Looking for a possible vanished RS 3100

[greg]

Hi there

New to this site but always liked V6 Capris.

Back in 1985, as a spotty 19 year old and following an unsuccessful relationship with a very dodgy 3000GXL, I noticed the whale tail back end of a  tatty Capri (especially as it would have only been 11 years old at the time) in someone's drive a couple of miles from where I lived.

I knocked on his door and asked him if it was a genuine RS, to which he replied in the affirmative. From then on I used to annoy him as often as I could trying to get him to sell it.

He took me out in it once and drove it like a lunatic in the rain on narrow residential roads which was never very advisable in those things.

One day I got myself a better paying job and said to him "would you take £1800 (Barclayloan) for it, to which he said he would.

I then promptly went out and bought an immaculate black Mk3 3.0S and kissed goodbye to a chance to have a much more significant car which I always regretted. I can console myself that at that age I would not have had the free time to give it the attention it needed and the girls

would have found me far more attractive driving around doing Bodie and Doyle impressions in the later car. Also I know that I would not have held on to the 3100 to this day.

 

As for the RS, the guy sold it and bought a Mk3 Ghia with a very breathed on 3500 Rover engine and 2.8 suspension to drive around at even more insane speeds on the wet Ruislip streets.

Now I am older and have successfully restored my Series 1 E type and using a Focus RS as my daily driver I often find myself looking on the internet for an available RS but their rarity is astonishing.

Attached is a photo of the Capri in question. Is it still around?

Greg

[johnmc67]

Aug 21, 2015 9:41:05 GMT greg said:

Hi there

New to this site but always liked V6 Capris.

Back in 1985, as a spotty 19 year old and following an unsuccessful relationship with a very dodgy 3000GXL, I noticed the whale tail back end of a  tatty Capri (especially as it would have only been 11 years old at the time) in someone's drive a couple of miles from where I lived.

I knocked on his door and asked him if it was a genuine RS, to which he replied in the affirmative. From then on I used to annoy him as often as I could trying to get him to sell it.

He took me out in it once and drove it like a lunatic in the rain on narrow residential roads which was never very advisable in those things.

One day I got myself a better paying job and said to him "would you take £1800 (Barclayloan) for it, to which he said he would.

I then promptly went out and bought an immaculate black Mk3 3.0S and kissed goodbye to a chance to have a much more significant car which I always regretted. I can console myself that at that age I would not have had the free time to give it the attention it needed and the girls

would have found me far more attractive driving around doing Bodie and Doyle impressions in the later car. Also I know that I would not have held on to the 3100 to this day.

 

As for the RS, the guy sold it and bought a Mk3 Ghia with a very breathed on 3500 Rover engine and 2.8 suspension to drive around at even more insane speeds on the wet Ruislip streets.

Now I am older and have successfully restored my Series 1 E type and using a Focus RS as my daily driver I often find myself looking on the internet for an available RS but their rarity is astonishing.

View Attachment

Attached is a photo of the Capri in question. Is it still around?

Greg

Hi , Len will advise you more regards this Capri , it has been for sale on and off for a couple of years , how ever last time it was for sale on eBay , it looked in a sorry state and not much of the original car left , on another note what's your budget as there is a couple of cars for sale at moment but at the cheapest you are probably looking at £30k ! Regards John

[rscapriman]

