MkI Capri RS3100


1973 MkI Capri RS3100 Spa Special
(Ford Heritage)

1973 had not been a good year for Ford in the European Touring Car championship. After two years at the top the highly acclaimed RS2600 had finally been overcome by BMW's 3.0 litre CSL. One of the major advantages that the CSL had over the RS2600 was its improved aero dynamics. Nicknamed the "batmobile" due to its new wings the CSL knocked 15 seconds off the previous lap times at the Nurburgring, and was signigicantly more stable to drive. In order to redress the balance Ford needed a new contender. This was to be the RS3100.

To improve the aerodynamics of their racing Capris Ford fitted newly designed front and rear spoilers. To meet the ETC rules these new aerodynamic aids on the racing RS3100's had to have been fitted to 100 road homologation cars. The distinctive boot mounted "duck-tail" rear spoiler and smaller front lip spoiler reduced the coefficient of drag (Cd) from 0.40 on the RS2600 to 0.37 for the RS3100.

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