I was manager of a Lincoln Mercury parts department at a dealership in the 70's. The Capri was lightly built which meant it handled well but didn't hold up well. I must have sold a hundred exterior rear view mirrors that couldn't take any hit without shattering. I also sold scores of windshield wiper switches, which plugged into the dash. One stocking problem with the car was that they kept switching parts. For things like wiper motors, the build date was critical in order to get the right one. If you ended with one in stock, the odds of getting a Capri in that needed the same motor was almost non-existent. Owners of the car were unique. When one came in the shop, you knew they were a Capri owner before they opened their mouth. Fingerless driving gloves, half tinted sunglasses, and sporty leather jackets was typical gear.
I had to get rid of my 73 1.6GT in 1981, when the drivers door finally rusted off, as did the suspension turrets - oh, and the leaf spring. Always loved it, however, and I still have a framed advertisement!
The mid 80's Mustang/Capri were rubbish. Did they handle well? It's an American car, so no and I could never find out as it was upshift and mash the pedal to the floor......................... where's the power. 5.0 v8 California emissions. It was heavy and rattled everywhere.
And T tops that leaked. The car would literally twist on rough roads at slow and fast speeds. Hitting a speed bump off square was rather unsettling. Horrendous noises as it flopped over the bump.
I was a total Capri fan except on rainy days when it could fish tail a lot. My favorite in the US was the 1973 with a 2600 v6. The engine had no timing chain but a nylon timing gear. Unfortunately, I hit a patch of ice and as the engine over revved and blew it out. The replacement was aluminum. This car was so easy to work on and the v6 had only a water pump and generator on the fan belt. No power steering or pollution controls with dual exhaust standard equipment. It was a little screamer. I could burn rubber in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears. I think it averaged around 26 MG on the highway. In 1974 they added 200 cc to the engine, big heavy bumpers and an air pollution pump that turned this stripped-down pony into a dog. You could pick one up in the mid 70's for $150 used. It also had a one piece welded body except for doors and hood. I saw an accident once where 3 of the cars were totaled but the Capri, although damaged, drove away. What a great fun car. Wish I had held on to mine. Hard one to find these days.
I had a Ford Capri for six years. She was named "Debbie", and I loved that car! I feel quite tearful about watching this. The Capri was fun, sexy, practical, affordable, easy to repair, and parts could be obtained almost anywhere. What modern car can we say that about now? Modern hot hatchbacks all look the same. The Capri had CHARACTER!
I had 5 Capris in my life. Still have one. This is unique and none of modern can compare. I will keep it for my son who has now 5 yo and love Capri more than my Porsche
I was fortunate to have a 1970.5 Mercury Capri. So much fun! 1600 cc four. Perfect car for driving the winding curves of US 101 on the Oregon Coast. I set the "unofficial" speed record between Neskowin and Cloverdale Oregon, covering to ten miles in a little over seven minutes. Cornered like it was on rails. I miss my little Capri.
Great video ! My first car was a Capri hatchback that I bought used in 1980. Loved that car, drove it up and down the east coast for a couple of years. The rear chamber with its fold down rear seat and hatchback served as my sleeping quarters when I didn't have enough money for a motel.
dude you're so good at making these (auto) biographies. i have enjoyed every one. you succeed in driving me on a loving nostalgia trip for every car. so well researched and the footage and photos are quality. i'd love to see a Volvo Estate video in this style!
Could have been done in an hatchback version those back seats folded foreward, I carried 2 full size keggs of beer and the attendant tub in ne with the hatch closed.
The best European Ford ever in my opinion. Proud owner of a 1975 Mk2 3000 Ghia, special order 4 speed Manual, it's got 306.000 miles now and is on it's second engine, it's been in the family from new and no amount of money would make me sell it :)
My yellow '73 2600 was awesome for its day, but was rusting away. The rear axle was a nightmare on anything less than good roads, but it was the BEST interior layout ever. I'd love to drive it again, but I'd probably hate the lack of sophistication vs what I drive today.
@@bgrzesiak5996 ....that was thé biggest problems of cars in general, rusting away in them seventies and before. Today most carchassis are already galvanized in the factory. They hardly rust anymore. Too bad it wasn't used in the 1970s!
Very interesting video! I really enjoyed learning the Capri history. I bought a 1976 Capri when I lived in Germany. I remember it being called the Sexy European and it turned out to be a very good car. I shipped it back to the states and drove it for many years until our growing family needed a larger car. I always look for Capri's at the car shows I attend but have yet to find one.
This is the best video on the Capri that I've seen, well done. I had a rootbeer brown on for awhile in the mid 80's. It was my first "sportscar", having grown up with muscle cars. I remember it fondly, but I can't really say why for sure. Maybe the handling, or that it was just different from the cars I'd grown up with. Occasionally, I wonder if I found one today in good shape if I could recreate that fondness, but alas, I think it was just that period in my life that right for that sort of car.
My favorite oddball car was the Opel Manta! Even harder to find than the 70's Capri. I always liked the side sculpting and styling of the Capri. My buddy in H.S. had a brown/gold colored one...from Wyoming USA 🇺🇸 🤠
Aussie here, the issue with the Mazda based 89-94 Capri was never reliability, it was the fact it was front wheel drive, slow as a snail with only a naturally aspirated 1.6 litre engine and finally the convertible soft top leaked like a sieve full of bullet holes. Everyone who's had anything to do with them will tell you the only good ones they made were the 93-94 Clubsprint and Barchetta variants, both of those were factory equipped with the newer 1.8 litre engine and 5 speed manual gearbox and a removable fibreglass hardtop to fix the water leak issue. Ford Australia did consider using the all wheel drive turbo drivetrain from the Ford Laser TX3 3 door hatchback in the Capri but due to the added weight of strengthening the chassis to deal with the extra power and torque dismissed the idea. Not many people were sad to see the back of what was by then considered a slow hairdressers car at best and a total white elephant and a lemon at worst.
While the 91-93 turbocharged Capri was not a muscle car they still run pretty good. As for the leaks. The worst part about them is not all of them leaked in the same place. I have one that only leaks on the driver side floorboards and it took me a while to find the cause and others that leak on the drivers seat and all I do there is put a garbage bag on the seat so the drivers seat itself never gets wet. Later I would find out that when the distributor starts to go bad it will have problems starting when the motor is warm and I've recently seen that. But what I'm most disappointed about is the problem they have with the manual transmissions. OUCH.
@@RogerWittekind Yeah no 2 cars leaked in the same place lol, as for the distributor it should be standard a 1.6/1.8 litre Mazda 323/Ford Laser item from the same era, shouldn't too difficult to get your hand on parts for them (even in the US). The only parts you might struggle to find would be the solid state ignition module or the reluctor if those have gone bad, caps and rotor button should be easy off the shelf parts.
@@chris425amp7 Australian ones in the early 90s were front wheel drive. Aussies ignored them because they were presented with gorgeous concepts then given something that was front-wheel drive and looked nothing like any Capri they had ever wanted. They fell into a strange hole, not as cool as any rwd sports car, not as useful as a hot hatch and not as affordable as a last resort.
Great work on this great car. I am writing from Canada as My very first car was a 1973 Ford Capri. Bronze in colour. I was a 2.0 liter 4 speed manual transmission. Loved it and enjoyed this car immensely. I did also owned the North American Mercury Capri 1986 with a 5 liter v8 5 speed manual transmission, white in colour with a T Top and red interior. This was a wonderful very quick car. Great memories of a great car
Nice to have found this site! I had three different Capris in the late 70s/early 80s, but the best car I've ever had was a 1976 Capri II "S", 2.8 V-6, 4spd, white exterior/gold with black interior. I wish I would have kept it. So easy to work on.
Yes yes. The Capri was a hit in the US, and I always thought it was German. My first "reliable" car was a 71 Pinto with the Cologne 2.6l Capri motor in it. The Pinto was smaller and a little lighter than the Capri and that car was fun. The motor would stop at 7 grand clutched (all the air it could flow) and could skip across an intersection. It would surprise near anything with an automatic transmission if it wasn't built.
