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The Capri was designed by John Hitchman and Uwe Bahnsen in Ford's plant at Dagenham, England. The idea behind it was to
transport 4 adults and their luggage in speed and comfort. The Mark I Capri had a huge options list which included bucket
seats, tinted windows, bodykits, trim and colours, suspension hardening kits, radio equipment, and engine sizes from 1350cc
to a massive 2994cc. The car was built in Britain at Dagenham, Halewood, near Liverpool and in Cologne in Germany. The Capri
became a cult icon and is now considered a semi-classic. The mkI was sporty looking, cheap, very quick and was a more fun
alternative to sports cars such as the MG and the Morgan. It was also very easy to maintain and modify if you wanted. The
mkI Capri was sold throughout Europe, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and America, the Americans falling for it's style,
speed and good handling. It was sold not under the Ford name, but under the Mercury company, that was owned by Ford. The 3.0
engine made the Capri the fastest Ford available between 1970 and 1981, until the 2.8i engine was introduced-to the Capri.
The
Capri was one of the racing cars to have in the early 1970's. Endurance races like the Nurburgring 1000KMS and the Spa 24hr
race were won by specially prepared 3.1 litre Capris driven by the likes of Jochen Mass and Hans Stuck. European Touring Car
Championships were won in 1971 and 1972 by 2.6i models.
In 1973, Ford decided to redesign the Capri. As a final fling before the Mark II, Ford UK issued the Mark I RS3100. This had
a modified bodyshell and a 3.1 Essex V6, basically the standard engine with a set of triple Weber carbourettors fitted (a
popular mod for the 3.0), which could give a top speed of nearly 130 mph. Ford of Germany issued a very rare car called the
RS2600, based on the 2.6 litre Cologne injection engine that was exclusive to the German market. The RS2600 featured lightened
body panels and a stripped out interior for more speed. In South Africa, a special edition called the Perena was introduced.
This was powered by a 5 litre V8 engine, with a then massive top speed of 140mph. The Perena Capri won the South African Touring
Car Championship in 1970, and was promptly banned at the end of the season, as it won all but one race!
Around the same time as the Capri's launch, Opel brought out it's rival to Ford's sporty 4-seater. It was called the Manta
and was based on the same idea as the Capri; a 4-seater sports car with a large options list. The Manta had 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0
engines, and was almost a match for the early Capris in terms of performance and acceleration.
Below is a table of the range available for the Capri MkI
|
Engine Capacity
|
Options
|
Class
|
Top Speed
|
|
1350cc 59bhp@5200rpm
|
L, X, XL
|
1.3 Kent
|
84mph
|
|
1600cc 82bhp@5700rpm
|
L, X, R, XL
|
1.6 Pinto
|
95mph
|
|
1998cc V4 102bhp@5500rpm
|
L, X, R, XL, XLR, GT
|
2.0 Taunus
|
107mph
|
|
2994cc V6 136bhp@5300rpm
|
GT, GTE, GXL, L, X, R, XL, XLR
|
3.0 Essex
|
122mph
|
|
2597cc V6 134bhp@5400rpm
|
RS
|
2.6i Cologne
|
121mph
|
|
3098cc V6 157bhp@5300rpm
|
RS3100
|
3.1 Essex
|
127mph
|
|
4988cc V8 285bhp@5100rpm
|
Perena
|
5.0 Windsor
|
136mph
|
|
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Ford updated and replaced the Mark I with the more streamlined Mark II in January 1974, an advert at the time starred
a very young Martin Shaw! Shaw claimed the Capri was a terrible car to drive, while Ford claimed they had made 151 improvements
over the mkI. Retaining the same basic chassis, the new car was aerodynamically cleaner than before which helped fuel economy.
The mkII was designed to be more 'user friendly', so gone was the rough and ready looks of the MkI, replaced with a more rounded
chunky design. It featured items such as split folding rear seats and a full hatchback bootlid. It didn't have as many options
as the mkI, most of the trim and equipment options being made standard fixtures to most of the models, and it wasn't nearly
as sporty looking, resembling a family hatchback, but there were 2 special 'sporty' editions, the X-Pack 3.1 and the 'JPS'
3.0. These cars are now much sought after by classic car collectors. The 3.0 GT model was eventually replaced by the upmarket
Ghia and the Sport in 1975. The Ghia featured leather seats, electric windows and an automatic gearbox as standard, whilst
the Sport or S model had a slightly tuned engine, stiffer suspension and front and rear spoilers fitted. The 3.0 engine was
bored out slightly, giving another 10bhp. The Halewood factory closed in 1976, which left Cologne as the only factory left
building the car. Competition from the redesigned Opel Manta B saw sales slump throughout the mid 70's, leaving Ford considering
axing the Capri for good.
Ford was involved with many TV shows, most notably The Sweeney, but when it was approached
by Mark-1 productions for The Professionals, Ford agreed immediately. Ford also provided a lot of the trucks and vans for
the film crew to move their equipment around. Nowadays looking at The Professionals, it's almost impossible to imagine Bodie
and Doyle without their trusty warhorses.
The Capris that appeared in the show had to be modified for filming, so they
had 3.1 litre engines and sturdier suspension which was needed to do the many stunts seen in the episodes. Each car was fitted
with a sump guard to protect the bottom of the engine block from being damaged during stunts.
Capris aren't without
their faults. We can start with it's image. Most people think of a Capri and see an image of furry dice and medallion men.
