capri
capri

Aussie Capri one of rarest in the world

Glenn Bryant’s 1973 Ford Capri RS 3100 is one of the rarest Capris in the world.

Between November, 1973 and January, 1974 Ford built a mere 250 of these V6 engined, road-registerable racing Capris in an all out effort to win the European Touring Car Championship.

Fifty cars were shipped to Australia in June 1974, and, when new, cost, 20 per cent more than the Falcon GT.

Glenn has owned his Olympic Blue RS 3100 since 1987.

He was barely 20 years old when he bought it.

“I was a young kid when Allan Moffat raced one in the sports sedan category in 1975 and Dick Johnson and Bo Seaton raced them at Bathurst,” Glenn explained.

“I thought they were fabulous cars back then and told everyone I had to have one.”

Glenn saw the Capri advertised in Melbourne in 1987.

“It was advertised for $10,000. That was a lot of money back then. For comparison, the advertisement next to it was for a Lincoln, and it was $9500,” he said.

After a bit of negotiation Glenn was the owner of a rare Capri with 78,500 miles on the clock.

“It was in okay condition but at one stage a tow bar had been fitted, so I do not think the previous owner knew its value,” he said.

Glenn used the RS3100 as his daily driver for many years, and at one stage even owned two of them. The second car has been sold.

The RS 3100 was a powerful car for its era. The V6 pumps out 110kW (148bhp in old money) and its light weight gave it acceleration quicker than a GT Falcon.

Capris are not Glenn’s only Ford passion.

As a dedicated member of the Hunter British Ford Group he is currently restoring a 1966 Ford Cortina station wagon.

It has been stripped back to bare metal, and now sits on a car rotisserie awaiting Glenn to attend to some minor rust holes.

”It my 10-year project car,” he laughed.

David Burrell is the editor of retroautos.com.au

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  1. I had seen this Capri Displayed at the MG Carclub hillclimb in Newcastle in the late 80’s and a few years later had the pleasure of working with Glenn as an apprentice at the local Honda/Hyundai dealership.
    This example is exceptional as Glenn is a true enthusiast.

  2. My brother owned a blue RS3100 in the mid 70s, and had a tow bar fitted because he was racing formula vee at the time.. the car was sold around the late 70s.. not sure who he sold it to, but we do live in Melbourne..

    1. FYI, I used to own this car if this helps you out. I have previously (about 10 years ago) spoken to Glenn Bryant when he tracked me down as a previous owner. I bought the car around 1979 from a house located in The Basin in Melbourne but the guy that sold it was located in Canberra and it was registered in the ACT at the time. I sold it to a guy around 1983 who then sold it to Glenn.

      Regarding the tow bar, I put that on as I used to tow around my 1974.5 Maico 440 that I still have. Basically, sold the RS and kept the Maico in order to buy my first house.

      Full credit to Glenn on keeping the car as I did at the time. Wish I still had it.

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