Cologne Capri RS3100

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:
DATE
LOCATION EVENT
21/04/1974 Satzburgring Austria-Trophae
21/04/1974 Satzburgring Austria-Trophae
14/07/1974 Nurburgring
Grosser Preis der
Tourenwagen
14/07/1974 Nurburgring
11/08/1974 Zandvoort
Grosser Preis der
Tourenwagen
Zandvoort Trophy
11/08/1974 Zandvoort
Zandvoort Trophy
06/10/1974 Jarama
4 Hours
CAR # ENTRANT DRIVER
3 Ford Koln Dieter Glemser
Toine Hezemans
2 Ford Koln Jochen Mass
Niki Lauda
7 Ford Koln Dieter Glemser
Toine Hezemans
Niki Lauda
6 Ford Koln Jochen Mass
Niki Lauda
4 Ford Koln Jochen Mass
Rolf Stommelen
5 Ford Koln Dieter Glemser
Toine Hezemans
6 Ford Koln Hans Heyer
Klaus Ludwig
Toine Hezemans
START FINISH LAPS TIME
NOTES
COLOUR
2 DNF
135 1,17.44 Crankshaft, Slats front, box rear,
small side openings, seat
3 DNF
175 1,17.6 Engine, Slats front, box rear,
small side openings,seat
3
2
38 8,29.5 Lauda starts in car #6, Slats
front, High rear, large side
openings, seat
2 DNF
8,14.6 Accident, No slats front, High
rear, large side openings, seat
2
1
126 1,34.2 Slats front, High rear, large side
openings, seat
1
5
121 1,33.9 No slats front, High rear, large
side openings, seat
1
1
142
and the DRM results
DATE
LOCATION EVENT
28/04/1974 Nurburgring ADAC Eifelrennen
28/04/1974 Nurburgring ADAC Eifelrennen
09/06/1974
21/07/1974
04/08/1974
25/08/1974
Hockenheim
Diepholz
Nurburgring
Hockenheim
DMV Rheinpokal-Rennen
ADAC-Flugplatzrennen
Grosser Preis von Europa
Preis der Nationen
25/08/1974 Hockenheim Preis der Nationen
15/09/1974 Norisring
DRM rd 7
15/09/1974 Norisring
DRM rd 7
29/09/1974 Hockenheim ADAC Preis von Baden-Wurttemberg
CAR # ENTRANT DRIVER
START FINISH LAPS TIME NOTES
COLOUR
2 Ford Koln Rolf Stommelen
3
1
7 8,29.2 Slats front, Box rear, Small
side openings, no seat
1 Ford Koln Toine Hezemans
1
2
7 8,21.4 Slats front, Box rear, Small
side openings, no seat
Ford Koln Rolf Stommelen
1
2
18 2,14.7
Ford Koln Rolf Stommelen
2
3
40 1,00.4
2 Ford Koln Rolf Stommelen
4
1
7 8,25.4
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
1 Ford Koln Rolf Stommelen
1
2
18 2,14.2
4 Ford Koln Toine Hezemans
1
2
65 0,57.4 Slats front, High rear, large
side openings
3 Ford Koln Niki Lauda
3
6
65 0,57.9 Slats front, High rear, large
side openings
3 Ford Koln Klaus Ludwig
1
2
20 2,14.4
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.
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 recommissioned 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.