TOP TEN 1970S LIMITED-EDITION FORDS – PART 1

In the 1970s, Ford GB demonstrated a mastery of the art of the limited edition special model. Here are just ten of such desirable cars -

Special Zephyr

Or a cunning method of clearing the showrooms of the Zephyr Mk. IVs in 1971, before the arrival of the Consul/Granada range in the following years. Besides, a 2.5-litre Zephyr 6 with a “parchment vinyl roof”, fabric seat trim, a radio and those distinctive hubcaps that “we normally reserve for the Zodiac” possessed a certain over-the-top charm. Ford told prospective customers, “We’re only making a thousand of them”, that the price was under £1,500 and “you can have any colour you like, providing it is Uranium Blue”. Keen motorists could even enter a competition, to be judged by Graham Hill, to “win a Special Zephyr by inventing a name for it”. However, Ron Platt, Ford GB’s Director of Sales, reflected it was “not a rapid seller”; too many people knew the Zephyr was soon to be replaced.

Capri Mk. I Vista Orange Special

In 1971, the Capri Vista Orange was as ultra-Seventies as a Bond Bug or Jason King on ITV – a car to bedazzle all other customers of the A32 Little Chef. Ford built just 1,200 of this exclusive derivative of the Capri 1.6-litre or 2-litre GT with a specification that included a push-button radio, vinyl roof, inertia reel front seat belts and “fabric seat upholstery”. Best of all, “The Special can be dealer fitted with a rear deck ‘spoiler’ and Lamborghini-like rear window slats”. Mr. Platt later told the press: “We found people came into the showroom to see the Special then bought the basic Capri”.

Capri Mk. I GT XLR Special

The Special debuted in June 1972 and was essentially the GT XLR in 1600, 2000 or (very rarely) 3000 forms, with the luxury of hazard warning lights, opening rear windows, a bonnet bulge, an alternator, a heated rear screen, a map lamp, and “sports wheels”. The colour choices were Emerald Green with a gold coachline and a black interior or Ebony Black with a red coachline and a red interior. Ford made 750 shades. Today, the Special’s survival rate is in single figures.

Capri Mk. II John Player Special

As I once wrote:

It is the summer of 1975. Your flared trousers are the envy of one and all. You are the sort of cool character who wears sunglasses for a visit to your local branch of Wavy Line – which might also explain why you keep walking into the stacked display of Bird’s Dream Topping. And for such a discerning character, Ford has just launched a version of the Capri that will make you seem the Hampshire equivalent of Emerson Fittipaldi in his Lotus 72.

The 2,003 examples of the John Player Special, aka the JPS, is possibly one of the best remembered of all limited edition Capris. The colour scheme of black with gold trim reflected John Player Special cigarettes’ sponsorship of the Lotus Formula 1 team. The JPS also introduced motorists to the new S-Pack option available on the Capri 1.6-litre, 2.0-litre and 3.0-litre GT, which included uprated suspension, wider alloy wheels and extra equipment. When Autocar tested the ‘Capri 2000S GT’, the price was £2,274, and “the black treatment succeeded in its main object, if that was to attract a lot of attention”. A JPS owner would never expect otherwise.

Olympic Cortina 2000E Mk. III

From May to July 1976, Ford built 500 examples of an exclusive version of the third-generation Cortina, celebrating the Olympic Games and making dealership space for the Mk. IV’s debut in a few months. The Olympic came in saloon or estate forms, with an appropriate choice of bronze, silver or gold paintwork. The lucky owner also gained driving lamps, metallic paint, a laminated windshield, 185/70 tyres and wheel trim rings, a map reading light, and even a radio/cassette player. Who could demand more from a Cortina?