Ford Capri V8

The Capri's power steering gets a pricey upgrade to an electric system. Will it be worth it?

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THE HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING system fitted to the Capri has always been just OK, to the point where I'd contemplated removing it to see if the steering weights were manageable and whether it would gain some feel. The system was a mash-up of Peugeot hydraulics and a Ford quick rack, a concoction of the guys at Proprep, who built the Capri from scratch over 20 years ago.

Last year, I went to north Wales to drive the rather lovely, brand new Escort Mk1 built by MST. It was a blast hooning it along in driving rain on familiar roads, 250bhp BDA barking at 9000rpm, opposite lock here and there. Equally impressive was the steering, which had electric assistance that was well judged and could also be dialled up and down like the volume on a radio.