1973 Avon Tour 3 Litre Capris - Camaros - BMW 3.0 SI -

1973 Avon Tour 3 Litre Capris - Camaros - BMW 3.0 SI -

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Tuesday 15th November 2011
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Gordon Spice took his Very Quick 3 Litre Capri to second place behind The Late Great James Hunt in his Monster Camaro.

Do any Ex Tour Cars Survive ?


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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Thursday 17th November 2011
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Very interesting re G Spice . That Yellow 73 Tour car was the fastest 3 Litre Capri I'n the 73 Tour . Ahead of the Ford Works cars of Roger Chapman etc . It was prepared by Wisharts Of Crook , but I don't know who built it's Engine .
Spice was a very talented driver .

Shame that his Capri doesn't spear to have survived !


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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Thursday 17th November 2011
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The talented Irish Driver Adrian Boyd was 4th I'n his Consecutivly registered 3 Litre Capri RPU 932 K which was White . Has this one survived ?

Pretty sure there is some amuseing film of him commentating from the drivers seat on You Tube !

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Thursday 17th November 2011
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3.0 Si , what a car they were and So Underated . . I have one at the moment .

I'n the late 80s I was parked I'n Highgate, Nth London looking across at a Tatty L reg Polaris Si , when suddenly a Young west Indian guy jumps I'n it, looks across at me , smiles and then smokes the rear tyres for a long way down the Rd !!!

I'n March 1973 , Competition Car Mag wrote " This car is simply amazing, the 3.0 Si has the tractability of a limousine and the performance of an astonishingly quick sports - GT Machine !

Many rate them a far better drivers Car than the E 9 Coupe .

Roger Bell drove an S I on the 73 tour , I will upload a pic when I get a min .

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Friday 18th November 2011
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Mike Wooleys 3.0 SI Chases James Hunt at Aulton Park .

It appears that at least 3 Sis took part in the 73 Tour. Roger Bell, Mike Wooly and Tony Lanfranchi. These cars are So underated and few sadly now survive !

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Saturday 19th November 2011
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C C , very interesting re your Dads time selling BMWs I'n the 70s . And yes, he is dead right re the S and Si, all the road tests of the day raved about them !!

Sadly so few now survive !

Does your Dad remember Pennine Motors of Dewsbury Rd Leeds ? Did he have much to do with trying to sell the hideously expensive ( but Again what a fab car ) 3.0 CSL ?? Of which 500 were bought I'n I'n late 72 early 73 for the UK .
And what does he recall about them ?

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Saturday 19th November 2011
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Interesting reply and would be great to know more re his time flogging BMs !

And yes the Li / Lia were hideously expensive , they were the Chairman / Captains Of Industry type of car . But, this is the interesting part re BMW sales I'n the 70s I'n Britain . Buyers were clamouring to buy the XJ 6 and particularly the XJ 12, but So few were available, Jag just couldn't make them fast enough , and build Quality was not good , so many buyers bought the S , Si , Li etc instead , which was readily available !!

This undoubtably helped to establish even more BMW as a Leading brand I'n Britain . I am trying establish E3 Sales Figures I'n Britain at the moment .

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Saturday 19th November 2011
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Just found a Feb 1973 Autocar Long term test of a Polaris Si ( CPM 263K ) that they bought new I'n early 1972 . They clocked up 22,000 miles I'n it and loved every minute !
They found that it was quicker to 60 than an Élan Plus 2 , a Jensen Healey an Alfa Montreal ( Love these ) and a Citroën SM .
But ... They also found it only 0.4 Secs slower than a V 12 E Type and 0.3 Secs slower than an Interceptor SP !!
They also stated that like All BMWs it is essentially a Drivers car and one that responds well to the Enthusiasts touch and gives a lot of pleasure and satisfaction all the time !!

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Sunday 20th November 2011
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If you were loaded in late 72 and 1973 and had a spare £7,399 what a great place to be in !

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Sunday 20th November 2011
quotequote all

neutral 3

Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Sunday 20th November 2011
quotequote all

neutral 3

Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Sunday 20th November 2011
quotequote all

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Monday 19th December 2011
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Hi Loyd , very interesting reply . What happened re TL and being clocked @ 140 ? Those 3.0 Si were Such a great car. Any more Si memories and also of the 2002 Tii and CSL ?

Also, I have been trying to contact Roger Bell, but without success , have heard his health has not been very good, any ideas ?

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Monday 19th December 2011
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Fascinating stuff ! Would love to have seen the Avon Tours ,a classic Avon tour would be great !

Re the Green CSI , any more info ? What happened to it ?
From the You tube footage ( 74 Tour ? ) i have seen , it was a quick car, any idea what mods were done to it ? A CSI was a heavy car, compared to a CSL .

Also any memories of G Spices Yellow 3 Litre Capri ?

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2012
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CLAES, any photos and more details of your 3.0 SI ?

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Thursday 5th January 2012
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Thanks for the ohotos , she Looks gorgeous , a great colour combo. I don't think that that Blue was available on UK E3s , we seem to have just had Fjord Blue . They sold well here, partly due to the difficulty of obtaining an XJ6 / 12 Jaguar, which had a long waiting list . Sadly so few E3s survive I'n Britain now .

The Alloys look very good as well, CSL rims also look good on the saloons.

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Friday 6th January 2012
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I sold a nice Dropsnoot RS2000 to a French buyer I'n 010 , he intended to race it and i have just remembered that he used to race a Blue Si . I have a photo of it and will post it on here.

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Friday 6th January 2012
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Great photos ! Any Idea who is I'n the Capris I'n the first phot ? Looks like Spice I'n his yellow 3 Litre Capri I'n the second photo.
Where and when were they taken ?

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Wednesday 3rd October 2012
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The 3.0 Si is just so underated .

You Tube the 73 Avon Tour of Britain and see just how quick the Mathwall prepared SIs were. Very impressive performers considering the weight of them compared with the 3 Litre Capri of Gordon Spice etc.

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Original Poster:

6,492 posts

171 months

Monday 7th October 2013
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Tony Ls Turkis blue 3.0 CSi was run with some sponsorship / help by Nick Van Der Steen BMW main agents, of East London who appear to have folded many years ago.

Any one know more about them ?