1978 Ford Capri Mk III 3.0 Group 1

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£60,000 - £90,000 GBP 

Offered Without Reserve

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  • Group 1 car constructed by established German touring car team Eichberg Racing
  • Contested the 1978 Deutsche Rundstrecken Pokal in the hands of Klaus Niedzwiedz, Dieter Gartmann, Dieter Gustas, and Helmut Dorling
  • Finished 12th overall and 6th in class in the 1981 Nürburgring 24 Hours; driven by Otto Sohn, Hanno Schumacher, and Bernhard Schmitz-Moorman
  • Fastidiously restored and developed in the current ownership, at a cost exceeding £130,000
  • Fitted with a correct Group 1 specification, Ric Wood-tuned “Essex” V-6 engine and gearbox
  • Accompanied by its FIA HTP Papers and original Wagenpass

Having secured back-to-back ETCC titles in 1971 and 1972 in highly developed Group 2 form, the Ford Capri enjoyed further competition success in more modest, ostensibly “showroom specification” Group 1 guise. This included a hat-trick of victories in the blue riband Spa 24 Hours race between 1978 and 1980.

This particular Group 1 chassis was constructed for the 1978 race season by the Osnabrück-based Eichberg Racing squad. It was one of four such cars employed to contest that year’s Deutsche Rundstrecken Pokal. An itinerant schedule encompassed visits to Hockenheim, Zolder, and Zandvoort, as well as venues such as Saarlouis and Kassel Calden. At the latter fixture, future Ford Works driver Klaus Niedzwiedz secured victory in the category for over-2,000-cc Group 1B, while Niedzwiedz and Helmut Dorling also contested the 1978 ADAC Grosser Preis Tourenwagen, staged on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

A similarly varied programme followed in 1979, albeit with the car under the new ownership of Raimund Bisping. Preparation responsibilities remained with Eichberg, with Wulf-Gunter Schumacher memorably driving it to a class victory in September’s Bilstein Super Sprint at the Nürburgring. Other notable races entered included the ADAC-organised Nürburgring 4 Hours and its 6 Hour counterpart. The former yielded 8th in class for Schumacher and co-driver Bernd Ringshausen. Schumacher remained as the car’s principal driver for 1980, which started encouragingly with 2nd in class at Zolder. The Nürburgring 4 Hours presented a superb 2nd overall, while the season ended strongly with class wins at Hockenheim and Siegerland, courtesy of Schumacher and Dieter Gustas respectively.

In 1981, ownership of the car passed to Otto Sohn, who campaigned it under the Scuderia Monestaria Münster banner but continued to entrust its preparation to Eichberg Racing. Remarkably, over the next six seasons, the car would contest some 39 consecutive races on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, during which time it scored seven class wins, four 2nd places and four 3rd places. The 1983 season was arguably the team’s most successful, with Sohn and Herbert Herler securing class victories in VLN-organised events of 4 Hour, 6 Hour and 333-mile duration. A further Nürburgring 24 Hours participation in 1984—in which Sohn and Herler were joined by Rolf Rosenkranz—regrettably ended in retirement, although appropriately the car’s illustrious competitive career drew to a close at the famous “Green Hell” in the ADAC Rundstrecken Trophy in April 1986.

Subsequently sold into long-term Dutch ownership in the early 2000s, the car was acquired by the consigning owner in 2022 and has since benefitted from extensive restoration and development by leading specialists Lavant Garage and Westbourne Motorsport respectively, at a cost of over £130,000. This included the fitment of a Ric Wood-tuned engine and gearbox—at a cost of some £27,500—which was refreshed in February 2025 at a further cost of £6,500. The car has since competed in just two races, of which one was this year’s Goodwood Members’ Meeting, in which it finished a creditable 11th place overall.

Bidders should note that on inspection of the car, a chassis stamp cannot be found, but it is known by its continuous race history as chassis number 23072. It is not known whether the car has been re-shelled, and some parts of its original green race paint can be found beneath its current livery. Accompanied by its original Wagenpass, contemporary literature and FIA HTP Papers, this highly historic car is available for a mere fraction of its restoration cost and is guaranteed to afford its new owner a competitive and affordable introduction to the prestigious events for which it is eligible.

