Much like Carroll Shelby – the man who helped develop the Ford GT40, AC Cobra, and high-performance Ford Mustangs – I have always had a soft spot for a small car with a big heart. As a South African, I can tell you that the car culture here has the same mindset as that of Mister Shelby.
As a result, some truly one-of-a-kind performance cars have been conceived here, such as the BMW 333i and Alfa Romeo GTV6 3.0. There’s also a whole bunch of South African-exclusive Ford performance cars that not many people know of, like the Sierra XR8 and Cortina XR6.
Today’s star of the show is arguably the best of the bunch: The Ford Capri Perana. Based on the small Ford Capri coupe, the Perana is a South African-exclusive muscle car that rivaled the all-American Ford Mustang.
An Introduction To The Ford Capri
Think of the Ford Capri as a smaller, more frugal version of the Ford Mustang, and it was meant for cruising, as opposed to racing. Instead of packing a monstrous V8 from the factory, it had a wide array of four- and six-cylinder engines that produced up to 138 hp.
Built between 1969 and 1974, the first-generation Ford Capri was sold in Europe, some Asian regions, Australia, and South Africa. Even North America received the Ford Capri later on, but it was rebadged as the Mercury Capri. Unfortunately, it was severely underpowered, as the top-of-the-range version fitted with a 2.8-liter V6 only managed to push out about 100 horses.
What’s So Special About The Capri Perana, Then?
Remember what I said about South Africans and their fixation with dropping comically large engines in small cars? Near Johannesburg, South Africa, there was a man called Basil Green, and he was obsessed with horsepower.
Mister Green was responsible for some of the craziest Ford cars South Africa had ever seen. His shop, Basil Green Motors, loved taking mildly powerful Ford products and turning them into full-blown race cars by swapping their engines, altering their suspension, and installing brakes with more bite.
According to Ford, the work done at the shop was so impressive that it caught the carmaker’s eye, and they eventually reached out to him and struck a deal. From that moment, some of Basil Green Motors’ creations could be ordered directly from a Ford dealership with a warranty.
With Ford’s confidence in his work, he built one of his very first hits, the 1967 Ford Cortina Perana V6. Although the Cortina Perana was cool, it was nowhere near as special as the Capri Perana.
Ford sent Capris without a powertrain to Basil Green Motors, for his garage to tinker with as he seemed fit. At first, Basil Green Motors made Essex V6-powered Capris, but soon, the V6 models were sold directly from Ford South Africa showroom floors. So, he had to up the ante.
Instead of making some tweaks here and there, Basil went full-blown balls to the wall by shoehorning the Ford Mustang’s 5.0-liter Windsor V8 into the tiny Capri. If things weren’t crazy enough already, Basil modified the Windsor V8, too, installing a Holley 460cfm carburetor, an aluminum high-rise inlet manifold, a new camshaft, and stronger valve springs.
As a result, power jumped to 281 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque, all of them sent to the rear wheels via a close-ratio 4-speed manual or 3-speed automatic gearbox and a limited-slip rear axle from the Australian Ford Falcon XW.
Furthermore, he lowered its suspension by 1.5 inches, added MacPherson strut front suspension, and better front brake pads. Somehow, the Perana was only 20 lbs heavier than the standard Capri, resulting in a 2,425-lb curb weight, despite its hefty engine and basket of upgrades.
Basil Green Motors made about 400 Capri Peranas between 1970 and 1972. Aesthetically, the Perana wasn’t worlds apart from the standard model, with cars being finished in either Bright Yellow or Peri Peri Red.
Apart from its flashy Perana and V8 badges scattered across the car, the easiest way to identify a Perana is by its black stripes that run from the hood past the window edges. Many models had a blacked-out trunk lid, chrome 13-inch Rostyle steel wheels with black accents, and louvers on the rear window.
Was It Any Good?
In the real world, the Capri Perana could rocket from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.7 seconds and complete the quarter mile in 14 and a half seconds, despite wearing a slim set of 185/70R13 tires. If you were brave enough, you could keep your foot planted on the accelerator and reach a top speed of 142 mph.
Nowadays, the Ford Capri Perana is one of the most sought-after classic Ford cars in South Africa. In fact, it’s even more desirable than an old first-gen Mustang. What I am about to say might very well get me disowned by my friends and family: The Capri Perana isn’t as good as the Ford Mustang. That said, I still prefer the Perana, because, who doesn’t like a tiny car with a massive engine?!
