Cologne Capri RS3100

The Capri was launched in 1969 as the European counterpart to the wildly popular

Mustang in the USA. Ford had been using motor racing as their main marketing tool

throughout the sixties and it came as no surprise that Jochen Neerpasch, head of

the Motorsport Department in Cologne, was delegated to turn the Capri into a race

winning car.

The RS2600 was the initial Group 2 offering, homologated on the fastest Capri sold in

Germany, this was good enough for class wins in the European Touring Car

Championship but Ford wanted the main prize. For 1974 the rules were to be

changed and by July of ’73 Ford Cologne had built 1,000 examples of the new

Capri RS3100, the minimum required for Gp 2 homologation. With the “production”

car engine now 3,100cc the race engine could be taken out to 3,500cc and as only

100 cylinder heads needed to be produced for Gp 2 homologation Ford

commissioned Cosworth to design and build 100 full race engines utilising the new,

larger block. This became the legendary Cosworth GAA used not only for the Capris

but also very successfully in single seaters, the 3.4 litre V6 engine being very

competitive against the 5 litre V8s in Formula 5000. With over 400 bhp and some

fairly extreme aerodynamics Ford duly won the 1974 ETCC against opposition from

the BMW Batmobiles.

In late ’73 chassis GAECNA 19997 was

laid down, the first of only three RS3100s

built by Ford Cologne, after extensive

testing the final specification was

decided on and homologation for

Group 2 was approved in November.

Two further works chassis were

constructed and “19997” was returned

to the workshop, stripped and rebuilt

ready for the coming season.

It was decided that Cologne would enter two cars for each race and keep one in

reserve, and as the original chassis RS3100 ‘19997’ was given this role. In July Jochen

Mass had a huge accident at the Nurburgring, writing off one of the other two

RS3100s. Only one car was entered for the following two rounds of the DRM

(Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft) but at the next round of the ETCC, the

Zandvoort Trophy, the works team were back to strength as ‘19997’ made its race

debut and was driven to victory by Jochen Mass and Rolf Stommelen.

The next outings for ‘19997’ were the DRM at Hockenheim in August where Klaus

Ludwig won and the Norisring in September where Niki Lauda finished 6th.

Back in the ETCC at Jarama for the 4 Hours ‘19997’ racked up another victory in the

hands of Hans Heyer, Klaus Ludwig and Toine Hezemans.

That’s two victories out of two starts in the 1974 ETCC, the only ones scored by a

Capri making it the hero of Ford’s victorious European Touring Car Championship.

Added to the one victory from two starts in the DRM probably makes chassis

‘GAECNA19997’ the most successful top-flight car in the fiercely competitive touring

car arena of that year.

For team identification purposes in 1974 the three Cologne cars were given different

coloured screenstrips and ‘19997’ was the Yellow car. This code is used in these

European Touring Car Championship results:

and the DRM results

The fifth and last race for ‘19997’ as a works Cologne car was in South Africa for the

Kyalami 9 Hours, confusingly run as a 6 hour race in ’74. Up against out & out Group

5 race cars ‘19997’ finished 5th overall winning Group 2 and beating all the GT cars.

For 1975 ‘19997’ was sold by Ford Cologne to Team Ford Grab, Werner Schommers

driving and the car finished 9th in that year’s DRM.

