Ford Capri

Lore & Background

Production of the Capri began in November 1968, and it was unveiled in January 1969 at the Brussels Motor Show. It was mechanically based on the Cortina, built at Halewood for the United Kingdom and at Genk, Saarlouis and Cologne for Europe. The car was named Colt during development, but Ford could not use the name as it was already trademarked by Mitsubishi. The name Capri comes from the Italian island, and it was the second time Ford had used the name, the previous model being the Ford Consul Capri.

Ford wanted the flashy fastback coupé to be affordable for a broad spectrum of buyers, making it available with a variety of engines. British and German factories produced different Mk I line-ups: continental models used the Ford Taunus V4 engine in 1.3, 1.5 and 1.7 L displacements, while British models used the Ford Kent straight-four in 1.3 and 1.6 L form. The Ford Essex V4 2.0 L and Cologne V6 2.0 L served as initial range-toppers. The Capri was sold in Australia from May 1969, and in North America and South Africa from April 1970. North American versions were sold only by Lincoln-Mercury dealers and carried no Ford badging.

The Capri Mk I received a facelift in late 1971 with new suspension, enlarged tail-lights, new seats, and larger headlamps. The Kent engines were replaced by the Ford Pinto engine. The 1,000,000th Capri, an RS 2600, was completed on 29 August 1973. The RS3100, with a 3098 cc Essex V6, was built for homologation between November and December 1973, with only 250 produced.

Reader's Guide

The Ford Capri was highly successful for Ford, selling nearly 1.9 million units. It was intended to reproduce in Europe the success of the North American Ford Mustang by producing a European pony car. The Capri proved highly successful, with 400,000 cars sold in its first two years. In 1973, the Capri saw its highest sales total at 233,000 vehicles. Although the Capri was not officially replaced, the second-generation Probe was effectively its replacement after its introduction to the European market in 1994. The Capri's racing variants, such as the RS2600 and RS3100, were competitive in touring car racing, with Dieter Glemser winning the 1971 European Touring Car Championship drivers' title in an RS2600 and Jochen Mass doing likewise in 1972. The RS3100's Group 2 engine was tuned by Cosworth into the GAA, producing 435 hp in racing trim.

Did You Know?

• The Capri was named Colt during development, but the name was already trademarked by Mitsubishi.
• Only 250 RS3100s were built for homologation between November and December 1973.
• The Capri was sold in North America only by Lincoln-Mercury dealers and carried no Ford badging.