My dad got one of the first imported ones delivered in Northern California. It was a looker, black over metallic brown and had some good power and handling but it was an utter POS as far as reliability was concerned. It used to break down seemingly weekly, by far the worst car he ever owned.
@Mark Moses You obviously had a Friday car but please dont say it is shit. The capri was a beaut.Here in South Africa we got the 1600,2000 v4,3000 v6 and the V8 conversion by Basil Green. Fantastic cars. Wish Ford will re launch a new capri. It will outsell the Mustang
I just love the Capri shape, it's so iconic, not to mention cool. It's the only car I ever remember thinking "one day, I'll have one of these" as I raced around with my little white Capri toy car. Still haven't got one, but if I had the money, I'd have a whole bunch of them...and a new Mustang for good measure. Great video, exactly what I was looking for.
WOW! That first sketch was what motivated me to get into car design. I was a teenager then and that was the last time I saw that drawing. Nice work! I remember all the secrecy surrounding the Capri just before its launch. It was a really big deal.
I had a girlfriend who bought one of the first imports of Capri in the U.S. She let me drive it and I loved it! It didn't look like any American car. I had to ask her what it was when I first saw it. BTW, she traded her '67 Camaro for it. LOL!
The Capri was fairly popular in America. It was market was the same people who might buy a Toyota Celica back then. It's too bad, because I often saw them as a kid in the 1970's, but I can't remember the last time I saw a mk I type here in the USA. Rust seems to have sent them to a permanent grave. There aren't any junkers or even any shells around to restore or otherwise fix up. They would have made beautiful resto-mods!
Brilliant! I fondly recall being smitten by the root beer brown Capri one of my middle school (back then called Jr High) teachers drove in 1978. I'd drive one now if I could find one in good enough shape. Love the style!
Once again a first class video. I had a 1980 mk 3 Capri 2.0GL and although I preferred VW Sciroccos and Toyota Celicas it was a good practical and reliable car with decent performance. My ultimate Capri though is a Mk 2 Capri 3.0 JPS ( John Players Special). Thanks again.
Thank u for posting this video, well done and please keep it up. Back in the mid 70s, I was in California, had a German built Capri under Lincoln Mercury dealership, V6 2.8 (NOT ENGLAND version 3.0). Had much motoring pleasure with this beauty real cool 🤙🏻🤙🏻 I worked 2 part time jobs so I could have extra dough to add stuffs on bit by bit. Dual Webber carburetors, Anna qual tips dual exhaust systems, front spoiler, real leather shift knob, Bilstein shocks and thicker anti-sway bars, also a set of Michelin XZX. I kid u not, after all these were done, I enjoyed occasionally burning rubbers shifting from 1st to 2nd 😎 I had more than a few encounters with Datsun Z, Camaro, TransAm, 911 ... ... all on Pacific Coast Highway One. Good old days, I luv Capri period.
Nice to see the Australian Capri mentioned. I worked at Ford Australia (Broadmeadows Assembly plant) 1989-1994. Started there just before the first car's came done the line. I remember there were difficulties in the soft-tops from sealing properly in the first early pre-production cars. The media here in Australia gave the Capri a bad wrap at the time and sales suffered as a result.(And the Mazda MX-5 was a big hit) The Capri underpinnings were based on the Ford Lazer/Mazda 323. Also available as an option was the removable Hard-top. 4 colour options were available : Indigo Blue ,Stark White, Le Man's Red, Platinum Silver. The initial power plant was the 1.6 lt 16 valve with 5 sp manual or 3 sp auto . Can't remember when the turbo option was released exactly but from memory it was based on the Lazer TX3 4x4. The American Mecury Capri was built on the same line as the Australian Capri. An updated model was released in 92 with a few changes. (New redesigned front and rear bars and new tail lights. Some new paint colour options. Everglade Green, Capricorn Blue , Black Pearl. Also released was a small run of Club- Sport Capris ( Available only in Black Pearl and 5 sp with a cover over the rear seat to give the impression of a 2 seater. Different bumpers and 4 circular tail-lights.) The Capri soldiered on till 94 when very low sales here and America finally killed off the Capri.
@@MyKharli I actually knew a guy who had spent the whole of Sunday T-cutting the paintwork to bring it up to a high sheen, and then mangled it completely zooming off at a bend in the wet on the Monday morning.
@@herseem tbh all cars were pretty shit on the corners until the golf mk 1 when you could at least point in the right direction. .front wheel drive was a life saver for crap drivers.
My brother in law, who is English, had one of these in the mid eighties here in Australia. I remember saying to him "what's THAT" like I did'nt approve, but this did'nt dent his glee one bit. He proudly announced that this was "A Capri, a great product of Ford England". He then showed off the engine, I think there was something special about it (3.0L twin cam? can't remember now).
Well done Andy, loved your introduction , I recall a friend of my mother's who had a gold one, quite exotic for Australia at the time, shame Ford Australia stuffed up the Aussie built Mazda based one, but there you go, they did, and now there's no Aussie motor Industry at all. Keep up the great work young man, I look forward to the next one.
I was dreaming of the Capri when I was a young boy in the early 80's. I finally bought a 1974 one in 1998 and kept it for four years. The engine was replaced by a 2.0 OHC from a Sierra but with the original 1.6 carburetor, and it was pretty fast... Thank you for bringing back those good memories ;)
Finally a decent recent Capri video. First car I ever started the engine to was the 1986 2.8 Capri I still have. Literally the car I always promised myself as I've wanted one since before I started school!
Had 6 of these cars. Mk1, Mk1 facelift, Mk2s and Mk3s. The one I had for the longest was a 1973 1600Gt facelift but my favourite was a manual MK3 3 litre Ghia fitted with a laser interior to make it look more modern. Fantastic sound, felt really quick too but....years later in 1990 I made the mistake of going back - never go back. I was ultimately bitterly disappointed with my 1985 MK3 2.8 injection Special special. By 1990 cars had moved on and a 1960s car felt every bit the crap it was. I loved them though and I have many happy memories and somehow the MK 3 still looks relevant.
That's pretty funny, the Manta looked great but was badly hindered in the U.S. market by it's anemic 1.9L engine which I think was the only option. I've owned a '69 Opel GT and a '70 kadett rally 1.9 and loved them both, but also was not too impressed with the steering shake both had and the rattliness of the kadett. later on a German friend laughed and explained that the German term for Opel was "earliest to rattle". We had a '72 Capri 2.6 (the V6 we got, increased to 2.8 later) which I loved and wish we had kept.
I always loved the Opel Manta. I still have the brochure booklet from the 1972 auto show. Great looking cars even today. They were frequent winners of SCCA races. I believe Mantas were one of the first mass produced cars to switch from carburetors to fuel injection.
Compared to the 1st gen Capri (before the hatchback models) , Opel Manta's trunk space was humongous. That alone made me prefer it over the Ford. That it was a better-looking car than the Capri didn't hurt, either.
I also had a 71 3.00 capri. I loved it. Sunflower with a black roof. Sold it to a mate in 78 and he wrapped it around a lampost. He was ok but the old girl was well bent. Broke my heart!
Great history, I never knew the story behind my wife's and my car. My wife had a 1974 "Mercury" Capri 4 cylinder 4 speed manual and I bought a 1976 "Mercury" Capri with the 6 cylinder, 4 speed manual. I miss those cars. Thank you for the video.
The Capri may have been a relic from another age, but it was certainly an age of exquisite styling and better taste. Thanks to Giorgetto Giugiaro and Marcello Gandini, cars in the 80s were angular and slabby, with most of them also being terminally understeering front drive econoboxes. The Capri was good looking and it was fun to drive. What else is there for a car person?
A little tidbit for you. Believe it or not, Giugiaro designed the Eagle Premier aka in France as the Renault 25. I had one and it was pretty nice especially since it has an Audi-like front-wheel drive with the engine facing forward to allow for equilateral distribution of torque. It also had a PRV V-6 3.0. The Giugiaro design was really nice as it took on the look of an Italian sedan.
I agree it looked great, was solid and fun to drive and could take a beating. I would love to see Ford bring the Capri back with a snappy high powered 4 cylinder or powerful 6 to compete with BMW etc..