Date Event Driver Entrant Race # Result
16.04.1978 100 Meilen von Hockenheim Eichberg Ford
13.05.1978 ADAC Saarland Sportabteilung Eichberg Ford
03.06.1978 Int-ADAC-Rundstrecken Duren Eichberg Ford
10.06.1978 Flugplatzrennen Wunstorf Eichberg Ford 2nd overall
24.06.1978 Preis der Stadt Karlsruhe Dieter Gartmann Eichberg Ford
8/9.07.1978 G.P.d Tourenw Eichberg Ford
05.08.1978 RR - Mainz-Finthen Dieter Gartmann Eichberg Ford
13.08.1978 Internationaler ADAC - Noordzeecup Zandvoort Dieter Gartmann Eichberg Racing 2nd in Class
02.09.1978 Int. ADAC Hessenpreis Kassel-Calden Dieter Gustas Eichberg Ford
28.09.1978 Int. ADAC-Super-Sport
15.10.1978 SFG. Saisonabschluss rennen Zolder Klaus Niedzwiedz Eichberg Racing 1st in Class
04.11.1978 Rheintal MSC
10.03.1979 Int. AVD-Rundstreckenrennen "Bergischer Lowe" Zolder Technische Abnahme Wolf. G. Schumacher Eichberg-Racing 74
18.03.1979 AVD - Liblar Wolf. G. Schumacher
08.04.1979 Jim Clark Trophy Hockenheim Wolf. G. Schumacher
22.04.1979 100 Meilen von Hockenheim Wolf. G. Schumacher
06.05.1979 Flugplatzrennen Fassberg Wolf. G. Schumacher
15.05.1979 International Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken Trophy Eichberg-Racing
27.05.1979 Flugplatzrennen Wunstorf
09.06.1979 Int. ACAC-Rund-streckenrennen Duren
06.07.1979 Grosser Preis
22.07.1979 Flugpl. Rennen Dlepholz
03.08.1979 Mainz-Finthen
12.08.1979 Internationaler ADAC-Noordzeecup Zandvoort
25.08.1979 ULM-Leipheim 1979
21.09.1979 Int. ADAC Super Sprint
12.10.1979 SFG Koln Salson-Abschluss
11.05.1980 Aftgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-club
21.03.1980 Int. AvD Rundstruckenrennen Bergischer Lowe Zolder Technische Abnahme
13.04.1980 ACV Rennen
20.04.1980 100 Meilen Hockenberg
15.06.1980 Slalom Osnabruck
21.06.1980 Int. ADAC Rund streckenrennen Duren
06.07.1980 GP d. Tourenwagen
20.07.1980 200 Meilen Sylt
27.07.1980 Neusser Motorsportclub
03.08.1980 Berg-Osnabruck
16.08.1980 International ADAC-Noordzeecup Zandvoort
30.08.1980 AvD/WAC Wiesbadener Renntage Hockenheim Wulf-Gunter Schumacher 1st In Class
13.09.1980 Siegerl - Flugh-Rennen
11.10.1980 SFG Zolder
25.10.1980 45th TD Munster Land Pokal
04.04.1981 Rotwein Trophy Sohn, Otto, Münster Gäbler, Klaus, Lingen Schumacher, Wulf-Günther, Bad Iburg Scuderia Monasteria, Münster 2nd in Class
11.04.1981 ADAC Westfalenfahrt
16.05.1981 Int. Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken Trophy, Nürburgring Sohn, Otto, Münster Gäbler, Klaus, Lingen Schumacher, Wolf-Günter, Bad Iburg Scuderia Monasteria, Münster 2nd in Class
30.05.1981 21. Reinoldus-Rennen
25.07.1981 Bilstein-Cup
08.08.1981 Valvoline Cup
29.08.1981 45th TD MSC
26.09.1981 Grenzlandrennen des RCM
03.10.1981 Int. 24- Stunden
17.10.1981 A.C. Monheim
24.10.1981 Munster Land Pokal
03.04.1982 Rotwein Trophy
17.04.1982 ADAC Westfalenfahrt
15.05.1982 Motorsport-Club e.V 5488 Adenau im ADAC
22.05.1982 333 Meilen Nbr
04.07.1982 GP der Tourerwagen
23.10.1982 Munster Land Pokal
21.05.1983 333 Meilen Nbr
17.09.1983
23.10.1983 Munster Land Pokal
14.05.1983 Int. Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken Trophy, Nürburgring
05.06.1983 AvD-Rundstrecken-Rennen Zolder
23.07.1983 Bilstein-Cup
06.08.1983 Valvoline Cup
20.08.1983 MSC- Sinzs
01.10.1983 RCM-DMV Frontier Race Sohn, Otto, Münster Herler, Herbert, Bendorf Scuderia Monasteria, Münster 52 DNF
15.10.1983 Automobil Club Monheim e.v DMV
In its later career the Ford gained new livery, as seen here racing for Scuderia Monasteria at the 1982 Bilstein Cup.

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