Before the Mustang Turbo, Ford Built This Wild Capri Instead

Key Points

• A unique 1981 Ford Capri 3.0S Janspeed Turbo prototype is now for sale in the UK.
• Originally nearly scrapped, it was rescued, restored, and retains extensive provenance and documentation.
• Priced just under £60,000, it represents a rare "what if" in Ford's performance history.

A one-off 1981 Ford Capri 3.0S Janspeed Turbo prototype that was nearly scrapped in the late 1990s is now for sale in the U.K., giving collectors a shot at what might be the ultimate “what if” fast Ford.

Priced at £59,995 and listed by Fisher Performance Cars on PistonHeads, the car is believed to be one of four Capri 3.0S test cars Ford sent to Janspeed in period to evaluate a factory-backed turbo model, and it is widely thought to be the only survivor. It sits at the opposite end of the Ford spectrum from modern specials like the 770-horsepower F-150 Shelby Super Snake.

The Capri Turbo Ford Never Built
Under the hood is a 2,994-cc Essex V6 fitted with an early Janspeed turbo kit, complete with Janspeed-badged plenum, turbocharger and carb setup. The drivetrain pairs that boosted V6 with a four-speed manual and rear-wheel drive, backed up by a Salisbury limited-slip differential and period suspension upgrades including Bilstein dampers and a twin-exit Janspeed exhaust.

Visually, the car wears a distinctive two-tone beige and Roman Bronze paint scheme with gold pinstriping, plus a prototype rear spoiler and 3.0S-style trim. Inside, it keeps the familiar Capri 3.0S Carla-check fabric and period plastics, right down to a quirky double-carpet arrangement that has been preserved during restoration. In period, these Janspeed test cars were said to outpace contemporary performance benchmarks, but Ford ultimately chose to pursue the Capri 2.8 Injection instead of launching a factory turbo special.

Scrapyard Find Turned Six-Figure-Feel Prototype
This particular Capri’s second life began when a Ford enthusiast spotted it in a London scrapyard in the late 1990s while hunting for parts. A worker mentioned that it was a “turbo” with a Janspeed badge under the hood, which prompted a closer look and eventually a full rescue. The car was dry-stored for roughly a decade before undergoing a sympathetic restoration in the late 2000s and early 2010s, including rebuilt turbo pipework, a freshened body that needed only light welding, and a respray in its original two-tone colors. Janspeed paperwork shows a full engine rebuild and kit work totaling more than £5,000 in period money, and the Capri later appeared in Classic Ford magazine in 2015.

With a little over 70,000 miles showing, this is not a delivery-mile time capsule, but the seller backs it with extensive documentation, Janspeed invoices and long-term history that tie it back to Ford’s aborted turbo program. In Ford collector terms, it occupies similar “prototype that nearly was” territory to other halo projects and sits alongside blue-chip muscle.

Where It Fits Among Fast Fords Today
At just under £60,000, this Janspeed Capri is priced at the very top of the Mk3 Capri world, above many road-going 2.8 Injections and close to some full race builds. The argument in its favor is that you are buying a one-off development car with direct Ford links rather than a regular production model, plus the story of a scrapyard save, a long restoration and a paper trail that is hard to repeat.

It also highlights how broad the Ford performance story has become. Today, buyers can walk into a dealer and look at everything from three-row family crossovers such as the Explorer, to factory-built trucks and V8 coupes with more power than most period race cars