@@BuzzLOLOL It would have garnered more attention if three things were changed: 1. It was built in a North American factory and could afford taxes and duties and all that crap, and... 2. It came with a small block V8. Americans loved their V8's, and I'm no exception (my first car was a '70 Pontiac Firebird with a 350, bought in 1991). 3. It was sold as a Ford instead of a Mercury. Ford fobbed the car off as a little import when it could have been so much more. This is all just my opinion. I've been Jonesing for a 3.0 Capri and a Datsun 510 two door for a long time now.
A Great comprehensive history of the Capri!! i remembered my dad had a cream-coloured Capri when I was still little and always like to squeeze myself into the backseat from the door edge without pushing the front seat...🤣🤣🤣 Loads of memories on that car!! Thank you so much for the video and hope to see some videos on an Opel Gemini Coupe soon, which was also another car owned by my dad.
My dad passed away, he left me his Ford Capri. It’s a really cool convertible 30 years old, he did it up and made it looks beautiful. Thanks for all the info, I’m really happy I’m able to learn about his car.
Yet another incredible video! Thanks ever so much indeed, Andy, you covered all the essential moments of the Capri story and certainly did not forget about The Professionals.
the drivers car of choice in the 1980's I had three - one a 3.0l GXL and two 2.8i the best being the 1982 4 speed 2.8i, a real hooligan car, great video thanks for sharing this.
I had the 3.0s (ex-police car from Wrexham!) and although I loved it at the time, the back end was easy to slide out during sharp cornering even in dry weather. I guess the leaf springs didn't help! I heard stories of owners putting bags of sand in the boot. Also, mine was constantly overheating and only after I'd sold it to a mate did he tell me that it had a smaller Ford Transit radiator fitted by a previous (not the police) owner!! Sobering thought - that was 34 years ago!!
Loved the Capri, my old man had a purple mkI and a cousin of mine a yellow V6 mk III with a black hood and a firebird on it, LOL! Great cars! (love the dutch advertising about the capri btw) We've had so many Fords..Taunus 12M, Cortina mkII, Capri mkI, Taunus mkI, Ford Consul coupe, Escort mkI, too much to name. And a Sierra 2.0 GL 5-door ofcourse.
Great video, I'm building one right now... Got a 3 litre and 5 speed box out of a cortina pickup, and a body from a kid who had stuffed a Nissan 1400 Ute under the bonnet 😂😂😂 I'm hoping to build something special!
You might want to check the final drive ratio will go with the gearbox, as I imagine the gear ratios for a pickup won't necessarily be the same as for a Capri
Had a midnight blue black vinyl roofed 2L GL... Paid 270 in 93 for it... people took the piss but I adored it... Wish I had it tooked away some place...
@@Tiffany.1970 pal had a 1600 looked v.similar to the car in your avatar regarding the roof colour type and styling.. it was in great condition and he sold it for a song ... at the time I wanted to get it and store it but was stopped... i now wish i had done it regardless...😜
My first car was a yellow '74 with the rubber bumpers and a 4-speed manual. Great fun to drive, but it must have started rusting in the showroom. Learned a lot about Bondo and primer, though...
I'm glad to see you kept the name "Big Car", with a new channel. I remember the Ford Capri. Here in the USA, it was called the *"Mercury"* Capri. It looked just like the European version.
@@rimmersbryggeri The 1st gen Mercury Capri was based on the European Ford Capri. After it was discontinued, the 2nd generation, from about 1980 on, the Mercury Capri was a re-badged Ford (Fox body) Mustang.
@@jasoncarpp7742 They did one of those on wheeler dealers. I think it was the fox one becasue it looked the same as Clareice Starling's 5.0 mustang from Hannibal but had a german v6 in it.
@@rimmersbryggeri I remember that *"Wheeler Dealers"* episode. I love Ant. 1st generation Mercury Capris were based on the European Ford Capri, but later models, from 1980 onward, were based on the Fox bodied Ford Mustang.
@@rimmersbryggeri Which Hannibal movie was this? Who played Hannibal? I remember *"Silence of the Lambs",* starring Jodi Foster as Clarice Starling and (Sir) Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter.
I purchased a new Capri in 1973. It had the V-6 and the stick shift. What a wonderful automobile. With a good set of radial tires the thing was great on winding roads. It was very durable as well. I think I only had to replace a headlamp during my ownership. Wish I still had it.
My 3.0 S returned 30 mpg with fast driving, kept blowing core plugs, the rear side windows kept getting unstuck from the hinges and needed taping up, and it required a weight in the boot to prevent it slewing round in the wet, but otherwise a great car!
Its interesting that one. I found many of my Capris actually under steered although there was one time on the Woolwich Ferry roundabout when I was doing wheel spins in the rain and spun right round to face the traffic...
I really loved this car's shape but it was literally rusting out by the time they added the drivetrain on the production line. I grew up with this car. I never saw a two year old version that wasn't rusting out around the wheel arches. Sexy as hell, rusty as crap.
I'm sure our American friends can relate to what I'm about to say, but as an Aussie, hearing the Capri referred to as a muscle car makes me laugh lol Obviously all very different, but still humorous. They have a dedicated following here in Australia. Plenty of drag racers will drop a V8 into them too.
My all time favourite car. Started off with a 1.6s then two 2.0s before going onto a 2.8. Then later I saw a 2.8 Brooklands and emptied my savings to get one. Shame the brook lands was not shown or mentioned here. But still a great video.
In 1986 my father-in-law had a 1.6 which he let me drive - I felt a million dollars behind that wheel even though it was not the 2.8i! Love the intro too!
We had a 1971 tawny metallic 1600XL as our family car when I was young. My dad loved his Capri. We towed a caravan all over Europe with it (with leaf spring stiffeners) although it was underpowered and cramped in the back with 2 kids. Memories. We sold it when it got rusty in the sills- in 1975.
Wow memory lane here! I had 2 capris one 1973 with 2.6 v6 and the 74 2.8 V6! I built my 74 with 10.5 compression jahns piston and offenhauser 4 barrel manifold with Holley carb 390 cfm! And I got the engine balance too! can't believe I still remember this! Then I used to break transmission right and left so I decided to put super T 10 transmission on it and took care of that problem
Of course you don't! Cheap russian steel that went to the industrial Italian and German governments in the early seventies. Hence rustbucket Alfa's, Fiat's, Maserati and Ford. A rabbit hole to jump in if you have a spare 20 mins on the internet... Coz I can't remember the exact trade deal with the Soviets. I think it might have been steel for coal, but memory fades. These motors which were once ten a penny, are now beautiful and exotic in their rarity. I get true pleasure seeing a Capri on the road.
I remember being a teenage trainee in about 1980/81 going to deliver about £30k of wages to one of our company's building sites in central London. We went in a colleague's beige/yellow 1.6 Capri. Great car, but not the best colour. We got a hard stop from the Sweeney (yeah, the real thing) in Granadas and Rovers between Vauxhall and Lambeth Bridge. "Hands on the dashboard" , they shouted They then just checked out that we were who we were mean't to be from the company. The wages used to be delivered in security vans, so it's a bit of a mystery to me why I was sitting with such a huge sum of money in a pack on my lap aged about 17 or 18. I guess the driver's Capri looked inconspicuous in its unpopular colour. There were some villains about in South London back then. Maybe we were decoys, or there was wind of a security van heist at the site. It was all very exciting to me, but kind of cool. I reckon that the Securicor van went empty and maybe any attempted heist got busted while we had the real cash - (about fifteen times my annual wages back then), with us. The Flying Squad must have been tailing us from Wandsworth, I guess - and they were also letting us know we were safe.
I was constantly stopped by police, especially at night (11pm). Routine checks they said. Never happened before I had the Capri and never since. Police seemed to associate the car with criminals and boy racers....
My dad bought a 72 2.0 in 1979 to help save on gas. I learned how to work on cars helping my dad get it through Maryland state inspection. I really loved the old girl. We had it until the late 80's , until the steel cancer came back. I drove it through my senior year in HS, and for my first 2 jobs. It never let us down until the trunk rusted out and the rear shocks blew into the trunk. That car was fun to drive, and I had some "amazing" dates in it! Would love to find another one here in the states to fix up!
