What you say does make sense and is quite interesting, Indy...I have had my doubts whether the Capri Perana is pukka homologation special and the reason for me saying so is this.IndianaJones wrote:Yes, the Alconi conversion kits were sold like the Meissner kits.ZA Perana wrote:Alconi were to Renault like Meissner was to Ford, both had official factory backing and both could be bought out of dealers.
But there were also complete Renault Africa production models sold, off the showroom floor, which were built in batches of 50, painted in a particular shade of blue, and differed from the Gordini blue, with complete recognition from Renault France. Read the Car Magazine R10 Alconi road test.
How is that different from a Basil Green Perana, and it’s considered a homologation special?
The SA homologation specials were special editions of road-going models, created specifically as a reactive action by a motor manufacturer in their quest to gain the upper hand or a competitive edge over their rivals in a closely contested local production car racing series, obviously with the end goal of an increase in sales of their brand in mind. The manufacturer usually only made sufficient numbers of these "special racing editions" to satisfy the minimum numbers required by the motorsport governing bodies (100, 200, 250 or 500, depending what the minimum required number was at the time) for it to be deemed a "production car".
Was this really the case with the Capri Perana, or was it merely created to satisfy South African appetite for a muscle car, and it ended up being raced due to it's performance nature?
Those who know the development of the Perana can perhaps shed more light on this