Guide: Ford Capri RS2600
Background
Although Ford had high hopes when they launched the Mustang in 1964, the company most likely never imagined it would become quite such a commercial success.
On the first day of availability in April ‘64, Ford sold 22,000 Mustangs. More than 100,000 had rolled off the production line within four months. Over a million Mustangs were sold inside the first two years of production, by which time the model was well on its way to becoming Ford’s biggest seller since the Model T.
Beyond pure sales figures, the Mustang pioneered a new muscle car scene and quickly acquired the kind of icon status reserved for just a handful or motoring greats.
Despite its popularity in North America though, the Mustang wasn’t anything like such a big seller across the Atlantic where smaller, twistier roads were not as well suited to what was a pretty big car by European standards.
To try and replicate the Mustang’s success, Ford of Europe (founded in 1967 following the merger of Ford Great Britain and Ford Germany) conceived its own scaled-down version.
The resultant Capri was launched at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1969 and proved a big hit. Initially available with a range of inline four, V4 and V6 engines ranging in size from 1.3 to 2-litres, these early variants were followed by range-topping 2.3 and 3-litre models by the end of the year.
With its good looks and classic front-engined rear-drive layout, Ford were able to sell more than 400,000 Capris within the first two years of production.
Meanwhile, back in January 1968, Ford Motorsport Germany had been established as a counterpart to the UK division over in Boreham. Headed by Jochen Neerpasch and based at Ford’s Niehl plant in Cologne, the German operation had first begun to compete with the Capri in early 1969.
Their efforts had started with high compression Weslake-modified 170bhp 2.3-litre V6 engines. However, by the end of 1969, a 2.6-litre motor with 200bhp was on stream. The year ended with a third place finish for Jean-Francois Piot and Jean Todt on the Tour de Corse.
Encouraged by such performances, Ford decided to embark on a more ambitious campaign for the following season.
1970 would see the European Touring Car Championship revert to a Group 2 formula. To qualify required a production run of 1000 base cars within a twelve month timeframe. Ford had already homologated the two-litre Capri for Group 2 racing in April 1969, and as a temporary solution, a 2.4-litre competition version with a 230bhp Kugelfischer fuel-injected engine was campaigned throughout 1970.
Unfortunately, the car proved unreliable and, aside from a brace of second place finished at Monza and Nepliget Park in Hungary, the season proved a major disappointment.
Luckily, realising a more specialised foundation would most likely be required, back in October 1969 Ford had given the green light for a homologation special that would provide a much better platform for the ‘71 season and beyond.
The resultant Capri RS2600 was developed in double-quick time over in Boreham and made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1970. The new car’s specially enlarged engine with its long-throw crankshaft was necessary to allow a Group 2 racing version to be competitive in the top Division 3 category.
Production was handled by the Niehl plant where the RS2600 was built exclusively in left-hand drive. It was sold through Ford’s Rallye Sport dealers at a 50% premium over the next most expensive Capri.
RS2600 LW ‘Plastikbombe’
The first 50 examples of the RS2600 were completed to Lightweight trim between March and April of 1970. These RS2600 LW cars were manufactured for the FIA inspectors to base their homologation report upon. Accordingly, they were built to the lightest possible specification with a target weight of just 900kg.
To that end, the LW (often dubbed the Plastikbombe) was assembled with an array of special parts not automatically fitted on the subsequent RS2600. These included fibreglass panels for the hood, doors and trunk lid (all made by BBS), un-flared front wheelarches, magnesium Minilite wheels, sliding Plexiglas side windows, thinner glass, single-piece lightweight Scheel bucket seats, no carpet, no heater and no underseal. Less paint was also applied with some cars getting just a single coat.
Production of the regular RS2600 subsequently started at Niehl in September 1970. Homologation was approved on January 2nd 1971.
Chassis
Each RS2600 started life as a standard steel Capri monocoque with 2560mm wheelbase.
Independent front suspension was via MacPherson struts while at the back was a live axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and radius rods.
Upgrades applied to the RS2600 included a modified front crossmember that moved the suspension arms outwards in order to provide negative camber. Shorter and stiffer competition springs were fitted along with gas-filled Bilstein shocks (telescopic at the rear). A thicker front anti-roll bar was also installed.
The brake system was imported from the 3-litre Capri offered in Great Britain. It comprised servo-assisted discs of 244mm up front with 229mm drums at the rear. Special brake pads and linings were supplied by Ferodo.
Standard wheels for the production RS2600 were 6 x 13-inch cast alloy rims from Richard Grant. Ultra-light magnesium rims as fitted to the LW became an optional extra.
A 58-litre fuel tank from the regular Capri was located in its usual location under the trunk floor.
