I’m beginning this month’s Secretary’s Scribbles as I always do at this time of year by welcoming new associates to the Group. I hope that you enjoy your course as much as I did, now a considerable number of years ago. Congratulations on deciding to find out if you can improve your driving. The first thing everyone on our course needs is an open mind. Listen carefully to what our observers tell you because you’ll probably be asked to drive in a different way to how you’ve been driving. You might find it difficult to change your habits but do persevere. Practising between sessions is vital and the more you practise the sooner the new way of driving will become natural. By Session 5 it should all be coming together and you can then look forward to passing your Session 8 assessment and being put in for your Advanced Test with a high probability of success. Of course everyone goes at their own pace and you may not be improving as quickly as you would like. If this is the case, talk to your observer about it and give your mentor a ring. Don’t be afraid to express concerns about how you are getting on. The Group has been training associates for nearly 55 years so I’m sure we’ll be able to help you overcome any problem you might have. Best wishes to everyone.
Moving on to a different subject, our Chairman, Roy Sammons, makes no secret of the fact that he was once the owner of a Ford Capri, the car that went on sale in 1969 with the advertising line “the car you always promised yourself”. I wonder if he might have been a little excited when he heard that Ford were reviving the name. Would the new model, an all-electric SUV coupe, have the sort of swagger and style the old model always exhibited? Well, The Daily Telegraph writer Andrew English has tested it out and is far from convinced. He wonders if Ford is taking a bit of a risk reviving the Capri name for this car. I don’t think he feels that it is special enough. He asks “Should Ford’s marketers have been a bit more patient before plunging their hands into the cookie jar and pulling out the best names of the past?”
Andrew reports that three weeks ago it was impossible to drive the new electric Renault R5 along the Mediterranean coast unimpeded by headlight flashes, thumbs up gestures and the tapping of knuckles on windows at every stop from folk curious about la nouvelle cinq. Yet, even in vivid cadmium yellow paint, the new Capri passed serenely along the same road without causing a stir. In short it has none of the style of the original Capri. Andrew even remarks that people on the beautiful isle of Capri might wish to disassociate themselves from it. He wonders if there are even concerns among the Ford marketers that the old Capri was much classier because references to it and photographs of it were kept to a minimum at the presentation ceremony for the new model. Let’s hope for Ford’s sake that Andrew’s doubts are unfounded and the new car is a roaring success. Gary Whittle
Ed; I’m not surprised the Capri EV didn’t cause a stir, it has none of the style of the 1969 to 1986 models, which sold just under 2 million cars before being discontinued. Half a million were sold in the first two years! Beat that Mr Ford Capri EV – just one month after launch Ford have admitted that they are producing more than they can sell! Ford’s brilliance was in designing a Capri with a wide range if engines from 1.6L to 3.1L and a model range from L to Ghia which appealed to a wide range of buyers, including motorsport teams and Police forces. I am fortunate to still own a Capri, thanks to my brother who gave me his Capri Mk2 Ghia 3.0L automatic when he died in March 2020.