Still better than the pathetic "King Of The Malaise" era, the 1975 Ford Grenada that took 23 seconds to go 60 mph with a 4.1 liter L6 engine producing 72 crippled hp. And because the car was a heavy living room couch on four wheels and had the aerodynamics of a brick it was a gas hog too.
@@legiran9564 70's granadas always looked so cool compared to what was on offer from the other manufacturers. As an 11 year old I wasn't interested in "gas mileage"😂🤣
Yeah, but mine was great and I loved it and it took me all over Europe. The cops loved it too - I got pulled 4 times in the first four weeks of ownership. Just to try and nick me. Loved that car.
My first car was a 72 yellow Capri here in the U.S. I absolutely loved that car. But then the rust began to eat it alive, and both of those iconic rear windows fell out at different times while driving... made an interesting sound as the glass shattered on the pavement.
When I was shopping for my first car, I lusted heavily for a 1992 Mercury Capri. The Merc dealer was a half block from my house. I spent lots of time there pestering the salemen. Unfortunately, the Capri was $200 over my budget set by my parents, so I had to settle for a Vega GT. At the same time, the Merc dealer had a Pantera in the showroom. $10,000 delivered!
You DO mean a 1972 Capri/Vega GT I presume? The Vega was ancient history by 1992, and the Capri *if* it still existed was a Fox-body different sheet metal Mustang clone.
Just bought me a 91 Mercury Capri about a month ago and this pops up on my homepage. Really cool to know about the history about it, I usually read everything on Wikipedia about every car I buy but the Wikipedia page didn't mention anything about this!
I bought a 1974 2800cc V6, new in the US for $4200. Was a great little car for the time. I put Koni shocks, a Supersprint exhaust, a radio, (since it didn't have one) Chome wheel trim rings, and a pin stripe down the side. It came with Pirelli CN36 tires, and 4 speed transmission. Washed and waxed religiously, and kept it for 9 years. It started to rust in front of the doors, otherwise was pretty solid car. The same color as this video pic.
Aw, you already mentioned the Capri winning the ETCC in the early 70's, yet you missed the chance to talk about the totally bonkers Group 5 Zakspeed-Ford Capri that ran in the German Racing Championship from 1978-1983. It came with a 1.4 litre turbo engine putting out up to 460bhp and a 1.7 litre engine putting out 600bhp. This era and the class one era of the original DTM was peak bonkers German motorsport engineering, though one that ultimately killed both series due to high costs.
If I'd known about it, I would have. It takes quite a while to pull together all the research for these videos from many sources, and sometimes I miss things. 460bhp from a 1.4L is mad!
I still love the RS3100 racer the most. The engine was a jewel with 3.4L 24 valve and 430 bhp. It raced in 74 but didn't race the whole season. But it was a beast. In 73 the RS2600 Weslake suffered from its central camshaft and ford solved that problem in a big way with the dual overhead RS3100 version.
I just now found this. I'm in the U.S. and in 1971 bought a Mercury Capri with 2.0 L engine and four-speed. It was sporty, handled well, had enough performance, and was priced right. It served me well for nine years.
My first car, bought new for $3,500. by my dad to celebrate my high school graduation in 1971. I loved it's styling, ordered it in dark "British racing" green with a white vinyl top and white interior. What sold me--its wood grain dash. Mine was the 2000cc version. I swear I got that thing up to 110 mph according to it's speedometer. It did have a weird foot switch to activate the windshield wiper. I wish it had built to last. I ditched it with repeating electrical problems in 1976.
Erratum: The Ford Mustang came to European shores in 2014, not 2018.
Actually, the Mustang had its world premiere in Finland April 12th 1964.
The Mustang arrived in UK in late 2015.
Have you heard the NEWS that Ford might introduce a new electric Capri? 🎉
@@verttikoo2052 The electric version looks like a Polestar 3.
I was manager of a Lincoln Mercury parts department at a dealership in the 70's. The Capri was lightly built which meant it handled well but didn't hold up well. I must have sold a hundred exterior rear view mirrors that couldn't take any hit without shattering. I also sold scores of windshield wiper switches, which plugged into the dash. One stocking problem with the car was that they kept switching parts. For things like wiper motors, the build date was critical in order to get the right one. If you ended with one in stock, the odds of getting a Capri in that needed the same motor was almost non-existent. Owners of the car were unique. When one came in the shop, you knew they were a Capri owner before they opened their mouth. Fingerless driving gloves, half tinted sunglasses, and sporty leather jackets was typical gear.
Never wore fingerless gloves, and my only leather jacket was my motorbike one!
I had to get rid of my 73 1.6GT in 1981, when the drivers door finally rusted off, as did the suspension turrets - oh, and the leaf spring. Always loved it, however, and I still have a framed advertisement!
Still better than any American Ford though
The mid 80's Mustang/Capri were rubbish. Did they handle well? It's an American car, so no and I could never find out as it was upshift and mash the pedal to the floor......................... where's the power. 5.0 v8 California emissions. It was heavy and rattled everywhere.
And T tops that leaked. The car would literally twist on rough roads at slow and fast speeds. Hitting a speed bump off square was rather unsettling. Horrendous noises as it flopped over the bump.
I was a total Capri fan except on rainy days when it could fish tail a lot. My favorite in the US was the 1973 with a 2600 v6. The engine had no timing chain but a nylon timing gear. Unfortunately, I hit a patch of ice and as the engine over revved and blew it out. The replacement was aluminum. This car was so easy to work on and the v6 had only a water pump and generator on the fan belt. No power steering or pollution controls with dual exhaust standard equipment. It was a little screamer. I could burn rubber in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears. I think it averaged around 26 MG on the highway. In 1974 they added 200 cc to the engine, big heavy bumpers and an air pollution pump that turned this stripped-down pony into a dog. You could pick one up in the mid 70's for $150 used. It also had a one piece welded body except for doors and hood. I saw an accident once where 3 of the cars were totaled but the Capri, although damaged, drove away. What a great fun car. Wish I had held on to mine. Hard one to find these days.
That’s what my dad said about his Capri. He loved it. Wished he woulda held onto it
I saw one earlier this year. Wanted to stop and stare, but I wasn't alone, so a quick, wistful look was all I had.
I had a Ford Capri for six years. She was named "Debbie", and I loved that car! I feel quite tearful about watching this. The Capri was fun, sexy, practical, affordable, easy to repair, and parts could be obtained almost anywhere. What modern car can we say that about now? Modern hot hatchbacks all look the same. The Capri had CHARACTER!
I had 5 Capris in my life. Still have one. This is unique and none of modern can compare. I will keep it for my son who has now 5 yo and love Capri more than my Porsche
I had a 73' w the V6 it was FAST and I was in high school, enough said
I was fortunate to have a 1970.5 Mercury Capri. So much fun! 1600 cc four. Perfect car for driving the winding curves of US 101 on the Oregon Coast. I set the "unofficial" speed record between Neskowin and Cloverdale Oregon, covering to ten miles in a little over seven minutes. Cornered like it was on rails. I miss my little Capri.
Great video ! My first car was a Capri hatchback that I bought used in 1980. Loved that car, drove it up and down the east coast for a couple of years. The rear chamber with its fold down rear seat and hatchback served as my sleeping quarters when I didn't have enough money for a motel.
dude you're so good at making these (auto) biographies. i have enjoyed every one. you succeed in driving me on a loving nostalgia trip for every car. so well researched and the footage and photos are quality. i'd love to see a Volvo Estate video in this style!
Im 47 an my mum assures me that i was conceived in a capri. My dad had good taste in cars
Pretty cramped in the back seat, but the recliners were quite something for that era - similar to the two-door Cortina MK III
Could have been done in an hatchback version those back seats folded foreward, I carried 2 full size keggs of beer and the attendant tub in ne with the hatch closed.
Pretty small car to be conceived in..are you sure it was not on a Capri? Maybe on the hood?
