Capri 280 Group
If it’s the Brooklands you’re into, then the 280 group’s got you covered, reckons Mick Ward.
When was the club founded, and why? Back in December 2017.The Capri 280 is like Marmite: people either love or hate them, it would seem, and I got fed up with all the negative comments on the various Capri groups online, so decided to form a group specifically for the 280.
Which models do you cover? The final Capri— the last of the line 280. 1038 of this final limited edition Capri were produced at Ford’s Niehl factory in Cologne, Germany on December 18-19, 1986. What does your club offer to new members? There is a support facility, Capri 280 Group regalia offering an expanding range of Capri 280 items including show plates, keyrings, a DVD of previously-unreleased 280 assembly line photos and other footage, plus a range of 280 Group clothing.
Also within our group we have a Capri specialist restorer and a Capri parts specialist with large stocks of new, genuine Capri spares. Have many members do you have? Within the first 24 hours we had over 100 members, and it’s currently running at 533 from all over the UK, mainland Europe, plus New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the USA. Describe a typical member Anyone with an interest in Capri 280s — past, present and future owners. You have members from overseas? Yes, surprisingly as the 280 was produced as a right-hand drive model purely for the UK. One or two are Brits who emigrated and took them with them, others are enthusiasts who liked the car, purchased and then imported them to their country. Do you host your own show? Not currently but it’s a consideration for the future. We are a very young group run in a futuristic way — no monthly pub meets, newsletters, membership fees or other traditional methods. We operate via our Facebook page so news, show announcements, new products and so on are available instantly online. What shows does the club have a presence at? We had three group meetings during our initial year within existing show events — the CCI Nationals, Old Ford Rally and the CCI Mild to Wild event. During 2019 so far we have 10 event meetings planned including the Capri Post DE Speyer meeting in Germany from June 21-23. Are you planning anything special for the Capri’s 50th anniversary? We have been invited to Ford of Germany’s Capri 50th day at the Niehl factory in June, and also have invites to two Ford UK events at their Dunton and Brentwood locations. Do you have any funny stories about the club? Discussing the 280 on a large Capri page on Facebook one wit commented, ‘Why don’t they form their own group then all the bellends will be in one place!’. Be careful what you wish for! What are the club’s goals for the future? To continue to keep these fine classic cars on the road and in the public eye, grow our membership — and credibility.