Ford Capri
Long before the Mercury Capri became a lumpy Miata competitor, or an ersatz Mercury version of the Ford Mustang, the original Capri was one of the first members of a revolutionary new class of cars in the early 1970s--the Super Coupes.
The term Super Coupes was actually a Car & Driver invention that didn't really catch on, but as a class descriptor, it's pretty solid. With the early 1970s neutering of muscle cars, a lighter, more efficient, and more agile class of sports coupes beckoned, and most of the manufacturers responded with light, sporty, inexpensive runabouts.
This is not to imply that Super Coupes were supercars. Far from it--it's admittedly unfair to judge them by today's standards, but none of the Super Coupes would have a prayer of staying in sight of a clapped-out Kia Spectra5. Consider the fact that a 1972 Car & Driver test of the available Super Coupes included such legendary sporting machines as the Ford Pinto, the Chevy Vega, and the original Toyota Celica, and it's tempting to chuckle and disregard the class.
At the time, though, Super Coupes were deeply exciting. In an apocalyptic era for performance cars, Super Coupes were tossable and fun, and wouldn't bleed you dry at the fuel pump. And many, like the Capri, Opel Manta, Mazda RX-3, and Volkswagen Scirocco were extremely good-looking and mechanically interesting.
The Capri was one of the earliest and, to my eyes, the prettiest of the class, boasting classic long-hood-short-deck proportions, Ford-of-Europe chassis and powerplant, and scale-model Mustang looks. Later special editions, one black with gold trim, another with a huge, fanciful body kit, helped drive home the basic attractiveness of the Capri and its very similar offspring, the Capri II.
As mentioned above, the Capri would later become a subservient ugly cousin of the Mustang, but in the 1970s the Capri did at least have its moment in the sun. The Capri II and Mustang II were completely different cars, but of similar dimensions--and the Capri was comprehensively the superior automobile.
The Capri's importance goes well beyond its crushing of the lowly Mustang II, though. For one thing, it was one of the earliest and best of an influential new class of cars. For another, even after its short stint in America, the Capri went on to ongoing hero car status across the pond, with various high-performance special editions and a sterling motorsports career. The apex was an especially pretty version of the Capri that performed well in the elite German DTM touring car series.
The Super Coupes, and, by extension, the Capri, are not well-remembered, but the legacy lives on. 
Eventually gas dropped in price, horsepower came creeping back, and enthusiasts had more and better options for their performance dollar. Many of those options were relatively light, agile, vitamin-fortified front- and all-wheel-drive coupes. Sound familiar? The newer, hotter Toyota Celicas, the Honda Prelude, and Acura Integra, the Mitsubishi Eclipse and Eagle Talon, the Subaru SVX, the Mazda MX-6, and the Ford Probe (another short-lived Mustang alternative) could all trace their bloodlines to the original Super Coupes.
The red example above is a 1973, owned by Ed Rossier, a member of the Capri Club of North America. The lovely blue '73 is owned by fellow CCNA member David Valone. The Zakspeed DTM car is courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.
The video is of a '72 UK-edition Capri that looks to be in absolutely mint condition. Gorgeous.
--Chris H.
Oatworm on February 12, 2008 at 09:36 PM
One thing that I'm not sure people realize is exactly how long ago the '70s were. Think about it this way:
- Could anything built in 1948 hold a candle to anything made in 1978 in performance or handling? It'd probably be a little closer than it should be, but I highly doubt it.
- Can anything built in 1978 hold a candle to anything built now? Heck no.
To somewhat expand on that first point, most manufacturers were still selling pre-WW2 models. Power steering? You wish. Alternators? Ha! 12 volt electrical systems? Car radios? Cruise control? Overhead ANYTHING? Flathead V-8s were still in style (ponder that for a sec). The Rocket 303 (all 4.9L of it), which didn't come out 'til 1949, was only good for 135 gross HP, and that was an amazing improvement over everything that preceded it. By comparison, a severely detuned Ford Windsor 302 was good for 122 net HP. Granted, this doesn't exactly blow the 1949 Rocket out of the water, but I would have to imagine that even a super-bloated late '70s Ford would be lighter and handle a little better than a cast iron Oldsmobile. Let's also keep in mind that the automotive industry handicapped itself mightily in the '70s. Heck, even a Pinto was good for 88 net HP somehow, and it was well under half the size of any post-war American car not built by Nash or Hudson.
So, if something from the late '40s would have serious issues competing against a car from the late '70s, what chance would a car from the late '70s have against even the most pedestrian car from today?
Patrick Carroll on February 13, 2008 at 08:43 AM
Have you ever covered the original Ford Escort (known affectionately in Ireland as the "Ass Cart")? Or the Ford Cortina? I'd love a precis on either.