Others see it as a boy racers' car driven by people with no respect for other road users. The Professionals is partly responsible
for this. Although very reliable, the earlier cars are prone to rusting and the later cars aren't much better. Roadholding
has always been criticised on these cars. The rear suspension was made up of leaf springs and torsion bars, which just aren't
able to handle the power of the engine. Drivers who come off roundabouts and corners too fast will find themselves facing
the opposite way in a cloud of their own tyre smoke, as the Capri had a very 'active' rear end! Wet weather handling was even
more tricky, the car had to be given very gentle treatment, as a big accident was never far away. The front suspension is
rock hard, causing a very bumpy ride. The rear seats are just big enough to take two growing children, but adults will find
the rear very cramped. Fuel economy on the 2.8 and 3.0 is not very good either. You'd be very lucky to return 22 miles to
the gallon, much less in 'Maverick' mode! The 1.6 and 2.0 can return around 30mpg. The brakes also have to be treated with
respect. The Capri was fitted with simple drum pads that would probably be adequate for a small car, but hopeless on a fast
car like this. Most owners opt to change them and fit 4 pot discs and calipers more able to take the power and weight of the
car.
Below is a table for the range of the MkII Capri.
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Engine Capacity
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Options
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Class
|
Top Speed
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1350cc 64bhp@5200rpm
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L
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1.3 Kent
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85mph
|
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1600cc 88bhp@5700rpm
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L, XL, GL
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1.6 Pinto
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102mph
|
|
1998cc 105bhp@5500rpm
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GL, Ghia, S
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2.0 Pinto
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110mph
|
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2994cc 146bhp@5300rpm
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GT, Ghia, S, JPS
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3.0 Essex
|
124mph
|
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3098cc 175bhp@5300rpm
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X-Pack
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3.1 Essex
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130mph
|
|
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Although the Mark II was a fine car, it was seen as too prissy. Instead of cancelling production of Capris, Ford decided in
late 1977 to do another redesign, but to bring the Capri back to the rough and ready image of the Mark I. The result was the
Mark III launched in March 1978, which to Ford was nothing more than a tweaked mkII with a reworked front and rear end.
It
was a lot more aggressive looking, with 4 round headlights, lowered suspension and 'as standard' front and rear mounted spoilers.
This is the Capri that most people will recognise, as it's the one that had the longest production run. The mkIII was much
more successful than the mkII, mostly because of the redesign work, and the honing of the car into a class leader. The user
friendly attitude was toned down but kept, and a more hardened approach was taken to the car. The 3.0 engine was again given
a minor boost in power to keep it ahead of rivals.
The Capri saw many changes through it's 18 years of life. In July 1981,
the 3.0 engines were replaced with Cologne 2.8 fuel injection engines, which were leaner on fuel but not quite as desirable
for enthusiasts. Top speed increased to 131mph with this version. The 2.8i had much more solid roadholding thanks to a redesigned
rear suspension, and a limited slip differential, which improved the rear end handling. It could out-accelerate and was faster
than most other performance cars of the time.
There were also the Zakspeed Turbo and the Tickford Turbo. Both of these
are very rare, so expect to pay a lot of money! There was also a turbo conversion offered by Turbo Technics for the 2.8i.
Aside from reset gear ratios, a performance exhaust and lowered suspension, the company offered a very reliable turbo, with
over 200bhp! Not surprisingly, this relatively inexpensive option helped the Capri to reach over 150mph.
The final Capri rolled off the production line on December 19th 1986, the last being a special edition of 1038 cars called
the 280 Brooklands. This type of Capri was released as a final celebration of the type, featuring electric windows, leather
seats, a CD player, ABS and power steering, it also came with British Racing Green paint. It became an instant classic but
there are now around only 500 left! Again these are very highly priced.
If you are thinking of buying a Capri, it's
wise to buy a 2.0 model to begin with. The 1.6 is too poor performing to consider and most 1.6's have been thrashed. The big
engined Capris are a lot of car for your money so are not for the faint hearted! The Capri Mk III 2.8i was 14'8'' long, 5'7''
wide and 4'3'' tall. and weighed 2712lb. It could get from 0-60 in 6.7 seconds. The 3.0 S had the same dimensions, but weighed
2850lb. It could get from 0-60 in 7.3 seconds. A total of 1,886,647 Capris of all makes were built in it's lifetime.
Ford have tried several times to market a replacement for the Capri. The first was the Ford Probe in 1993, which was actually
sold as 'A Capri for the 90's'. But sales were poor and the car was plagued with unreliable engines and a cramped interior.
It was dropped in 1997. In 1998, the Ford Puma was introduced, the TV ad was a clever take on Bullitt and featured Steve McQueen
'driving' the car! The Capri's design was obvious in the Puma's lines, but the car didn't have the same image. So Ford turned
to the Cougar, which was based on the Ford Focus chassis and Mondeo engine, similar to the way the Capri was based on other
Fords. The Cougar was a good car and again it was obvious where the design had come from, but most Capri fans rejected it.
Ford are now working on the Iosis, a new sporting coupe which they hope will draw Capri fans to it when it's launched.
Rumours abound that Ford have designed a new coupe that they hope will be launched as the new Capri!
Below is a picture of the new Ford Capri Concept.
Here is the range for the MkIII Capri.
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Engine Capacity
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Options
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Class
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Top Speed
|
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1600cc 92bhp@5200rpm
|
L, Laser
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1.6 Pinto
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106mph
|
|
1998cc 110bhp@5700rpm
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Ghia, GL, S, Laser
|
2.0 Pinto
|
114mph
|
|
2994cc 150bhp@5100rpm
|
Ghia, S
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3.0 Essex
|
125mph
|
|
3098cc 180bhp+@5100rpm
|
X-Pack
|
3.1 Essex
|
133mph
|
|
2798cc 162bhp-212bhp@5700rpm
|
I, IS, 280, Turbo Technics
|
2.8i Cologne
|
131-141mph
|
|
2798cc 225bhp, 247bhp@5700rpm
|
Zakspeed, Tickford
|
2.8i Turbo
|
150mph+
|
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