Lot details
Registration No: VHK495S
Chassis No: GAECTE02031
Mot Expiry: Aug 2016

- Early pre-production example of the iconic Capri 3.0 S

- Driven by Lewis Collins' character 'Bodie' in 'The Professionals' Series 2

- Restored in the current ownership

- Tartan Plaid Fishnet Recaro interior with Silver Paintwork

- c.77,300 miles with current MoT and records of its film work

If cars could talk, Capri 'VHK 495S' would have quite a story to tell, for it found fame as the mount of hard man CI5 agent William Bodie in the second Series of ITV's much-vaunted Series 'The Professionals'. It was one of three pre-production Capri S's that formed part of Ford's 1978 press fleet of c.150 cars, and was placed on a 10-month loan to the Series' producers, Avengers Mark 1 Productions, along with: an RS2000 for Bodie's sidekick Ray Doyle (Martin Shaw) and Granada for their boss George Cowley (Gordon Jackson). The arrangement was part of Ford's ongoing commitment to the programme that commenced towards the end of Series 1 and continued to the last of its 57 episodes.

The part of former mercenary turned SAS trooper Bodie was played in swashbuckling style by the late Lewis Collins. Both he and Shaw were trained to handle their cars in chase sequences and Collins insisted on being behind the wheel whenever possible. Finished in Strato Silver complemented by an Orange and Black plaid fishnet Recaro interior, the Capri wore the fake registration 'UOO 303T' when on camera, and starred in a total of seven episodes before being returned to Ford and pensioned off.

The internet is alive with information about such hero cars and separating fact from fiction is never easy. Suffice to say that 'VHK 495S' is understood to have been extensively restored (and is believed to have been reshelled) in the 1980s, and further refurbished and repainted in its original shade of Silver some three years ago. The vendor presently classes its bodywork as 'excellent'; the paintwork, V6 engine and manual gearbox as 'very good'; and the interior as 'good'. Aside of TV it has featured in various magazines and Bob Rocca's book The Professionals - automotive TV stars don't come much bigger!

The vendor has informed us that a proportion of the sale proceeds will be donated to Cancer Research in memory of Lewis Collins.