The Seventies and early Nineteen Eighties were a wild time for touring automobile racing. The Group 5 category had few restrictions, spawning some iconic ‘Super Silhouette’ race cars based loosely on production models. Extra-wide box flares were the flavour of the day.
Within the years since Group 5, countless replicas have been built for the road and track. This Ford Capri construct, spearheaded by Johannes Döll from the German YouTube channel Holyhall, is one such creation.
Inspired by the Group 5 Zakspeed Ford Capri, Holyhall’s automobile has gone from being a rust bucket to a tube-framed, super-wide silhouette-style work of automotive art, complete with modern touches throughout.
The very first thing that strikes you concerning the Holyhall Capri is its sheer width. Using the factory windshield as a reference point, you possibly can see where the unique MkIII Capri ends and where the Zakspeed-inspired wide bodywork starts. The front glass is one in every of only just a few original Ford parts still intact.
The aftermarket body panels utilized in the construct are faithful UK-made replicas of those used on the unique Zakspeed Group 5 automobile, designed to suit a production Capri. To properly recreate the race automobile’s front-end look though, a bit of the fenders needed to be cut off so the headlights might be pushed outwards. Now, the outer lamps sit half outside the hood line, while air intakes rather than the inner lamps help to chill the brakes – a feature seen in some Group 5 Capris.
The story with the rear end gets even wilder. To set the automobile aside from other Group 5 Capri replicas, the fiberglass rear fenders were lengthened beyond the trunk, effectively making a longtail. Moreover, a custom wing based on the unique Group 5 design was fabricated to increase right out to the rear fenders.
The Zakspeed Ford Capri was an aerodynamic pioneer through the Group 5 era; it was one in every of the primary touring cars to make use of a rear diffuser to scale back underbody air pressure. For the Holyhall Capri, an aluminum diffuser completes the longtail.
Nonetheless, that’s not the standout feature of the rear end. Take a look at the full-width custom light bar, which replaces the unique Capri taillights to bring a futuristic aesthetic to the general design. It totally works.
The Capri sits on custom center-lock Rotiform Motorsport wheels, 17-inch on the front and 20-inch on the rear. The staggered setup stays true to the unique race automobile, but is enlarged in diameter on each axles. Yokohama Advan slicks feature in any respect 4 corners.
Although Group 5 cars bore a visible resemblance to their roadgoing counterparts, the race cars featured such extensive chassis alterations that they’ll’t be compared. In creating this replica, the construct team referenced images of the unique Zakspeed Capri to reverse-engineer the required modifications. Custom tube framing replaces a lot of the Capri’s original unibody chassis, with only the bonnet, roof, doors, window frames, trunk lid and partial pillars remaining. In keeping with Group 5 ‘Special Production Cars’ regulations, these are the parts that should be retained.
An entire E90 BMW 3 Series rear subframe assembly is mounted behind the tube chassis. The suspension, nevertheless, is of a custom push-rod design with the H&R coilovers visible through the rear screen. The rear end is lifted by about 40 millimeters, mimicking the stance of the unique race automobile.
The opposite E90 suspension components used throughout the construct – each within the rear and front – have been overhauled, with all linkages replaced with adjustable equivalents from BMW specialist 55Parts.
It was a shame that I couldn’t capture what resides under the skin through the To Hell event where I shot the automobile, because that is where the custom chassis and suspension work is most visible. Powering the Capri is a naturally aspirated Chevrolet LS1 from a C5 Corvette, mated to a BMW 6-speed manual gearbox via a PMC Motorsport adapter. The 350hp GM V8 provides the Capri with presence, performance and reliability without extensive modifications required to suit it.
The inside is full custom, the very first thing that catches your eye being the raw aluminum drag-spec seats. Aluminum dominates the inside and is used for the custom floor, door cards, dashboard, and side panels.
The CNC-machined short shifter from HSpeed looks utterly beautiful.
Beyond the sheer work that’s gone into the automobile, I like Holyhall’s construction method. No corners were cut, with the construct process resembling what it could take to construct a bespoke touring automobile, very similar to the Group 5 Zakspeed Capri this replica pays homage to.
Every little thing from the tube-frame chassis to fitting and reshaping the fiberglass body, and exterior paint was all done in-house at Holyhall, with outside help only being called upon for specialised tasks.
I used to be amazed at what I saw in front of me on the To Hell show, but watching the construct process on YouTube while writing this piece gave me one other level of appreciation for what Johannes Döll and Holyhall have created.
Steve Edward
Instagram: stevedwrd
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