Mark Wilson

He's baaaaccckkkkk!! Mark's promised GT3! Mark's blue GT3 2.0 liter Capri is now on race tracks near you.

Mark purchased the car from Phase One Machine and Restorations in Virginia Beach, Virginia. They converted it from a SCCA ITA Capri 2800 to a GT2 machine. They made fender flares from molds they took from a set of flares that Mark had on another Capri. The engine in the car was damaged in a race at Summit Point, West Virginia over the Labor Day weekend in 1994. The current engine for it will have forged pistons and steel connecting rods that were designed/engineered by Sven Pruett. Mark's car has a f ull roll cage, fuel cell, twin fuel pumps, an Accusump oil system, vented fron brake discs. The rear wheels are 15" x 10" wide.

Before	After
	SCCA GT2, 2800cc

Mark's first Capri! A bit of history about his car... The car originally was a 1972 medium metallic brown Capri with a 2000 cc engine. Mark bought it new in May of 1972 and drove it as a regular Capri on the streets up until 1976. In 1974, Mark started his first autocross with this car. The car's suspension was slightly modified as allowed (shocks, sway bar, springs). With Mark's talent and a great car, he became very competitive in the sport.

The next step Mark took was taking the car off the street (in 1976), to turn it into a road racing machine. Mark bought fiberglass fender flares (patterned after those used on the 1973 Ford factory Group 2 racing Capri). Other modifications were done such as: roll cage installed, interior was stripped down to bare metal, engine mildly-modified, fiberglass seat, five point safety harness were installed. The Capri had to be tucked away for a while for Mark to catch up to it all again.

In 1983 and for 6 years, the car ran courses throughout the Southeastern Virginia state (Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach). It also made the scene at Southside Speedway in the Richmond Virginia area, and the airstrip at Fort Lee in Petersburg. The Capri was towed to North Carolina to compete in events held by the Tarheel Sports Car Club. Some of Mark's most fun races where 3 autocrosses that he attend from 1988-90 at the Rockingham Motor Speedway. Mark finished second in class all 3 times, but had more fun than most of the class wins he achieved.

Mark picked up several sponsors as you can see, Allied Signal, Janasz Corporation, Phase One Machine and Restoration and Phase One Imports of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The car met it's demise in 1989/90. Mark and this car had competed in nearly 200 autocrosses (and SCCA Solo II events). Various parts of this car live on in Mark's GT2 (the red one above).

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last updated: November 20, 1996
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