Ford Capris are a family affair for one Aberdeenshire man. Cheryl Livingstone finds out more.
It has been a 16-year love affair but Symon Hollingdale has been told that it has to come to an end.
He first bought a Ford Capri when he was 18 and now aged 33, he is working on the last two he will ever own.
For these two Capris will eventually be passed onto his children, Olivia, 5, and David, 3.
The idea to buy and restore these classic cars came to him after his daughter was born and as a long-time fan of the Capri marque, he knew exactly what to buy her.
Symon, who lives in Alford with his kids and wife Niki, said: “It was my excuse to get the wife to agree to allow me to have a new classic car, a new project, with the long term agreement that it would be passed on.
“I have been driving cars since I was 18 and I’ve had probably in the region of 20-plus Capris in my time.
“They are classed as the hairy-chested 80s classic car. I love the lovely long lines, the big bonnet and the four headlamps that look up at you.
“It’s an easy car to work on and is still quite easy to get parts for. I’m now at the age where newest Capris are about 30 years old now. It’s gone from being a fashionable car when I was 18 to a classic car in my older years.”
The car is question is a 1986 Ford Capri Laser which he bought from a woman in Tarland who had owned it since new. Symon explained it took some persuasion to get her to agree to part with it.
He said: “A couple of people had approached her in the past about selling it but she never wanted to. It sat in her drive for about six years without being moved. She had pumped up the tyres and covered it up during the winter but it was basically a car that she didn’t want to part with.
“I introduced her to Olivia and said this was who the car was going to go to eventually and she eventually sold it with the knowledge that Olivia would be getting it at some point. And we are still in touch, I let her know how I am getting on with her old car.
“The woman’s name was Caroline and that’s what we’ve named the car.”
The car, which is burgundy in colour, is currently getting a complete overhaul and rebuild. It was the chance to breathe new life into this vehicle – as well as being a Capri – that made it a perfect project.
“I thought that needs saving, it needs saving before it goes too far,” he said. “As they say in the trade another one lives.”
Symon initially set himself a target of 10 years to complete the car and is five years into it. But with Niki having another child, Symon thinks it’ll be another seven years before the car is complete.
It meant Symon was able to get another Capri, this time a Tuscan beige 1980 Ford Capri 3 litre S, which will eventually be inherited by his son and will be the last Capri he will ever own.
Currently he uses it for shows and once “Caroline” is road-worthy, he will decide whether it will need a complete restoration or just a face-lift.
So basically his car at the moment is on loan from his three year old son – a fact David likes to remind his father about.
“He says all the time that ‘It’s daddy’s racing car that he’s borrowing. It’s only his until I am old enough to drive it’,” Symon said.
In fact both his children are keen to be involved in the upkeep and restoration of their future wheels. And they seem to be learning a lot as well.
Symon said: “They are both keen to learn. Olivia has helped me change the front pads and the brakes on the 3 litre before and she knows how to look out for flat tyres and check the lights.
“David can identify components of the engine, power steering fluids containers, radiators and brake fluid.
“It is good feeling knowing that some of my passion is being passed onto them. Whether it lasts with Olivia, who knows, she’ll probably go all girly on me,” he said laughing.
“But for now she’s definitely daddy’s girl.
“It’s a hobby and a passion for me but they’ll also be something the kids can drive and have pride in knowing that their dad did it for them.”
Symon added that the cars will also be a financial investment for his kids, with the value of them on the increase. The three litre S is an extremely rare car, believed to be the only one of its kind in that colour.
At the moment Symon uses it to take to shows, an activity he hopes to carry on when he passes the cars on to his kids. As a lover of the Capri marque, though, I wonder if when push comes to shove, will he actually be able to hand over the keys?
“The way I word it is that this is their inheritance,” he said.
“I don’t think I’ll ever fully give up ownership, it’ll be a shared ownership.
“David is four in September, he’s assisting me just now so in later life we’ll be taking it to shows together and we’ll both be driving it and hopefully Olivia will be with us too and we’ll have both cars with us and it’ll be a family thing. That’s the plan anyway.”
First car? 1600L Cortina in Tuscan Beige
Dream car? My lottery car would be an Aston Martin DB7