DB5, 911 RS and E Type Series II. He sold the car on after a year and lost money on it. Horrid thing!!

[Insight]

Looks like a modern Bristol!

[Escort Si-130]

I also thought they were only produced in white too. I remember a work coleague of mine bought one.

Superhoop said:

I thought they were a produced in White - although I guess this proves otherwise

[M666 EVO]

richard300 said:

Genuinely can't decide if i like it or not, to me the most appealing Capri has always been the 280 Brooklands but i am no expert on Capri's.

I agree with you on that one. Brooklands was the best IMHO.

Although my mate did have a mint and standard 2.8i in white (A636 WAB,if I remember correctly) and that was lovely...

[Smike]

Escort Si-130 said:

I also thought they were only produced in white too. I remember a work coleague of mine bought one.

Superhoop said:

I thought they were a produced in White - although I guess this proves otherwise

Also red, black and flaxen mist ( pale yellow )

[threespires]

richard300 said:

I always thought the RS200 was nailed together by Reliant in Tamworth?? or did they just do the bodywork?

RS200 - Correct, built at a Reliant facility in Shenstone, near Tamworth.

Tickford Capri ---- next thing we'll see is a Toyota with an Aston Martin badge.

[soad]

Plastic steering wheel aside, looks like a fairly nice place to sit in and drive!
I think it's alright actually

[Smike]

Twincam16 said:

I like these. The only way I'd own a Capri. IIRC they had IRS too.

CC racing in Yorks used to weld a bracket on each half-shaft case. A bar ran from that to the front of the leaf spring and clamped around the spring to provide an extra link.
They also used stiffer bushing in the spring eyes

[dudleybloke]

threespires said:

richard300 said:

I always thought the RS200 was nailed together by Reliant in Tamworth?? or did they just do the bodywork?

RS200 - Correct, built at a Reliant facility in Shenstone, near Tamworth.

Tickford Capri ---- next thing we'll see is a Toyota with an Aston Martin badge.

tickford did the interiors of the road going rs200's.

[Roberty]

X5TUU said:

drools

You should see a Doctor about that!

[OllieC]

threespires said:

richard300 said:

I always thought the RS200 was nailed together by Reliant in Tamworth?? or did they just do the bodywork?

RS200 - Correct, built at a Reliant facility in Shenstone, near Tamworth.

Tickford Capri ---- next thing we'll see is a Toyota with an Aston Martin badge.

Edited by OllieC on Wednesday 6th April 19:14