DATE LOCATION EVENT CAR # ENTRANT DRIVER START FINISH LAPS TIME NOTES COLOUR

21/04/1974 Satzburgring Austria-Trophae 3 Ford Koln Dieter Glemser

Toine Hezemans

2 DNF 135 1,17.44 Crankshaft, Slats front, box rear,

small side openings, seat

21/04/1974 Satzburgring Austria-Trophae 2 Ford Koln Jochen Mass

Niki Lauda

3 DNF 175 1,17.6 Engine, Slats front, box rear,

small side openings,seat

14/07/1974 Nurburgring Grosser Preis der

Tourenwagen

7 Ford Koln Dieter Glemser

Toine Hezemans

Niki Lauda

3 2 38 8,29.5 Lauda starts in car #6, Slats

front, High rear, large side

openings, seat

14/07/1974 Nurburgring Grosser Preis der

Tourenwagen

6 Ford Koln Jochen Mass

Niki Lauda

2 DNF 8,14.6 Accident, No slats front, High

rear, large side openings, seat

11/08/1974 Zandvoort Zandvoort Trophy 4 Ford Koln Jochen Mass

Rolf Stommelen

2 1 126 1,34.2 Slats front, High rear, large side

openings, seat

11/08/1974 Zandvoort Zandvoort Trophy 5 Ford Koln Dieter Glemser

Toine Hezemans

1 5 121 1,33.9 No slats front, High rear, large

side openings, seat

06/10/1974 Jarama 4 Hours 6 Ford Koln Hans Heyer

Klaus Ludwig

Toine Hezemans

1 1 142

DATE LOCATION EVENT CAR # ENTRANT DRIVER START FINISH LAPS TIME NOTES COLOUR

28/04/1974 Nurburgring ADAC Eifelrennen 2 Ford Koln Rolf Stommelen 3 1 7 8,29.2 Slats front, Box rear, Small

side openings, no seat

28/04/1974 Nurburgring ADAC Eifelrennen 1 Ford Koln Toine Hezemans 1 2 7 8,21.4 Slats front, Box rear, Small

side openings, no seat

09/06/1974 Hockenheim DMV Rheinpokal-Rennen Ford Koln Rolf Stommelen 1 2 18 2,14.7

21/07/1974 Diepholz ADAC-Flugplatzrennen Ford Koln Rolf Stommelen 2 3 40 1,00.4

04/08/1974 Nurburgring Grosser Preis von Europa 2 Ford Koln Rolf Stommelen 4 1 7 8,25.4

25/08/1974 Hockenheim Preis der Nationen 2 Ford Koln Klaus Ludwig 2 1 18 2,15.1 No Slats front, High rear,

large side openings, wind

deflector , ludwig & mass

on side

25/08/1974 Hockenheim Preis der Nationen 1 Ford Koln Rolf Stommelen 1 2 18 2,14.2

15/09/1974 Norisring DRM rd 7 4 Ford Koln Toine Hezemans 1 2 65 0,57.4 Slats front, High rear, large

side openings

15/09/1974 Norisring DRM rd 7 3 Ford Koln Niki Lauda 3 6 65 0,57.9 Slats front, High rear, large

side openings

29/09/1974 Hockenheim ADAC Preis von Baden-Wurttemberg 3 Ford Koln Klaus Ludwig 1 2 20 2,14.4

Unused in ’76 & ‘77 ,19997, was sold to Team Rentokil Holland for Siep de Jong to

compete in Group 5 of the Benelux and Dutch Touring Car Championships of 1978.

Siep de Jong also owned an ex-Ford Cologne RS2600. During his ownership some

common parts to both the RS3100 and RS2600 such as transmission, some suspension

parts and lightweight GRP doors and bonnet were fitted to ‘19997’. A front spoiler

was bought from Zakspeed and a large rear wing (reputedly from an Embassy Hill F1

car) was fitted and the car was painted white with red stripes. A spare engine was

purchased from Toine Hezemans but came direct from Ford, and was rebuilt by

Swindon Racing Engines.

‘19997’ ran eight times in the Benelux and Dutch Touring Car Championship for

Group 5, finishing all races on the podium, quite an achievement considering

competition came in the form of the potent Porsche 935. End of season results were;

2nd in the Dutch Championship and 3rd in the Benelux Championship.

In 1979 following the end of Group 5, the spare engine and ZF gearbox were

advertised in Autosport. John Coles of Hampshire enquired about the engine

for use in a hillclimb/sprint project. Upon discovering there were in fact two

engines, the other in ‘19997’ he bought the car, spare engine and a host of

parts. Mr Coles entered a few sprints with the car and then sold the car to

Holman “Les” Blackburn.

A successful driver of Group 1 Capris but also a well respected engineer

Blackburn put the car back to its original 1974 specification.

In 1987 ‘19997’ was sold to Tom Walkinshaw for display at TWR's Headquarters.

Following Mr Walkinshaw's acquisition of the Arrows F1 Team and its

subsequent financial demise, the car formed part of the auction of

TWR/Arrows assets in 2003 and was bought by Bryce Banatyne who re-

commissioned the car and raced it in the USA.

Shaun Lynn, historic racer and Ford enthusiast purchased ‘19997’ and

brought it back to the UK and had Moto Historics prepare it for selected

outings at elite historic events becoming a firm favourite at the Goodwood

Festival of Speed.

There is a spares package with the car including a new Cosworth GAA motor

This car, one of the two remaining 1974 works Cologne RS3100s, of only three

built, is very important in the history of Ford Motorsport. The on-track battles

between the Cologne Capris and BMW CSLs in Europe during the 1970s is

motor sport folklore.