Engine / Gearbox
In the engine bay was an enlarged and uprated version of the longitudinally-mounted 60° V6 used in the Capri 2600 GT.
Both engines used an iron block and iron siamese-port heads with pushrod overhead valves (two per cylinder). Wet-sump lubrication was employed.
The 26M motor fitted to the RS2600 was developed by Weslake in Rye, East Sussex, and came with a host of special features to include Kugelfischer mechanical fuel-injection (instead of a single Solex carburettor) and a long-throw crankshaft that enabled a displacement in excess of 2.6-litres. 90mm cylinder bores were carried over from the 2600 GT. Stroke length was increased by 2.2mm (from 66.8mm to 69mm). Displacement went from 2548cc to 2637cc (a gain of 89cc).
Other upgrades included an alloy plenum chamber, a beefed up sump, cast alloy inlet manifolds and a dual pipe exhaust. The compression ratio was hiked from 9.0:1 to 10.0:1. A more aggressive camshaft from the 2300 GT engine was installed as well.
Peak output was 148bhp at 5600rpm and 165lb-ft at 3500rpm.
For comparison, the engine in the Capri 2600 GT developed 142bhp at 5500rpm and 163lb-ft at 3100rpm.
Transmission was through a close-ratio four-speed manual gearbox, a single-plate hydraulic clutch and an Atlas differential with 3.22:1 axle ratio.
Bodywork
The standard production RS2600 used steel body panels throughout.
After the wheels were found to foul the front arches of the original Lightweight cars, subtle flares were added to give extra clearance.
No bumpers were fitted. This meant the front indicators had to to be integrated within the front apron which also incorporated two large rectangular intakes (as per the Federal-spec. Capri).
In the absence of a back bumper, extra lights had to be mounted on the tail fascia to illuminate the licence plate. The reverse lights were let into the lower apron which also featured a pair of cutaways for the dual pipe exhaust.
Instead of the single lens headlights normally fitted to European-market Capris, the RS2600 used the Federalised arrangement for the North American market with two exposed lamps per side housed in satin black shrouds.
The custom hood featured a power bulge that was exposed at the trailing edge to improve cooling.
Each car came with a two-tone colour scheme that saw the hood, engine bay, sills, A-pillars and areas around the side windows painted satin black. The tail fascia was painted satin black to match.
A rectangular RS2600 badge was added to each front fender along with an RS script on the right-hand side of the trunk lid.
Interior
The RS2600’s cockpit was fitted with special Scheel bucket seats (now with adjustable backs) and a three-spoke leather-rimmed deep-dish steering wheel. No centre console was installed to save a little weight.
The front seats were upholstered in black cord material and the centre section of the bench-type rear seat was trimmed to match. The outer section of the rear bench was black vinyl to correspond with the door panels and sidewalls.
The black plastic dash featured a wide binnacle that housed most of the switchgear and the controls for the heater / ventilation system. It also contained all six gauges: a large 220kmh speedometer and 7000rpm rev counter that were flanked to the left by small read outs for water temperature and fuel and to the right by a voltmeter and oil pressure gauge.
Options
Buyers could configure their RS2600 in any colour from the Ford range. They could also specify a dark blue instead of satin black livery if the rest of the car was painted white or silver.
Other upgrades included a sunroof, a radio, spot lamps and opening rear quarter windows.
To save weight and increase performance, Ford offered a limited-slip differential, magnesium Minilite wheels, a laminated glass windscreen, Plexiglas side windows, single-piece Scheel bucket seats, a fibreglass trunk lid and reinforced fibreglass doors.
Weight / Performance
The standard RS2600 tipped the scales at 1060kg which was 20kg heavier than a Capri 2600 GT.
However, the Group 2 homologation special was much faster: top speed went from 118mph to 129mph while the 0-62mph time dropped from 8.6 seconds to just 7.5 seconds.
Late 1971 Production Changes
In October 1971, Ford made a number of revisions to the RS2600 to give it broader market appeal.
Road instead of competition springs gave a softer, more compliant ride and also resulted in slightly more ground clearance.
Larger 248mm ventilated disc brakes from the 3-litre Cortina replaced the un-ventilated 244mm discs fitted previously. The 3-litre Cortina’s beefier hubs were also fitted.
Ford’s own RS-branded four-spoke alloys were adopted instead of the earlier type supplied by Richard Grant. Wheel size was unchanged at 6 x 13-inches.
The original gearbox was replaced by a four-speed Type E Toploader unit from the Granada which had revised ratios. The previously hydraulic clutch became cable-operated.
The rear axle ratio went from 3.22:1 to 3.09:1 for a higher top speed.
Body-wise, a new plain front apron was installed that did without the two large rectangular vent holes and indicators.
The front indicators were now integrated with new chromed quarter bumpers. Matching quarter bumpers were fitted at the rear.
