The story behind the 1985 Motorsport Capri
In 1984, The Mercury Capri dominated the Trans-Am Race Series. Driven by Willie T. Ribbs, Tom Gloy, & Greg Pickett, the Capri’s won 11 of the 16 races, including 5 straight. Lincoln-Mercury easily won there first manufactures championship that year.
In early 1985, Ford Motor Company was given the honor to supply the pace car for the fourth annual Detroit Grand Prix. They took advantage of the previous years success of the Capri on the track & chose the street version Capri as the pace car. To further capitalize on the Capri’s track success, the pace cars were to be styled similar to the cars that were raced on the track, receiving similar graphics & paint schemes. 30 pace cars were scheduled to be built. All cars were to be fitted with the new & improved 5.0-liter High Output V-8 engine & 5-speed manual transmission.
The cars started out as stock Capri’s built at Ford Motor Company’s River Rouge assembly complex in Dearborn, MI on the same line as the Ford Mustang.
The Capri RS was the obvious choice for the pace car but this was not to be. The RS model was phased out in the U.S.A. during mid-production in 1985. Any 1985 - 5.0 equipped Capri’s built after this point would have to be the Capri GS model.
The cars would be built with the Sport Package, which was not available on this model prior to the discontinuation of the RS. The Sport Package would feature a flat dark gray painted lower body. Exterior items such as the mirrors, window trim, & grill would be flat gray to match. The front air dam from the RS would also be added on. All cars with the Sport Package received the RS interior as well as the RS suspension. These cars were built at the factory identical to the RS in every way with the exception of the quarter panel moulding & a rear hatch emblem.
The Capri GS 5.0 with the Sport Package would serve as the starting block.
The next step would be the cars appearance. The manufacturer then approached Graphik Concepts for the job. In 1984 & 1985, Graphik Concepts had been producing & applying decals for the ASC McLaren coupes. They would be brought in to help design, produce & apply the visually wild decal scheme for the Motorsport Capri.
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