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.
Don Murphy on August 25, 2008 at 10:49 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.
Chuck Fuller on January 09, 2009 at 06:49 PM
I was lucky enough to have been a military brat in Germany in the early 1980's and my first real car was a 1969 Ford Capri, since it was an original Cologne car it had the 1.7L high compression V-4 and it ran like a scalded dog. I remember going up against BMW 2002's and other "sportcars" of that era and more often than not, having the upper hand. Some years later I moved back to Germany and bought a Capri III with the 2.8L V-6, I fell in love with the Capri all over again. I sure wish I could have those cars again.
Gerald Benton on February 07, 2009 at 07:15 PM
I've owned two two Capri's.The first was a 1971 model(I believe
the engine size was 1600cc).It was bought new in 1971.I actually
wanted a Datsun 240Z but had a child and needed a back seat.I drove
this car until 1976.I traded it for one one that I still have in my
garage.This one is a 1976 Capri II,v6,2.8 with air and Sunroof.The
color is black with gold trim.The only replacement parts are the alternator/voltage reg.and exhaust pipes.This car has never had any
body damage.I parked it in my garage in 1992 because the clutch cable popped loose.I really love this car.Since I've retired I now
plan to start the rastoration.I'm encouraged by these comments.
smitty on April 04, 2009 at 02:46 PM
Oatworm (top of this page), I take your point, BUT, the FUN thing for a gear-head and old-car enthusiast is to upgrade an old car like the Capri to get it to go and stop and handle at as near to new car performance as possible, . . . AND to get very good fuel economy, which can often be done because the old cars weigh less than the new ones, even though they are made of metal, with very little plastic.
The Capri 60-degree 2.6L and 2.8L engines (there might have been a bigger one as well) came with different heads, both of which were prone to cracking, but aftermarket heads are available. If I didn't have three hundred man-years worth of projects already, a Capri would be a good one!!
hamid gaj on April 10, 2009 at 09:58 AM
I was a proud owner of a ford capri 1973 2000c.c. v4 , yellow, with black vinyl hartop , this was in zambia, africa, very limited units were imported into zambia, and i was in my prime 22 years,i could not understand if it was the capri turning heads or me. what an impression the capri created, it boosted my image and personality. i did a lot of long distance motoring in that year, i enjoyed the comfort and safety that the capri delivered. the capri will always be one of my most memorable cars i owned,
if anyone has a full blown picture of the 1973 u.k. ford capri yellow, with black vinyl roof . i would appreciate that very much.
hamidgaj@hotmail.com