<< Prev Page 2 of 2 In the hands of Hans Heyer the Group 5 Capri debuted during the Hockenheim round of the DRM Championship, which coincided with the 1978 German Grand Prix. It proved quick straight out of the box with Heyer placing the car on pole but during the race he was forced to retire with an engine failure. Reliability issues dogged Heyer twice more before he finally was able to convert the raw pace of the Zakspeed Capri in a victory at the Nürburgring season finale.
During the following Winter, development continued with an eye on both improved performance and reliability. The result was a power increase to an even more impressive 400 bhp @ 9,000 rpm. Zakspeed built a new car for Heyer, with the earlier example being allocated to journalist/racer Harald Ertl. In their first full season there was no stopping the Group 5 Capris with Heyer scoring nine victories in fourteen attempts. Needless to say, this was more than enough for Heyer to win the 2-litre championship.
Seeking new challenges, Zakspeed also fielded larger engined Capris in the over two-litre class from halfway through 1979. Initially the revised engines displaced just over 1.5 litre but eventually a 1.7 litre was available using a new aluminium block. A twin turbocharger setup was also tried but found ineffective. In ultimate Division 2 guise, the tiny engine produced a staggering 495 bhp while the most powerful variants pumped out close to 600 bhp. From 1980, wing sizes were limited but Zakspeed compensated for the loss of downforce by adding ground-effect tunnels.
During the 1980 and and 1981 season, the Zakspeed Capris were continued to be raced with great success in both divisions. Heyer had moved to join Lancia but very worthy replacements were found in Klaus Ludwig and Manfred Winkelhock. The former would go on to win the 1981 DRM Championship outright, beating the much larger engined Porsches. For 1982, Ford eventually followed by Zakspeed turned their focus to the quickly emerging Group C class.
Using the lessons learned by the Capri, Zakspeed also developed an IMSA specification Mustang using the same chassis and engine. In 1.5 litre form, the production-based engine would also power the Zakspeed Formula 1 cars that emerged later in the 1980s. In privateer hands the Capris continued to be raced for several more years but not with the same level of success as in works hands. The Zakspeed Capri nevertheless remains as one of the most formidable GT-racers ever built. << Prev Page 2 of 2
Ultimatecarpage.com
> Cars by brand
> United States
> Ford
Racing cars
> GT Cars
In the hands of Hans Heyer the Group 5 Capri debuted during the Hockenheim round of the DRM Championship, which coincided with the 1978 German Grand Prix. It proved quick straight out of the box with Heyer placing the car on pole but during the race he was forced to retire with an engine failure. Reliability issues dogged Heyer twice more before he finally was able to convert the raw pace of the Zakspeed Capri in a victory at the Nürburgring season finale.