Ford Capris which starred in The Professionals fetch £186,000 at auction
A pair of Ford Capris which had a starring role in television action series The Professionals have sold for a world-record £186,000.
The 1980 Ford Capris, driven by undercover agents William Bodie and Ray Doyle in the fast-paced espionage series, were sold by West Midland-based Iconic Auctioneers.
It is the highest price ever paid for a Ford Capri, comfortably beating the £55,000 previously paid – for another Capri which appeared in the series.
The winning bid actually fell short of the £200,000-£230,000 guide price prior to the sale, but still represents a remarkable return on the modest cars which would have cost just £6,147 when they were new.
However the car which Princess Anne was famously stopped for speeding in on two consecutive days failed to sell in the sale at Silverstone race circuit last month.
The Professionals, which ran from 1977-83, not only turned Walsall-born Martin Shaw into a national heart-throb, it also made Ford's run-of-the mill coupe into a cult car rivalling the Dukes of Hazzard's General Lee.
Millions would tune in each week to see tyre-squealing car chases, with Shaw's character Doyle driving the Solar Gold Capri, which featured in the auction, while Bodie – played by Lewis Collins – drove the Strato Silver car.
The silver car also had the distinction of having more screen time than any other car used in the series.
The series centred around the fictitious Criminal Intelligence department No. 5, or CI5. The unit, a portmanteau of CID and MI5, was set up to tackle terrorism and organised crime. Led by fiery ex-army officer George 'The Cow' Cowley – played by Gordon Jackson – most episode would see hot-headed ex-police officer Doyle and cold, calculating former SAS man Bodie going undercover to foil terror plots and infiltrate crime gangs.
The Capris were involved in countless car chases, or were where Bodie and Doyle exchanged macho banter during tedious stake-outs.
The cars have both been in the ownership of a private collector since 2006, and were restored in 2021.
A 1989 Middlebridge Scimitar GTE, which briefly achieved tabloid notoriety after Princess Anne was caught speeding twice in successive days, failed to sell in the sale, having been listed with a guide price of £20,000 to £25,000.
The Princess’s fondness for the Scimitar GTE, originally built by Tamworth-based Reliant, was portrayed in a memorable scene in Netflix drama The Crown, where she is seen singing Queen hit ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ as she bombs down the road in a car identical to the one on sale.