Not something too many moms would share, bet she’s fun after a couple of glasses of Chardonnay at the family BBQ
Plenty of room in the back with the seats folded forward. Just take my word for it
The best European Ford ever in my opinion.
Proud owner of a 1975 Mk2 3000 Ghia, special order 4 speed Manual, it's got 306.000 miles now and is on it's second engine, it's been in the family from new and no amount of money would make me sell it :)
Never got that model in the US. I had a 72 with the Kent 2 liter and a 76 with a 2.8 Cologne V6.
where i live never saw a car with automatic gearbox,just a mini (from the 60´s)the ones with a slide door window like the renault 4 L
My yellow '73 2600 was awesome for its day, but was rusting away. The rear axle was a nightmare on anything less than good roads, but it was the BEST interior layout ever. I'd love to drive it again, but I'd probably hate the lack of sophistication vs what I drive today.
Absolutely classic lines!! I like it much more than the mustang. I also love the Australian Falcon.
@@bgrzesiak5996 ....that was thé biggest problems of cars in general, rusting away in them seventies and before. Today most carchassis are already galvanized in the factory.
They hardly rust anymore. Too bad it wasn't used in the 1970s!
Very interesting video! I really enjoyed learning the Capri history. I bought a 1976 Capri when I lived in Germany. I remember it being called the Sexy European and it turned out to be a very good car. I shipped it back to the states and drove it for many years until our growing family needed a larger car. I always look for Capri's at the car shows I attend but have yet to find one.
Where in the U.S.? Here in Canada with the winters , the Capri rusted out with in 48 months.
This is the best video on the Capri that I've seen, well done. I had a rootbeer brown on for awhile in the mid 80's. It was my first "sportscar", having grown up with muscle cars. I remember it fondly, but I can't really say why for sure. Maybe the handling, or that it was just different from the cars I'd grown up with. Occasionally, I wonder if I found one today in good shape if I could recreate that fondness, but alas, I think it was just that period in my life that right for that sort of car.
My favorite oddball car was the Opel Manta! Even harder to find than the 70's Capri. I always liked the side sculpting and styling of the Capri. My buddy in H.S. had a brown/gold colored one...from Wyoming USA 🇺🇸 🤠
My uncle had one like this. The look of this car literally got embedded into my memory forever.
Aussie here, the issue with the Mazda based 89-94 Capri was never reliability, it was the fact it was front wheel drive, slow as a snail with only a naturally aspirated 1.6 litre engine and finally the convertible soft top leaked like a sieve full of bullet holes. Everyone who's had anything to do with them will tell you the only good ones they made were the 93-94 Clubsprint and Barchetta variants, both of those were factory equipped with the newer 1.8 litre engine and 5 speed manual gearbox and a removable fibreglass hardtop to fix the water leak issue. Ford Australia did consider using the all wheel drive turbo drivetrain from the Ford Laser TX3 3 door hatchback in the Capri but due to the added weight of strengthening the chassis to deal with the extra power and torque dismissed the idea. Not many people were sad to see the back of what was by then considered a slow hairdressers car at best and a total white elephant and a lemon at worst.
While the 91-93 turbocharged Capri was not a muscle car they still run pretty good.
As for the leaks. The worst part about them is not all of them leaked in the same place. I have one that only leaks on the driver side floorboards and it took me a while to find the cause and others that leak on the drivers seat and all I do there is put a garbage bag on the seat so the drivers seat itself never gets wet.
Later I would find out that when the distributor starts to go bad it will have problems starting when the motor is warm and I've recently seen that.
But what I'm most disappointed about is the problem they have with the manual transmissions. OUCH.
@@RogerWittekind Yeah no 2 cars leaked in the same place lol, as for the distributor it should be standard a 1.6/1.8 litre Mazda 323/Ford Laser item from the same era, shouldn't too difficult to get your hand on parts for them (even in the US). The only parts you might struggle to find would be the solid state ignition module or the reluctor if those have gone bad, caps and rotor button should be easy off the shelf parts.
That's not a Ford Capri it's a mazda 323 plus Capri's are rear wheel drive not front.
@R A Right.
@@chris425amp7 Australian ones in the early 90s were front wheel drive.
Aussies ignored them because they were presented with gorgeous concepts then given something that was front-wheel drive and looked nothing like any Capri they had ever wanted.
They fell into a strange hole, not as cool as any rwd sports car, not as useful as a hot hatch and not as affordable as a last resort.
Great work on this great car. I am writing from Canada as My very first car was a 1973 Ford Capri. Bronze in colour. I was a 2.0 liter 4 speed manual transmission. Loved it and enjoyed this car immensely. I did also owned the North American Mercury Capri 1986 with a 5 liter v8 5 speed manual transmission, white in colour with a T Top and red interior. This was a wonderful very quick car. Great memories of a great car
I also owned the bronze 1973 Capri!
Nice to have found this site! I had three different Capris in the late 70s/early 80s, but the best car I've ever had was a 1976 Capri II "S", 2.8 V-6, 4spd, white exterior/gold with black interior. I wish I would have kept it. So easy to work on.
You lucky sob!That’s the one I wanted but could not afford 😢...
I had a Capri II S as well. Never loved a car as much as that one....cars were just for getting me from A to B after that...
These videos are so good. Brilliantly presented!
I remember working on these cars. I also worked on the V8 Capri Perana that came out of Bazil Green's workshops in Edenvale Johannesburg.
Dave Hamlyn I believe the perana wàs powered by a 302 Windsor and build in Africa?
Again, a very good one!
Very well put together.
I would say nothing was left out. Even the Perana was there...
Really nice to find this videos.
I love your videos, thanks for making my Sunday morning great!
Yes yes. The Capri was a hit in the US, and I always thought it was German. My first "reliable" car was a 71 Pinto with the Cologne 2.6l Capri motor in it. The Pinto was smaller and a little lighter than the Capri and that car was fun. The motor would stop at 7 grand clutched (all the air it could flow) and could skip across an intersection. It would surprise near anything with an automatic transmission if it wasn't built.
We had the mercury capri with a v6. Loved it. Wish I had kept it.
My dad got one of the first imported ones delivered in Northern California. It was a looker, black over metallic brown and had some good power and handling but it was an utter POS as far as reliability was concerned. It used to break down seemingly weekly, by far the worst car he ever owned.
Mark Moses what the fuck are you talking about
@Mark Moses You obviously had a Friday car but please dont say it is shit. The capri was a beaut.Here in South Africa we got the 1600,2000 v4,3000 v6 and the V8 conversion by Basil Green. Fantastic cars. Wish Ford will re launch a new capri. It will outsell the Mustang
Mark Moses You lent it to your brother. Loan is a noun...
same here
Living in the US I've owned 4 different European Capris racing 3 of them loved them and miss them all now.
I just love the Capri shape, it's so iconic, not to mention cool. It's the only car I ever remember thinking "one day, I'll have one of these" as I raced around with my little white Capri toy car. Still haven't got one, but if I had the money, I'd have a whole bunch of them...and a new Mustang for good measure. Great video, exactly what I was looking for.
I had one of these, a '74 model, back in the early 80's. It was a fun little car and loved it.
Had one too, I remember "my hood coming up on me" on high way. 😆
WOW! That first sketch was what motivated me to get into car design. I was a teenager then and that was the last time I saw that drawing. Nice work! I remember all the secrecy surrounding the Capri just before its launch. It was a really big deal.
I had a girlfriend who bought one of the first imports of Capri in the U.S. She let me drive it and I loved it! It didn't look like any American car. I had to ask her what it was when I first saw it. BTW, she traded her '67 Camaro for it. LOL!
The Capri was fairly popular in America. It was market was the same people who might buy a Toyota Celica back then. It's too bad, because I often saw them as a kid in the 1970's, but I can't remember the last time I saw a mk I type here in the USA. Rust seems to have sent them to a permanent grave. There aren't any junkers or even any shells around to restore or otherwise fix up. They would have made beautiful resto-mods!
Brilliant! I fondly recall being smitten by the root beer brown Capri one of my middle school (back then called Jr High) teachers drove in 1978. I'd drive one now if I could find one in good enough shape. Love the style!
