Welcome back to Forgotten Sporty Cars at The Garage! In this space we recall an era where small, economy car-based based vehicles were sold with zippy styling. Whether there was any substance to the sizzle we’ll leave for you to judge.
(Ford) Capri 1970-1977
Imagine you are a top-level executive at Ford of Europe, and you have just witnessed your North American counterparts strike solid gold with the Ford Mustang. What a concept-take a basic chassis, raid the corporate parts bin, wrap it up in a great looking body at a price most people can afford, and voila! An overnight hit. Naturally, Ford of Europe thought if they can do it in North America, so can we. Using the Cortina as a starting point, the Capri was ready for sale in the UK in 1969. Here’s a bit of trivia for you: Ford wanted to call the car the Colt, but Mitsubishi already had the rights to the name.
In 1970, Ford imported the German-built Capri to North America. The car had no badges-it was simply “Capri”, but sold in Lincoln-Mercury dealerships. The only engine Ford of Europe had that could meet US emissions was a 1.6 liter four rated at 75hp. The Capri was met with good reviews, but the lack of power was a complaint. This was addressed in 1971, when Ford put the 2.0 liter Pinto engine in, good for 100hp.
But the Capri really came into its own in 1972, with a 2.6 liter V-6. Power was only 107hp, but the Pinto’s engine got knocked down to 86hp thanks to tighter emission standards. The V-6 had good torque, and that is what made the Capri a truly competitive car.
In 1974 Ford changed the Capri from a two-door notchback to a hatchback. Few mechanical changes were made to the Capri for the remainder of its life here in North America. Although the Capri remained in production until 1986, the Capri as we knew it stopped being imported after 1977. From 1970-1977, over 500,000 Capri’s were sold in North America.
The story of the Capri in North America is a curious one. The future of the Capri, we know. Ford took the restyled, Fox-based Mustang, and called it a Mercury Capri, in a lame attempt to keep the original Capri fans happy. What is remarkable about the Capri was that in the Ford showroom sat the train-wreck Mustang II. Slow, ugly, and heavy, it was not even close to competing with the Capri. No wonder Ford did not want the Capri sharing showroom space with the pathetic Mustang II. Out of control inflation and terrible exchange rates poisoned the German-built Capri in North America at the end. But during the 1970’s, it was the Capri that carried the true spirit of the original Mustang. It was just a pity that Ford didn’t want you to know that.
The Garage thanks The Capri Club for the facts in this article.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Now you’re talking Tom. Oh what happy memories…I had a Mk1 (If I recall it was just a lowly 1300cc). After that I had lots of later ones… a 1600, a 2000, a 3.0L Ghia automatic, a 3.0L GT, a Laser, and one of the last of them, the wonderful 2.8 injection with the pepper pot wheels. I loved each and everyone of them but the handling on them could have been slightly better. Rather easy to lose one in the wet if you got a little over-excited, or had a few too many jars of falling down water!! (Did I actually just admit to that???).
Known as the Essex Boys Motor back in the UK. Not to be confused with the Essex Girls, as in…If someone were to lay every girl in Essex from end to end…Nobody would be the least bit surprised! (An old joke, but still a good one!), the Capri was the quintessential bird (Girl) puller of the council estates of England. With one of these in the right color and wearing the right gear, you were almost guaranteed a good night out on a Friday night (Nudge nudge wink wink say no more), and surprisingly snug yet roomy in the back seat
I also drove a North American Capri RS over here for a while, a great car, in some ways better than the Mustang of its day.
Here’s an interesting tidbit for you…a friend’s Father was involved in the design of the first Capri. He later went on to form and run a well known British kit car company. When I was a kid he told me that when the designer’s penned the very first Capri, they had at that time the last of them also roughly sketched out. Think about that…basically three decades of Capri drawn up in one go. No wonder the model ran for so many years!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane Tom, keep up the good work!
The one up top is just like the one I grew up with.
Finally… A car in this series that didnt make me cringe. Worked on many customers Capris and they were a car that both customers and shops enjoyed.
You know, I reckon that the Capri series could be a candidate to be added to the retro comeback we’ve been witnessing lately. The vehicle enjoyed a great following in Europe and the age group which grew up with the Capri are just about prime to be spending now.
I look at things this way…When times are hard, the manufacturers should be chasing after the few cash buyer’s that are out there. Cheap Leasing is a large part of the reason why the industry is in its current state. Enthusiast aimed vehicles (The Mini for example) are still selling, and have you seen the age of some of the driver’s in those things? The older age group, who have maybe just finished paying off their kids education, now have a little spare cash on hand, and many believe that it’s now time to indulge themselves and recapture a little of their youth. Their upbringing also makes them believe in purchasing outright rather than leasing or buying with finance.
Cash in the bank right now is what the manufacturers should be thinking. It;’s time to forget what the youth-based marketing guys keep saying (Yeah, yeah, they’ll supply plenty of ideas on how to sell cars, but they can’t actually afford to buy them themselves).
It’s time to take a step back and listen to the old time car salesmen out there…Cash is king, always was, always will be!
Produce cars that can excite people and aim them at those who still have more than loose change in their pockets