Perana Capri 302 V8 road test, CAR, January 1971

"Goshen, formerly Darkcode" (thedarkestofallcodes)
11/01/2014 at 16:11 • Filed to: GOSHEN'S SATURDAY NIGHT PUBLIC ARCHIVES RELEASE

The Ford Capri was often referred to as the Mustang for Europe, offering a very similar package (a trendy coupé based from the average car, in this case the Cortina, for an affordable price) and ending up as a recognizable icon of the 1970s in Western Europe. The South Africans, however, went one step further and actually fitted a Mustang's 5-litre V8 in the lightweight Capri bodyshell. This impromptu Cobra/Tiger equivalent combined 239 net horsepower and 1090 kilograms, meaning it could speed up to 100 km/h in a supercar-like 6.7 seconds: a performance icon in its own right.

It's also remarkable to note that the publication this road test was taken from is not related to the British magazine of the same name. CAR of Cape Town was started in the 1950s, some years before the London rag. It still exists and published other road tests I intend to share here in the future. When the London rag arrived to South Africa, it renamed itself TopCar.

DISCUSSION (4)

Klaus Schmoll > Goshen, formerly Darkcode
11/01/2014 at 17:51

There was a funny little shitstorm about a Perana in a German vintage car mag a few years ago. They had a nice article about one of the two or three Peranas in this country and about how much the owner loved it. Unfortunately, in the same issue was an ad with a picture of that very same car for sale. They got funny letters-to-the-editor and even printed them. These old beards take their vintage cars very serious, and when they go through the effort of actually putting something in writing, hilarity ensues.

lucky's pepper > Goshen, formerly Darkcode
11/01/2014 at 19:14

Thanks for posting the article, I've always been interested in non-North American musclecars.

Now are you going to hook us up with a review of the 'Little Chev' Firenza?

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > lucky's pepper
11/02/2014 at 04:09

That's very hard. There was only one road test of the Little Chev, in Technicar magazine, and that article does not exist in the webernetz, like most material print in Technicar. I'd frankly love to, though. It was even more of a beast than the Perana Capri.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Klaus Schmoll
11/02/2014 at 04:10

Didn't know there were Peranas in the continent, it's nice to know that.