Ford Capri with 2k miles on clock up for auction after being locked away for 30 years by furious owner who ‘hated’ it
AN EXTREMELY rare Ford Capri with a bizarre backstory can be yours for £30,000.
The classic motor, which is a firm favourite among enthusiasts, is up for sale in Hertfordshire after being locked away for 30 years by its bitter former owner.
Experts say the stunning 1984 2.0 S has a “new feel to it” as the car boasts just 1,938 miles on the clock – after its original owner hated it so much that he refused to use it.
According to documents that come with the motor, Mr Pick of Leicester bought the vehicle as new in August 1984 for roughly £10,000.
After driving it for 500 miles, he came to believe that it had been used as a demonstration vehicle and it did not meet his expectations.
He also disliked the trim and unaligned stickers and in a letter of complaint to Ford said: “I refuse to use the car.”
But instead of returning the iconic motor and asking for his money back, he decided to shut it away in his garage.
The disgruntled owner died in 2014 and the Capri was left to a relative who put another 1,400 miles on the clock.
In 2018 it was sold to the current vendor who has added just 16 miles to the total.
Will Daniels, modern classics auction specialist at Brightwells Auctioneers, said: “The car is particularly rare because of its new feel.
“It’s like walking into a dealership today and buying a new 1984 Capri 2.0 S – it presents like it’s unmolested.
“The fascinating part is the owner wrote a letter to Ford, which features in the sale, saying how he refuses to use the car anymore because he believed it was used as a show car and took issue with the trim and that the stickers weren’t perfectly aligned.
“I expect a lot of interest in this car. People like to buy the story as much as the car and this is one great story to buy.
“I expect the car when bought won’t be used and will sit in another garage for years”.
This comes after an abandoned car dealership was discovered packed with classic cars from the 1980s – with all of them as good as new.
The former Ford showroom in Bavaria, Germany, was left to rot after its owner Josef Stock died in 1994, and since then the dealership has appeared almost ghostly, with a fleet of more than 300 cars waiting to be sold.
Elsewhere, a rare Mini Cooper that inspired kids’ toys and belonged to the prestigious Cooper family is up for sale at auction.
The Almond Green car, part of John Cooper’s private collection, is Mini royalty and expected to go for around £120,000.