Frank Black on February 13, 2008 at 08:44 AM
Actually, I'll have to disagree with you on the Mustang II, especially your linked post (which I hadn't seen before). The M-II was specifically designed for exactly this market segment: smaller sporty coupes. It was never intended to be anything like a "muscle car", poseur or not. Ford and Iacocca knew that both the market (muscle cars were tanking in sales well before 1974) and the regulatory environment had changed and muscle cars just weren't profitable to produce. And they could see the sport coupe market taking off. In fact, the M-II was far closer to the original Mustang in specs and flavor than the later muscle versions were. Sales proved it: the 1974 sold almost as well as the original, and it also outsold its primary competition combined. And it compared favorably with the other pony cars in its class (see, for example, http://www.mustangii.net/articles/its_time.asp).
It was loosely based on the Pinto, but really very few parts were shared. The major trouble was the sheet metal; it looked too Pinto-like. But yeah, all of the decals ("press-on performance") were kinda silly (cf., the Trans Am Screaming Chicken though).
John Bono on February 13, 2008 at 08:48 AM
I think the reason why we look at 70's cars in general with such disdain is because in a number of areas, principally horsepower, they were worse than their 60's counterparts. Look at the earlier car lust about the Lincoln Mark V. When you compare the 197X Mark IVs and Vs vs. a 1969 era Mark III, the later marks are much weaker than the original. We didn't really recover from that until electronic ignition and fuel injection started being commonly available in the mid/late '80s.
Chris Hafner on February 13, 2008 at 08:56 AM
That's a good comment, John - I'm a lover of 1970s cars if only because they are so misunderstood. Cars, like people, should be judged within the context of their time, and within that context there was a lot to like about 1970s cars.
Jeff on February 13, 2008 at 09:00 AM
I believe that my father (who owned one) said that the 73 Capri was the apex of the model - after that the Naderite crash resistance rules came in and added a bunch of weight to the car, from which it never really recovered.
Ralphie on February 13, 2008 at 09:04 AM
I had a 1974 Capri. It ate drive shafts on a regular basis. The seats were poorly constructed and fell apart. The paint job was not much better. The car did have some get up and go. It could beat a Porsche 912 from a standing start.
JSG on February 13, 2008 at 09:05 AM
I bought one in '72, largely due to Car & Driver's enthusiastic review. Remember, however, that C&D also was enthusiastic about 2-liter Pintos and GM X-cars, which I have owned as well. I now take C&D enthusiasm with a grain of salt.
Mine was a 4-speed V6. I slalomed it a bit, and let's just say that excitement and fun were not part of the package. For one thing, it badly needed one (or maybe even two) additional gears between 1st and 2d.
I didn't own it for much more than a year, and I didn't feel any sadness when it left. The idea that my Eagle Talon TSi had any conceptual kinship to the Capri seems doubtful.
Larry J on February 13, 2008 at 09:37 AM
I owned a Capri for a year while stationed in Germany (78-80). I'm not certain what model year it was but it might've been a '73. The car had been shipped from the US to Germany several years before I bought it.
It was a fun little car. I could cruise for hours at 100-120 MPH on the Autobahn and still get better than 20 MPG. It could go a bit faster but that was pushing it. I wanted to bring it back to the States when I rotated back but the EPA sticker was missing so I sold it.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater on February 13, 2008 at 09:50 AM
No mention of Datsun 240Z or its subsequent incarnations (though beyond the 280Z they did turn lounge lizard...) ?
davis,br on February 13, 2008 at 03:38 PM
Yeah, another guilty-as-charged 73 owner (purchased when it was a couple of years old). Mine looked exactly like the one in the pix (well, different wheels, naturally). I too liked the car. And if it couldn't hold a candle to the '69 2002 which replaced it a few years later (and it really, really couldn't: I loved the older Bimmer, eventually doing an almost complete restore), it was nicer than a lot of the contemporary competition. But rust? Oh geez ...it was a bucket. And it wasn't even up to typical German quality control standards of the time (from owning several Volkswagens ...which I recall as being rather uniformly good); I blamed Ford ownership ...as I figured Ford Management of the period was quite capable of screwing up ANYone's quality control.
Good times, good times.
Victor Wong on February 13, 2008 at 04:46 PM
My dad had leased a Capri, back when I was 8 to 10 years old. I remember hating it because I always wound up cramped in the back seat, and there was no room for legs -- not even for kids.
seguin on February 13, 2008 at 08:48 PM
Don't forget the Chevy Cosworth Vega. Very fast little car, and most of the rustproofing and oil bleed problems had been dealt with by the time they appeared (1977, I think).
seguin on February 13, 2008 at 08:49 PM
Don't forget the Chevy Cosworth Vega. Very fast little car, and most of the rustproofing and oil bleed problems had been dealt with by the time they appeared (1977, I think).
Chad on February 13, 2008 at 09:20 PM
My folks bought one of these new in 1973 (it was blue, like the one in the pic). I was three at the time and I was absolutely in love with this car. In 1998, I bought a '76 Capri II. I wish I still had it, but it had severe front end problems and I wasn't able to get the steering to hold itelf together anymore.
