Douglas Hague is a teacher at Barlby High School near Selby in North Yorkshire that is a specialist sports college but has always had an interest in cars. He has spent a considerable period of time and thousands of pounds in restoring a classic Ford Capri 1600 XL (MK1) dating back to 1972.
The classic car has even appeared on the cover of Practical Performance Car magazine. He recently brought the car to school hoping that it would encourage his pupils when studying.
He is a design and technology teacher at the school. He bought the car 20 years ago to use for getting about and estimates that he has spent in the region of £20,000 in restoring it. It has modified bodywork and now replicates the South African racing Team Gunston livery.
His interest in cars and engineering goes back to when his father, who was an engineer, had a garage some 40 years ago. Mr Hague developed an interest in drag racing. The Capri has a V8 high power engine and numerous parts that have been engineered by hand.
Not only does the vehicle feature on the front cover of the above magazine but there is also a four-page article about the car. He very much hopes that, as a result of his pupils seeing his car, that they will be encouraged to progress with their engineering studies as far as possible. He felt his students found it most useful to observe how car parts were repaired, made or altered. Apparently, a number of his students are keen to monitor how the car does in racing events.
There is no doubt that this vehicle would now be a highly sought after classic car so let’s hope that Mr Hague has got it well insured. He is to be commended for having the foresight to bring the vehicle along for his students to admire.
