When a Bath car enthusiast bought a Ford Capri as a day-to-day car in 1990, he never thought it would end up one the oldest in the country.

After having the motor for nearly three decades, Chris Taylor, of Camerton, has fully restored the vehicle after seven years of hard work.

The mk1 Ford Capri 2000 GT XL is different from other Capris due to the fact that is a 'pre-facelift'. Ford made a 'facelift' version of the car which was more popular, but before this there was a 'pre-facelift version' which is much harder to come by.

The car is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year after first being made in 1969. The original Capri was first made in Germany in 1968 but was brought to the UK a year later.

The front of the car
The front of the car

Chris' car is a 1969 model, making it one of the oldest in the UK as the big anniversary approaches.

But he said the car wasn't bought to be a flashy collectible when he first bought it aged 20.

He said: "I bought it 28 years ago just as a runner. I just used it as a daily car and after a while the MOT was due and it needed some bits doing.

"I put it in the garage out of the way for a while. I moved from house to house and got divorced and it got stuck in the garage for a very long time.

"Eventually I moved to Camerton where I am now and it got left in a garage for a few years and then unfortunately it just got left in a field for five or six years.

He bought the car 28 years ago
He bought the car 28 years ago

"About seven years ago, I knew the anniversary was creeping up and I thought I better start doing some work on it. It spurred me along to get it done and thought I had loads of time.

"We got it to a point where it was totally sprayed. It stood in here for another 12 months and my friend Lee Reynolds came and gave me a hand.

"We took it apart and Lee had to put it back together. All the pieces were in tins and most of them were labelled but some had worn of. It was a bit of a guessing job.

"We've had a new vinyl roof, the engine totally remade, the upholstery redone. It's a really rare model."

Ford began making mk2 version in 1974 and mk3 versions in 1978. Chris also has a mk3 Capri, and is desperate to get his hands on a mk2 to complete the set.

The car can reach 60mph in 10.6 seconds, has a top speed of 106mph and has a classic cars magazine price guide of £2,500-£14,000.

While Chris doesn't get out in the car much at the moment, him and Lee have had a great day out at a racetrack in Surrey as part of a photo shoot for Classic Cars magazine.

The engine
The engine

He said: "We took her to a test track in August. We took her up on a trailer because it was a long way to go but that was very good.

"We got on the front cover of classic car magazine. Other than that it was just a run-around car. When I bought it I didn't think I'd still have the car now.

"We try to keep her as original as possible and most bits are. The seats are the original but have just been reupholstered.

"The dashboard, all the central console, the clocks are all orignal. I even managed to find a guy that had a 1969 radio."

Lee has worked on all sorts of classic cars and said that it was great to work on this one.

He said: "I came over here in February and it was basically a shell, so we had to go through loads of boxes and find all the pieces.

"It is very difficult to put a car back together that you haven't taken apart.

"There's a couple of big car meets that we're looking to get to with the anniversary coming up."

It isn't just Fords that Lee works on, and he has a wealth of experience in rebuilding his own cars and other people's.

He said: "My own car is a 1957 Vauxhall Cresta and there is only five in the country. I've also got an Alpha GTV.

Chris' car made it to the front cover of Classic Car magazine

"I've worked on so many different cars, I think the only one I haven't worked on is a Lamborghini."

But has the hard work been worth it?

Chris said: "It has been a task. Once you start you have committed and you have to keep going.

"She's certainly been through it. Would I have done it if I had known it had been this much work? Parts of me say yes I would and parts of me say no.

"You don't really know what you're taking on, you just do it. Stripping every bit of paintwork off was the hardest job we've done."

Want more news?



Find your Bath Facebook page here or Somerset's can be found here

Alternatively, follow us on Twitter - @BathLive and @SomersetLive