Hi Greg, I also had the opportunity to buy this car but I am trying to think where it was but this would be approx 25 years ago and believe me it never got any better looking quite the opposite in fact.
The guy that had it then also had a couple of MK2 Lotus Cortina's, I was going to do a deal for £250 it was a genuine cat with matching numbers inc engine but was absolutely shot, in your pic it shows it with the webasto in place that had got ripped off in the wind and a sheet of aluminium pop riveted over the hole.
The deal never came off the guy changed his mind, many years later I was made aware of a RS3100 in Olympic Blue for sale from the same area I called the guy and asked a few questions he told me that he had taken the car to France and restored it but decided to go the cologne arched route which was fine (his choice) he told me that it was a genuine car!!! that was until I made it clear that I was the guy that was going to buy it many years before then the truth came out it had been re-shelled.
He then sold it to a gent who brought it to Castle Combe he also has a collection of Aston Martin Tickfords, this guy then sold it and a couple of years later it was on E-Bay as a standard shell with the seller claiming it was genuine he in fact got into quite a heated debate on another forum about this.
He then called me and I told him that it was indeed a re-shelled car and after he claimed that it had never had arches on on it I then said that I was obviously wrong!!!! As it had been re-shelled twice not once I dont recall hearing from him again.
So the upshot is the credentials of STR366N still survive but sadly the car does not.
RScapriman.

[greg]

Well you certainly responded quickly to that one- thought I had a bit of a scoop for a minute.

I did spot the red one on ebay at the moment just after I started this thread. Are there others for sale?

[johnmc67]

Aug 21, 2015 12:56:54 GMT greg said:

Well you certainly responded quickly to that one- thought I had a bit of a scoop for a minute.

I did spot the red one on ebay at the moment just after I started this thread. Are there others for sale?

There's one going in auction in November at NEC ! Looking for 45k if it does not do close to that it will be stored away for couple of years then the other may be mine PFC 700M looking for around 30k but would be open to a sensible offer !

[rscapriman]

Greg, if you into the homepage on this site click on pictures, page 3 third from the left and three rows down you will see a pic of STR in slightly better condition.
RScapriman.

[greg]

I should imagine that was taken in about '83.

What colour is PFC 700M?

[johnmc67]

Aug 21, 2015 18:19:34 GMT greg said:

I should imagine that was taken in about '83.

What colour is PFC 700M?

Both cars I know of are Sebring red , if you google the registration you will see pictures of it at the NEC classic car show November 2013

[Bill Booth]

Aug 21, 2015 9:41:05 GMT greg said:

Hi there

New to this site but always liked V6 Capris.

Back in 1985, as a spotty 19 year old and following an unsuccessful relationship with a very dodgy 3000GXL, I noticed the whale tail back end of a  tatty Capri (especially as it would have only been 11 years old at the time) in someone's drive a couple of miles from where I lived.

I knocked on his door and asked him if it was a genuine RS, to which he replied in the affirmative. From then on I used to annoy him as often as I could trying to get him to sell it.

He took me out in it once and drove it like a lunatic in the rain on narrow residential roads which was never very advisable in those things.

One day I got myself a better paying job and said to him "would you take £1800 (Barclayloan) for it, to which he said he would.

I then promptly went out and bought an immaculate black Mk3 3.0S and kissed goodbye to a chance to have a much more significant car which I always regretted. I can console myself that at that age I would not have had the free time to give it the attention it needed and the girls

would have found me far more attractive driving around doing Bodie and Doyle impressions in the later car. Also I know that I would not have held on to the 3100 to this day.

 

As for the RS, the guy sold it and bought a Mk3 Ghia with a very breathed on 3500 Rover engine and 2.8 suspension to drive around at even more insane speeds on the wet Ruislip streets.

Now I am older and have successfully restored my Series 1 E type and using a Focus RS as my daily driver I often find myself looking on the internet for an available RS but their rarity is astonishing.

View Attachment

Attached is a photo of the Capri in question. Is it still around?

Greg

[Bill Booth]

Hi Rscapri fans..
A bit of info re Str366N. I was the guy that owed it when Greg nearly bought it. I sold it to my nephew John Hughes. I had bought it originally from a guy called Simon Law who worked at Rovercraft. I believe it was his dad's company. I then bought a v8 capri Ghia which was much modified and coincidently enough it was from his brother graham Law. They were both definately into fast capri's in the day. I preferred the performance on the V8 capri but I never felt so well connected as with the RS and the 4 speed box was much nicer then the 5 speed in the MK3. It's sad to know it has now bitten the dust but it's great to see many have been restored and look great. Much better than money in the bank.