Ford Capri was my childhood dream car and i still love it so much!
BRILLIANT !!! My dad had the 1978 3.0S. Wonderful beast!!!
Once again a first class video. I had a 1980 mk 3 Capri 2.0GL and although I preferred VW Sciroccos and Toyota Celicas it was a good practical and reliable car with decent performance. My ultimate Capri though is a Mk 2 Capri 3.0 JPS ( John Players Special). Thanks again.
Thank u for posting this video, well done and please keep it up. Back in the mid 70s, I was in California, had a German built Capri under Lincoln Mercury dealership, V6 2.8 (NOT ENGLAND version 3.0). Had much motoring pleasure with this beauty real cool 🤙🏻🤙🏻 I worked 2 part time jobs so I could have extra dough to add stuffs on bit by bit. Dual Webber carburetors, Anna qual tips dual exhaust systems, front spoiler, real leather shift knob, Bilstein shocks and thicker anti-sway bars, also a set of Michelin XZX. I kid u not, after all these were done, I enjoyed occasionally burning rubbers shifting from 1st to 2nd 😎 I had more than a few encounters with Datsun Z, Camaro, TransAm, 911 ... ... all on Pacific Coast Highway One. Good old days, I luv Capri period.
It makes me happy to see some many positive comments on this video!
Well done Andy!
Thanks Jeff. It's good to see the new channel doing so well, with over 3k subs now. I really appreciate the support from you during the bad times.
Big Car
My pleasure! It’s great to see you rebound. :)
Nice to see the Australian Capri mentioned. I worked at Ford Australia (Broadmeadows Assembly plant) 1989-1994. Started there just before the first car's came done the line. I remember there were difficulties in the soft-tops from sealing properly in the first early pre-production cars. The media here in Australia gave the Capri a bad wrap at the time and sales suffered as a result.(And the Mazda MX-5 was a big hit) The Capri underpinnings were based on the Ford Lazer/Mazda 323. Also available as an option was the removable Hard-top. 4 colour options were available : Indigo Blue ,Stark White, Le Man's Red, Platinum Silver. The initial power plant was the 1.6 lt 16 valve with 5 sp manual or 3 sp auto . Can't remember when the turbo option was released exactly but from memory it was based on the Lazer TX3 4x4. The American Mecury Capri was built on the same line as the Australian Capri. An updated model was released in 92 with a few changes. (New redesigned front and rear bars and new tail lights. Some new paint colour options. Everglade Green, Capricorn Blue , Black Pearl. Also released was a small run of Club- Sport Capris ( Available only in Black Pearl and 5 sp with a cover over the rear seat to give the impression of a 2 seater. Different bumpers and 4 circular tail-lights.) The Capri soldiered on till 94 when very low sales here and America finally killed off the Capri.
My favourite of the lot remains the Capri 2.8injection. Looked great, sounded great and went like stink...!
...in a straight line, surely
@@herseem Hehehe! By today's standards perhaps but nearly 4 decades ago it was right up there with the best...
@@herseem y it killed a lot of people on the corners, I used to see them fishtail in straight lines in the wet too.
@@MyKharli I actually knew a guy who had spent the whole of Sunday T-cutting the paintwork to bring it up to a high sheen, and then mangled it completely zooming off at a bend in the wet on the Monday morning.
@@herseem tbh all cars were pretty shit on the corners until the golf mk 1 when you could at least point in the right direction. .front wheel drive was a life saver for crap drivers.
My brother in law, who is English, had one of these in the mid eighties here in Australia. I remember saying to him "what's THAT" like I did'nt approve, but this did'nt dent his glee one bit. He proudly announced that this was "A Capri, a great product of Ford England". He then showed off the engine, I think there was something special about it (3.0L twin cam? can't remember now).
A lot of cool British Fords were made in South Africa. I'm working on a Prefect 100E. Your channel is amazing, thanks for all the great content
I owned a Mercury Capri back in the 80's it had a posi rear end 4speed manual light weight and so much fun!!!!!!!!!
I had a 72 Mercury Capri in 1981 and it took a crap on me. Wasn't worth fixing.
Well done Andy, loved your introduction , I recall a friend of my mother's who had a gold one, quite exotic for Australia at the time, shame Ford Australia stuffed up the Aussie built Mazda based one, but there you go, they did, and now there's no Aussie motor Industry at all.
Keep up the great work young man, I look forward to the next one.
Young man? I'm feeling old and creaky...
Thanks!
@@BigCar2 well, I'll be 60 in September lol, where have the years gone???
I was dreaming of the Capri when I was a young boy in the early 80's. I finally bought a 1974 one in 1998 and kept it for four years. The engine was replaced by a 2.0 OHC from a Sierra but with the original 1.6 carburetor, and it was pretty fast...
Thank you for bringing back those good memories ;)
Finally a decent recent Capri video. First car I ever started the engine to was the 1986 2.8 Capri I still have. Literally the car I always promised myself as I've wanted one since before I started school!
you should swap the 4.0L into it
@@ralphsmith2683 Then it won't be the first engine I started! Could get another one and do it to that.
Had 6 of these cars. Mk1, Mk1 facelift, Mk2s and Mk3s. The one I had for the longest was a 1973 1600Gt facelift but my favourite was a manual MK3 3 litre Ghia fitted with a laser interior to make it look more modern. Fantastic sound, felt really quick too but....years later in 1990 I made the mistake of going back - never go back.
I was ultimately bitterly disappointed with my 1985 MK3 2.8 injection Special special. By 1990 cars had moved on and a 1960s car felt every bit the crap it was. I loved them though and I have many happy memories and somehow the MK 3 still looks relevant.
My dad was an Opel Manta owner in the 70’s and I always remember him calling these Ford crappies lol great vid!
That's pretty funny, the Manta looked great but was badly hindered in the U.S. market by it's anemic 1.9L engine which I think was the only option. I've owned a '69 Opel GT and a '70 kadett rally 1.9 and loved them both, but also was not too impressed with the steering shake both had and the rattliness of the kadett. later on a German friend laughed and explained that the German term for Opel was "earliest to rattle". We had a '72 Capri 2.6 (the V6 we got, increased to 2.8 later) which I loved and wish we had kept.
He clearly never drove one!
I always loved the Opel Manta. I still have the brochure booklet from the 1972 auto show. Great looking cars even today. They were frequent winners of SCCA races. I believe Mantas were one of the first mass produced cars to switch from carburetors to fuel injection.
Compared to the 1st gen Capri (before the hatchback models) , Opel Manta's trunk space was humongous. That alone made me prefer it over the Ford.
That it was a better-looking car than the Capri didn't hurt, either.
Opels were sold by Buick dealer's in America. I had an Opel Kadett and I can tell you The Mercury Capri was a ten times better car no doubt.
Great fun, thank you!!
My first car - 1971 _Capri_ . Very nice ! 👌 Great video - thanks .
I also had a 71 3.00 capri. I loved it. Sunflower with a black roof. Sold it to a mate in 78 and he wrapped it around a lampost. He was ok but the old girl was well bent. Broke my heart!
Was my first car To. Wish i still have it in my garage
Great history, I never knew the story behind my wife's and my car. My wife had a 1974 "Mercury" Capri 4 cylinder 4 speed manual and I bought a 1976 "Mercury" Capri with the 6 cylinder, 4 speed manual. I miss those cars. Thank you for the video.
The Capri may have been a relic from another age, but it was certainly an age of exquisite styling and better taste. Thanks to Giorgetto Giugiaro and Marcello Gandini, cars in the 80s were angular and slabby, with most of them also being terminally understeering front drive econoboxes. The Capri was good looking and it was fun to drive. What else is there for a car person?
A little tidbit for you. Believe it or not, Giugiaro designed the Eagle Premier aka in France as the Renault 25. I had one and it was pretty nice especially since it has an Audi-like front-wheel drive with the engine facing forward to allow for equilateral distribution of torque. It also had a PRV V-6 3.0. The Giugiaro design was really nice as it took on the look of an Italian sedan.
