How a South African Tuner Created a Factory V8 Ford Capri

The Ford Capri was marketed as Europe’s answer to the Mustang—but in South Africa, one determined tuner decided it needed genuine Mustang power. Basil Green Motors transformed the lightweight Capri Mk1 by installing Ford’s 302-cubic-inch Windsor V8. The resulting Capri Perana combined a compact European coupe with the heart of an American muscle car, creating one of the fastest and most unusual factory-backed Fords of the 1970s. This wasn’t an ordinary aftermarket engine swap. Ford South Africa approved the Perana, supplied cars for conversion, sold the completed vehicles through its dealer network, and even backed them with a factory warranty. With approximately 500 V8 models produced, the Capri Perana became an exceptionally rare South African performance car. Its racing counterpart was even more fearsome, dominating local competition and turning the Perana name into a motorsport legend. In this video, we uncover how Basil Green created the V8 Capri, why Ford supported the project, and how this lightweight South African muscle car earned its giant-killing reputation. Would you choose a Capri Perana V8 over a classic Mustang? Let us know in the comments. Subscribe to Chrome & Dust for more forgotten performance cars, rare factory experiments, and remarkable stories from automotive history. #CapriPerana #FordCapri #BasilGreenMotors