The Ford Capri and its most successful racer Gordon Spice will be celebrated with a special trophy at the Silverstone Classic this year.

In celebrating five decades since the launch of the model, and a dominant period in British Saloon Cars in the second half of the seventies, Spice will present a special trophy to the top Capri in the Historic Touring Car Challenge race at the Classic.

“The Capri was very important to me,” Spice said while reminiscing about his era racing the classic Ford model.

The former Group C2 endurance entrant stated the the car was: “By far the easiest car I ever raced. There was absolutely nothing complicated about it.”

Over two million examples of the Capri were manufactured before production ceased in 1986, its success on-track took off after American muscle cars were forced out of touring car racing in the UK at the end of 1975.

A number of cars that Spice raced are currently campaigned in the HTCC, but they will struggle to challenge for the overall win as their races will feature examples of another Ford touring car legend – the Sierra RS500.

The cars that dominated the discipline a decade after the Capri will face off with their older rivals after a decision was made to rest their normal sparring partners – the Super Touring cars – from the event this year.

The one-off trophy presentation by Spice was described by him as being an “honour.”

The 78-year-old said: “I never miss the Classic; it’s one of my favourite race meetings of the year and it is always wonderful to see so many Capris still racing today – 50 years is a long time!”