I agree it looked great, was solid and fun to drive and could take a beating. I would love to see Ford bring the Capri back with a snappy high powered 4 cylinder or powerful 6 to compete with BMW etc..
1960's Capris/styling drew little interest in the USA...
@@BuzzLOLOL It would have garnered more attention if three things were changed:
1. It was built in a North American factory and could afford taxes and duties and all that crap, and...
2. It came with a small block V8. Americans loved their V8's, and I'm no exception (my first car was a '70 Pontiac Firebird with a 350, bought in 1991).
3. It was sold as a Ford instead of a Mercury. Ford fobbed the car off as a little import when it could have been so much more.
This is all just my opinion. I've been Jonesing for a 3.0 Capri and a Datsun 510 two door for a long time now.
@@catjudo1 Ford already had the Mustang, why would they want the Capri to blow it off the road?
A Great comprehensive history of the Capri!! i remembered my dad had a cream-coloured Capri when I was still little and always like to squeeze myself into the backseat from the door edge without pushing the front seat...🤣🤣🤣 Loads of memories on that car!! Thank you so much for the video and hope to see some videos on an Opel Gemini Coupe soon, which was also another car owned by my dad.
That was such a good video! Packed with fascinating info! Thank you!!
Yes, it was a good video but since I own one I would have liked to hear the specifics on the problems.
My dad passed away, he left me his Ford Capri. It’s a really cool convertible 30 years old, he did it up and made it looks beautiful.
Thanks for all the info, I’m really happy I’m able to learn about his car.
Yet another incredible video! Thanks ever so much indeed, Andy, you covered all the essential moments of the Capri story and certainly did not forget about The Professionals.
I had one of these in college. 2.8 and 4 speed 1974. Very quick and well made little car. Wish I still had it.
the drivers car of choice in the 1980's I had three - one a 3.0l GXL and two 2.8i the best being the 1982 4 speed 2.8i, a real hooligan car, great video thanks for sharing this.
I had the 3.0s (ex-police car from Wrexham!) and although I loved it at the time, the back end was easy to slide out during sharp cornering even in dry weather. I guess the leaf springs didn't help! I heard stories of owners putting bags of sand in the boot. Also, mine was constantly overheating and only after I'd sold it to a mate did he tell me that it had a smaller Ford Transit radiator fitted by a previous (not the police) owner!! Sobering thought - that was 34 years ago!!
I had a '73 V6. One of the best cars I've ever owned.
I always wanted one! Never happened. I'm to old to care now.
Had a '74 V-6. Dandy little car.
Well done mate. I can’t believe there were so many versions I’d never heard of. 👍
I worked out once when I wanted to collect them, that there are over 40 different versions in the UK alone!
I still remember watching The Professionals as a kid and loving their Capri’s. Bodi and Doyle baby!
Great to see new videos, glad you're back after all the issues!
hi may i ask what issues please?
@@googledude7459 His whole channel got deleted or taken down by You Tube for some reason, full credit for starting all over again
Shut up
Loved the Capri, my old man had a purple mkI and a cousin of mine a yellow V6 mk III with a black hood and a firebird on it, LOL! Great cars! (love the dutch advertising about the capri btw) We've had so many Fords..Taunus 12M, Cortina mkII, Capri mkI, Taunus mkI, Ford Consul coupe, Escort mkI, too much to name. And a Sierra 2.0 GL 5-door ofcourse.
Great video, I'm building one right now... Got a 3 litre and 5 speed box out of a cortina pickup, and a body from a kid who had stuffed a Nissan 1400 Ute under the bonnet 😂😂😂 I'm hoping to build something special!
You might want to check the final drive ratio will go with the gearbox, as I imagine the gear ratios for a pickup won't necessarily be the same as for a Capri
Living in the USA, I knew it as the Mercury Capri.
Yes. I was a teen, (17) worked part time at a Dayton, Ohio Lincoln Mercury dealer. The Capri was a popular compact during the time I was there.
Didn't the Mercury version of the Pinto engine have hydraulic lifters (eg. lash adjusters)?
2300 in.overhead camshaft rubber belt driven.... it would bust a belt and you have to go get valve job....
Friend had one and I liked it and it ran good
I had the 1.3 .it was slow, but it looked really nice
Had a midnight blue black vinyl roofed 2L GL...
Paid 270 in 93 for it... people took the piss but I adored it...
Wish I had it tooked away some place...
the people that took the piss obviously no nothing about the lovely capri my sweety had a mk 2 1600.gt n a mk 3.... 2.0..... G.L
@@Tiffany.1970 pal had a 1600 looked v.similar to the car in your avatar regarding the roof colour type and styling.. it was in great condition and he sold it for a song ... at the time I wanted to get it and store it but was stopped... i now wish i had done it regardless...😜
Your channel is amazing... Love the history of cars
Thank you!
Another great video.
Keep them coming.
My first car was a yellow '74 with the rubber bumpers and a 4-speed manual. Great fun to drive, but it must have started rusting in the showroom. Learned a lot about Bondo and primer, though...
I'm glad to see you kept the name "Big Car", with a new channel. I remember the Ford Capri. Here in the USA, it was called the *"Mercury"* Capri. It looked just like the European version.
Wasnt the Mercury Capri a Fox body mustang with a european engine?
@@rimmersbryggeri The 1st gen Mercury Capri was based on the European Ford Capri. After it was discontinued, the 2nd generation, from about 1980 on, the Mercury Capri was a re-badged Ford (Fox body) Mustang.
@@jasoncarpp7742 They did one of those on wheeler dealers. I think it was the fox one becasue it looked the same as Clareice Starling's 5.0 mustang from Hannibal but had a german v6 in it.
@@rimmersbryggeri I remember that *"Wheeler Dealers"* episode. I love Ant. 1st generation Mercury Capris were based on the European Ford Capri, but later models, from 1980 onward, were based on the Fox bodied Ford Mustang.
@@rimmersbryggeri Which Hannibal movie was this? Who played Hannibal? I remember *"Silence of the Lambs",* starring Jodi Foster as Clarice Starling and (Sir) Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter.
I love you and I love your channel. Thanks for all the various car stories you put out. Pete 🇬🇧
Glad you like them Pete!
Brilliant videos as usual ! You are A diamond my friend !
I purchased a new Capri in 1973. It had the V-6 and the stick shift. What a wonderful automobile. With a good set of radial tires the thing was great on winding roads. It was very durable as well. I think I only had to replace a headlamp during my ownership. Wish I still had it.
My 3.0 S returned 30 mpg with fast driving, kept blowing core plugs, the rear side windows kept getting unstuck from the hinges and needed taping up, and it required a weight in the boot to prevent it slewing round in the wet, but otherwise a great car!
Its interesting that one. I found many of my Capris actually under steered although there was one time on the Woolwich Ferry roundabout when I was doing wheel spins in the rain and spun right round to face the traffic...
This channel needs more subscribers. A fantastic job as always - one of my all time fav channel!
Thanks - tell all of your friends!
I really loved this car's shape but it was literally rusting out by the time they added the drivetrain on the production line. I grew up with this car. I never saw a two year old version that wasn't rusting out around the wheel arches. Sexy as hell, rusty as crap.
Yeah. I loved the way they look. Love the production line joke.
And fell apart too. Always rep!acing bushes, gearboxes, camshafts etc but that was the story of most Fords back then.
The Capri along with Citroen DS is my top two favourite car designs of all time. A part of my childhood. Felt nostalgic viewing this video. Thanks
I'm sure our American friends can relate to what I'm about to say, but as an Aussie, hearing the Capri referred to as a muscle car makes me laugh lol Obviously all very different, but still humorous. They have a dedicated following here in Australia. Plenty of drag racers will drop a V8 into them too.
My all time favourite car. Started off with a 1.6s then two 2.0s before going onto a 2.8. Then later I saw a 2.8 Brooklands and emptied my savings to get one. Shame the brook lands was not shown or mentioned here. But still a great video.
Excellent job! Great history of the Caprí, as I owned 2 of them and 4 Cortinas when I lived in Puerto Rico back in those days.👍
Love the Cortina 80's still got one to this day.. Won't part with her even though she's 41 years old..