Inside, the Scheel seats came with softer cord upholstery and the Scheel badge on the backrest was replaced by an RS logo.
There was also a new rear seat with the original bench-type design switched to a pair of individual buckets with a folding armrest in between. The centres of each bucket were trimmed to match the cord upholstery up front while the outer sections were black vinyl to match the rest of the cockpit.
As a result of these changes, weight rose by 20kg to 1080kg.
Production Moves to Saarlouis
During the course of 1972, production of the RS2600 was switched from Niehl to Ford’s Saarlouis plant some 250km south.
Late 1972 Production Changes
In September 1972, Ford launched a face-lifted Capri and the RS2600 was updated in line with the rest of the range.
Externally, it now came with a new front grille and larger tail light clusters. As these featured integrated reversing lights there was also a new rear apron (where the reverse lights originally resided).
Inside was a new dash and instrument binnacle although the layout of the dials remained unchanged. Door panels with a new pattern were fitted.
There were also a series of changes specific to the RS2600.
The existing front bumpers were retained, but a new full-width item was installed at the back. Instead of a chrome finish, the bumpers were now painted satin black.
A satin black chin spoiler was added at the base of the front apron.
Hella headlights were fitted with each satin black GXL-sourced shroud given an individual chrome bezel instead of the larger rectangular type that previously encased both of the Federal-type shrouds used on earlier cars.
The original fender-mounted RS2600 badges located behind each front wheel were switched to a red and black shield with 2600 V6 branding.
Each RS2600 cockpit now came with a flat three-spoke RS-branded steering wheel, a centre console with oddments tray and a map reading light. The rear bucket seats had cloth cord over the bolsters and centres with just the central area in between (to include the armrest) left in black vinyl.
Under the hood, the Kugelfischer fuel-injection system was equipped with a new injection pump, different injectors, new fuel lines and a new throttle body.
A previously unseen option was a decal kit. Available in white, black or dark blue, the decal kit comprised an arced-shaped graphic applied to the edge of the power bulge and another that wrapped around the top and sides of the tail fascia. Both the hood and tail graphics featured a stylised ‘injection’ script.
An ‘RS2600 injection’ logo was added to the fuel filler cap and corresponding location on the left-hand sail panel.
End of Production
The RS2600 was discontinued in December 1973 after 3532 examples had been completed. Most were sold in Germany, France, Austria and Belgium. By this time, production of a Capri RS3100 had started over in England.
Famously, the one millionth Capri was an RS2600 completed on August 29th 1973.
Although never officially offered in the UK, between three and six RS2600s were converted to right-hand drive for high-ranking Ford executives such as head of UK public relations, Walter Hayes, and director of UK motor sport, Stuart Turner.
Competition History
After the disappointment of 1970, the RS2600 arrived to completely turn Ford’s fortunes around during the 1971 season.
That year, the works Capris most notably went up against the BMW 2800 CS prepared by Alpina and Schnitzer in the premier Division 3 class. However, the BMWs were no match for the Capris which steamrollered their way to six out of eight ETCC wins.
Ford won the Salzburgring Trophy, Brno 2 Hours, Nurburgring 6 Hours, Spa 24 Hours, the two 6 Hour races at Paul Ricard and the Jarama 4 Hours as Dieter Glemser was crowned 1971 Driver’s champion.
Although level on points at the end of the year, Alfa Romeo took the Manufacturer’s title having only lost out on victory once in the Division 2 category.
It was a similar story in 1972, although this time Ford missed out on victory in only one of the nine rounds (their home race at the Nurburgring which fell to the Schnitzer BMW squad).
Ford won the Monza 4 Hours, Salzburgring Trophy, Brno 2 Hours, Spa 24 Hours, Zandvoort 4 Hours, Paul Ricard 6 Hours, both two hour races that comprised the Silverstone Tourist Trophy and the Jarama 4 Hours.
Jochen Mass emerged as the star of the ‘72 season and won that year’s Driver’s crown.
In the Manufacturer’s contest, Ford were pipped to overall honours by Alfa Romeo.
1972 also saw Ford finish first and second in the Touring class at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Meanwhile, with nine wins from ten races, Ford’s Hans-Joachim Stuck won the inaugural Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM).
The 1973 ETCC marked the arrival of a factory BMW Motorsport team and the new 3.0 CSL proved dominant against the ageing RS2600. That year, Ford won just twice: at the Salzburgring Trophy and Mantorp Park 500km.
Hans Heyer won three of the nine DRM races driving a Capri RS2600 in 1973 but was beaten to the Driver’s title by Dieter Glemser in a Division 1 Zakspeed Escort RS1600.
For 1974, the RS2600 was replaced by the new Capri RS3100.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Ford - https://www.ford.com
