Tuesday, 27 July 2010 19:07

30th birthday treat 1997 Caterham

As a treat for his 30th birthday, Mankee bought himself a car that he'd been promising to own for years. It's a 1997 Caterham 7 Supersport built on a race chassis and powered originally by a faithful 1400cc K-series. Unfortunately, it was stolen in 1999, disappeared for a couple of years minus the battery and ignition barrel, and the previous owner discovered it as part of a police horde in 2001. The DVLA weren't too convinced about the car's history as it had gone missing for so long, so they kindly removed identification plates and the car became a dedicated track toy.

Thursday, 29 July 2010 12:08

302 Ford V8 power with throttle-body EFi


PPC editor Will Holman’s Capri is what got him hooked on the highly addictive V8 habit. He bought it eight years ago but the 3-litre Essex V6 never performed very well so Will decided it needed a rebuild. But when the price of the parts and machining added up to £1100, Will had second thoughts. Then he read about Basil Green’s Capri Peranas in South Africa. Green ditched the V6s, fitted 5-litre Mustang V8s and cleaned up in South African Touring Car Racing. Ford were so impressed they sold the cars through dealerships and even considered bringing them to the UK – until the early ‘70s fuel crisis, that is.
Published in 1973 Ford Capri

Practical Performance Car (PPC) is a monthly magazine aimed at real car enthusiasts interested in affordable performance tuning. At PPC we pride ourselves in providing the most entertaining, informative and inspiring features for petrolheads everywhere. Each month we feature an eclectic mix of affordable performance cars, great driving adventures and world-class technical features for the DiY tuner. Our editorial team is headed up by well known Will Holman who has a deserved reputation for 'stick a V8 under the bonnet' attitude to life. His editorial team is stacked with experience including Dave Walker (speciality engine management), of the sadly missed Cars and Car Conversions (CCC) magazine, David Vizard, the legendary engine tuning guru, and Kevin Leaper - ex technical editor of Practical Classics.

Have a look at the online Staff Cars section to give you a flavour of PPC but for the real thing go to your local newsagent, WHSmiths, Asda, Tesco or Sainsburys - PPC is on sale the last Thursday of every month. Better still visit our subscriptions page for the latest offers and discounts to have PPC delivered direct to your door at a fraction of the cost.

Examples of magazine features: brakes uprating, suspension improvements, engine transplants, buyers guides, ECU management, kit car builds, car event coverage (including PPC's own show, PPC in the Park) and much more. Examples of some of the staff's cars: 27 litre Rover SD1, 5 litre Capri, track day Rolls Royce, MK1 Transit and more.