Saturday, 8 October 2016

Ford Capri - Capri History

I have now owned my white 1972 Capri XL for nearly 16 years & I have never been able to successfully document its history. I have the documentation relating to its build by the Ford Motor Company but apart from the person I bought it from, I have drawn a blank. Privacy policies mean you cannot retrieve previous owners names but I do know it has  been in Brisbane for all of its life & mainly on the north side. I was told by the previous owner that he thought the car was a prize in a beauty contest.
The only such contests in the 1970s were the Miss Australia Quests. Each state chose a winner & then a national winner was declared. Ford was a major sponsor & cars were awarded to the major prize winners.

This led me on my latest search to the Queensland State library where all the history related to the Miss Australia Quest is now housed. My search came very close but not quite & a further visit may be necessary. The attached clippings & programs show that the prizes did include Ford Falcons, Cortinas, Escorts & Capris. In fact the prize for the 1973 Miss Australia (Michelle Downs - a previous wife of racing car legend, Peter Brock), held on 3 November, 1972 was a Ford Capri XL. These dates would correspond with my car which was built in July, 1972 but I cannot find a picture of the winner with her car. There are pictures of winners & cars in 1971 & 1973, 1974 but the one I am looking for is elusive. Even if I do find it, I am not sure what it proves but I will rest happy.
Below are some of the documents we found while researching the history. (click on to enlarge)

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