A couple of interesting notes I learned about the car when I owned one:
-The hood bulge was necessary.
-Something like 30% of the horsepower got lost between flywheel and rear wheels.
-Someone mentioned cast-iron blocks above -- the Capris had cast-iron blocks, at least for the 2.8 liter models.
-If I'm not mistaken, an aluminum variant of this engine is what you find in 3.0 liter Rangers.
Bill on February 13, 2008 at 10:13 PM
I had a 73 with the V6 and 4-speed, great car. Two memories come to mind. One was that in the days of low powered compacts around 77, everyone would try to pass me before a hill. I used to get a kick out of passing them back on the hills. The V6 had quite a bit more power than the norm for small cars. The other is that the shifter was worn out and was very difficult to get out of reverse. When I was in college, people would want to borrow my car. The solution... Parallel park it and leave it in reverse then disappear after delivering the keys.
Chris Hafner on February 14, 2008 at 10:46 PM
seguin: "Don't forget the Chevy Cosworth Vega."
Certainly not!
http://www.carlustblog.com/2007/11/chevrolet-vega.html
Bob in PA on February 23, 2008 at 10:46 AM
Purchased a 1976 V6 Capri new. Large useable hatch. Standard alloy wheels before anyone really knew how to properly dismount a tire from other than a steel rim. Excelelent handling with original Pirelli CN36's. Original accelerator linkage was difficult at best (later replaced/modifed it and corrected problem) - you could press the accelerator down almost an inch before the RPM would increase - then it would suddenly shoot over 4000. Couple this with a very unforgiving clutch, and it was impossible for anyone to drive other than me (valet parkers would end up doing unintentional burnouts). As someone mentioned, 1st gear was very low. Loved the car - drove it for 12 years with minimal problems.
scott in ca on April 04, 2008 at 02:03 PM
I bought a 77 Capri, Ghia V6 4spd that was a couple years old. I had always admired the 73 V6 like the one pictured. I remember the hairtrigger accelerator,also. Never really had any problems with it. It was perfect for the time of my life. I would love to find a nice 73 V6 like the ones pictured to play with, although I cant remember the last time I saw one on the road here in CA......
scott in ca on April 04, 2008 at 02:04 PM
I bought a 77 Capri, Ghia V6 4spd that was a couple years old. I had always admired the 73 V6 like the one pictured. I remember the hairtrigger accelerator,also. Never really had any problems with it. It was perfect for the time of my life. I would love to find a nice 73 V6 like the ones pictured to play with, although I cant remember the last time I saw one on the road here in CA......
CED on April 15, 2008 at 02:07 PM
Does anyone remember a little car that looked a lot like the Ford Pinto but was made by I think GM. It had a name like Fox or Coyote I think. I remember seeing one in the early 80's but can't remember much else.
Cliff on April 17, 2008 at 05:45 PM
I had a 1976 Capri Ghia II. V6 4spd, air, Red on Black.
Holly 650, Offenhauser manifold, headers, mid range cam,
polished, ported & CC.
Went like a bullet, blew the doors off a lot of bult V8's.
Wish I still had it. for a weekend driving.
Sparkie
Steve NZ on May 29, 2008 at 06:11 PM
My Dad's teenage sons (i'm 50 now)convinced him this was the car he needed. We had our own (escort and cortina)Fords and it was a huge step up from the Hillman Hunter he had. It was a 1974 GT dark bronze tan upholstery. That model had a 2 litre V4 in it which turned out to be troublesome, but sounded interesting. I remember my grandmother squeezing herself into the back bucket seat only to roll out of it when Dad went round a corner too fast. No rear seatbelts then. Other memories include the huge bonnet out front of you when I got a chance to drive it. Not something I experienced again until driving my friend's 350Z.
old bloke on July 09, 2008 at 09:11 AM
you all know [no cursing]....
dont talk suck crap with confidence and get facts and figures right before you lay down the law on older cars- [no cursing] amatuers
Don Murphy on August 25, 2008 at 10:48 PM
Let's see, Ive owned 5 Capri's, and my current daily driver is a 1973 2.6 V6. Over 110,000 miles on the odometer, 17,000 miles last year alone. Handling? Macpherson struts front, live axle in the rear, rack and pinion steering, kinda sounds like a 2008 Mustang (did I mention it is almost a half a ton lighter then the Mustang?
I too have owned BMW's. You cannot compare the two. I had two 528i models, one of which was a true unmodified Grey market car. A wonderful car in all respects, but the BMW is a GT cruiser, the Capri a GT hot rod. The fun factor tips greatly in favor of the Capri. I;ve also owned a 66 MGB, several Triumph Spitfires, a Jaguar or two as well as a 64 1/2 Mustang and a fox body Mustang.
My next car...a Mk1 Capri with a 302 conversion and a 5 speed.