Readly RF Feb 20

RESTORATION
Reconditioned time was moving fast, on the 20th
May she went for her MOT and passed with flying
colours. Home and taxed, she was legal again. I had
nine days to get everything done to get her to the
show. Many times while getting close to finishing
the car, I would come home after a 12-hour shift
(7am–7pm.) I would go into the garage and start
work on the car, only for my wife to ring me and
tell me it was 1am! Unfortunately, I didn’t get time
to put the side stripes on or fit the original seats as
they were so threadbare, so I found a complete set
from a Capri S.
I was very impressed with the car as it towed
my caravan down to the show with ease, and we
stayed for the whole weekend and drove home with
no problems at all. We had a club stand with about
eight cars on the stand. The striping kit came for me
at Christmas that year, 85.5 meters of striping which
went on in March the following year in time for the
Lancaster bomber run. In February 2011, I had to
finally give in and get a brand new set made from a
company in Holland. Covers alone cost £1,500 but
worth it when I got them back (my wife didn’t think
so at the time). There are still more jobs I want to
do to the car but, she has been on the road since
May 2009, so everything is a ‘work in progress’ as
she travels the country. I have just got the correct
headlining in Black, which is going in later in the
year with a new screen rubber. We have been all
over the country doing all the shows that Duchy
Capri and Classic Ford Club have done, most of the
time collecting ‘Furthest Travelled’ prizes.
In 2016, we did the Duchy Show again. We had
to go to Landsend for the obligatory photo at the
signpost. In 2019 (being the anniversary of the
Capri) we went to Weston-Super-Mare with the Mk2
register, the Duchy Show in Newquay, CCI Nationals
at Evesham and Mk2 Nationals at Luton.
At shows, I often get comments about the colour
‘no way, they only came in Black, it must be a fake’,
but most people are impressed. When I was in
Cornwall people would ask where my trailer is, and
are greatly surprised when I tell them I drove all the
way in the Capri.”
“I would like to say a big thank you to my wife for
been understanding while I spent all those hours in
the garage. Kevin Hickling from the Mk2 Register.
Martin Pawson at Capri Gear for finding all those
silly pieces I needed and Trevor Harrison at Midas
Touch for all the powder coating. Bygone Decals
(NZ) for the stripe kit (the car is on their website ),
Richard Hoegee Auto Trimmers in Holland (who did
the seats) and my daughter Tracy who helped out
with all the lifting and pulling putting the car back
together. Last but not least Leeds Capri Club for all
the enthusiasm to keep me going when the going
got tough.”
Paul has taken on the task of “Keeping a Legend
Alive” as he found out that at the time there was
only one other on the road. The car is now 90%
finished, and he is hoping to complete it soon.
“It’s the silly little things that are the hardest to
find, and I just love getting in and driving it!” n
See our behind the scenes footage on Instagram: @retrofordmagazine
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