Your videos are top shelf. Best in the business. Great job.
I love my (1973)MK1. It's my daily driver and people love it.
In 1986 my father-in-law had a 1.6 which he let me drive - I felt a million dollars behind that wheel even though it was not the 2.8i! Love the intro too!
73’ Capri v6 2600 brown great car when I was in high school. I miss that car.
We had a 1971 tawny metallic 1600XL as our family car when I was young. My dad loved his Capri. We towed a caravan all over Europe with it (with leaf spring stiffeners) although it was underpowered and cramped in the back with 2 kids. Memories. We sold it when it got rusty in the sills- in 1975.
I owned a 1972 Mercury Capri, still the favorite car I have ever owned!! Mine was brown with a leather interior. I still miss it!!
I had the same car!. What memories!
@@alandehn8541 It was a piece of shit Ford Pinto that fell apart in a few years like all small Fords of the day...money pits
Wow memory lane here! I had 2 capris one 1973 with 2.6 v6 and the 74 2.8 V6! I built my 74 with 10.5 compression jahns piston and offenhauser 4 barrel manifold with Holley carb 390 cfm! And I got the engine balance too! can't believe I still remember this! Then I used to break transmission right and left so I decided to put super T 10 transmission on it and took care of that problem
I hardly see Capri's these days. Great looking cars with tons of character.
Of course you don't! Cheap russian steel that went to the industrial Italian and German governments in the early seventies. Hence rustbucket Alfa's, Fiat's, Maserati and Ford.
A rabbit hole to jump in if you have a spare 20 mins on the internet... Coz I can't remember the exact trade deal with the Soviets. I think it might have been steel for coal, but memory fades.
These motors which were once ten a penny, are now beautiful and exotic in their rarity. I get true pleasure seeing a Capri on the road.
@@blacktoothfox677 I can't even remember the last time I saw one.
Remember seeing it for the first time beginning of 1968, blew me away it was like nothing else on the road.
I have owned two Mk 3 Capris, one 1600 and one 2000. I'd love to have them now.
My 1st car was a 76 Capri II . 2.8 v 6. LOVED THE CAR . I used to road race it In the San Gabriel mountains in Ca . I would love to get another one .
I remember being a teenage trainee in about 1980/81 going to deliver about £30k of wages to one of our company's building sites in central London. We went in a colleague's beige/yellow 1.6 Capri. Great car, but not the best colour. We got a hard stop from the Sweeney (yeah, the real thing) in Granadas and Rovers between Vauxhall and Lambeth Bridge. "Hands on the dashboard" , they shouted They then just checked out that we were who we were mean't to be from the company. The wages used to be delivered in security vans, so it's a bit of a mystery to me why I was sitting with such a huge sum of money in a pack on my lap aged about 17 or 18. I guess the driver's Capri looked inconspicuous in its unpopular colour. There were some villains about in South London back then. Maybe we were decoys, or there was wind of a security van heist at the site. It was all very exciting to me, but kind of cool. I reckon that the Securicor van went empty and maybe any attempted heist got busted while we had the real cash - (about fifteen times my annual wages back then), with us. The Flying Squad must have been tailing us from Wandsworth, I guess - and they were also letting us know we were safe.
I was constantly stopped by police, especially at night (11pm). Routine checks they said. Never happened before I had the Capri and never since. Police seemed to associate the car with criminals and boy racers....
My dad bought a 72 2.0 in 1979 to help save on gas. I learned how to work on cars helping my dad get it through Maryland state inspection. I really loved the old girl. We had it until the late 80's , until the steel cancer came back. I drove it through my senior year in HS, and for my first 2 jobs. It never let us down until the trunk rusted out and the rear shocks blew into the trunk. That car was fun to drive, and I had some "amazing" dates in it! Would love to find another one here in the states to fix up!
I've always found the 1.3 litre Capri hilarious. There you are, in this sporty looking car, and then it takes over 20 seconds to reach 60 mph :-D
Still better than the pathetic "King Of The Malaise" era, the 1975 Ford Grenada that took 23 seconds to go 60 mph with a 4.1 liter L6 engine producing 72 crippled hp.
And because the car was a heavy living room couch on four wheels and had the aerodynamics of a brick it was a gas hog too.
Makes sense in places where you can only rarely go over 35.
@@legiran9564 70's granadas always looked so cool compared to what was on offer from the other manufacturers. As an 11 year old I wasn't interested in "gas mileage"😂🤣
Then you are out paced at the lights by grandma driving her boring sedan as your new girlfriend looks on from the passenger seat!
Yeah, but mine was great and I loved it and it took me all over Europe. The cops loved it too - I got pulled 4 times in the first four weeks of ownership. Just to try and nick me. Loved that car.
My first car was a 72 yellow Capri here in the U.S. I absolutely loved that car. But then the rust began to eat it alive, and both of those iconic rear windows fell out at different times while driving... made an interesting sound as the glass shattered on the pavement.
Love the Capri but here in Canada they started to rust out if you looked at them sideways
My first car was a 1972 Mercury Capri; that was in 1977. Loved it.
When I was shopping for my first car, I lusted heavily for a 1992 Mercury Capri. The Merc dealer was a half block from my house. I spent lots of time there pestering the salemen. Unfortunately, the Capri was $200 over my budget set by my parents, so I had to settle for a Vega GT. At the same time, the Merc dealer had a Pantera in the showroom. $10,000 delivered!
You DO mean a 1972 Capri/Vega GT I presume?
The Vega was ancient history by 1992, and the Capri *if* it still existed was a Fox-body different sheet metal Mustang clone.
Just bought me a 91 Mercury Capri about a month ago and this pops up on my homepage. Really cool to know about the history about it, I usually read everything on Wikipedia about every car I buy but the Wikipedia page didn't mention anything about this!
Excellent documentary!
I bought a 1974 2800cc V6, new in the US for $4200. Was a great little car for the time. I put Koni shocks, a Supersprint exhaust, a radio, (since it didn't have one) Chome wheel trim rings, and a pin stripe down the side.
It came with Pirelli CN36 tires, and 4 speed transmission. Washed and waxed religiously, and kept it for 9 years.
It started to rust in front of the doors, otherwise was pretty solid car. The same color as this video pic.
Anyone here After Hearing the new CRAPI EV thing
Excellent episode. I loved the V6 Capri here in the States. Rarely see them anymore.
Aw, you already mentioned the Capri winning the ETCC in the early 70's, yet you missed the chance to talk about the totally bonkers Group 5 Zakspeed-Ford Capri that ran in the German Racing Championship from 1978-1983. It came with a 1.4 litre turbo engine putting out up to 460bhp and a 1.7 litre engine putting out 600bhp. This era and the class one era of the original DTM was peak bonkers German motorsport engineering, though one that ultimately killed both series due to high costs.
If I'd known about it, I would have. It takes quite a while to pull together all the research for these videos from many sources, and sometimes I miss things. 460bhp from a 1.4L is mad!
@@BigCar2 No problem, it's a very minor nitpick. One that doesn't take away one inch from your video, which is very good, as usual.
I still love the RS3100 racer the most. The engine was a jewel with 3.4L 24 valve and 430 bhp. It raced in 74 but didn't race the whole season. But it was a beast. In 73 the RS2600 Weslake suffered from its central camshaft and ford solved that problem in a big way with the dual overhead RS3100 version.
The Turbo Capri only had the grille, the roof and the D-shaped rear window in common with the production model.
I just now found this. I'm in the U.S. and in 1971 bought a Mercury Capri with 2.0 L engine and four-speed. It was sporty, handled well, had enough performance, and was priced right. It served me well for nine years.
Always loved the Capri, drove in many, never owned one
Same here
Same here too,my dad loved em and cortina
My first car, bought new for $3,500. by my dad to celebrate my high school graduation in 1971. I loved it's styling, ordered it in dark "British racing" green with a white vinyl top and white interior. What sold me--its wood grain dash. Mine was the 2000cc version. I swear I got that thing up to 110 mph according to it's speedometer. It did have a weird foot switch to activate the windshield wiper. I wish it had built to last. I ditched it with repeating electrical problems in 1976.