RE: The final Ford Capri: Driven
Discussion
BSSBMW said:
The second was a B reg Strato silver 2.8i Special which was very tidy and virtually rot free. It was a steal at £200 even back then!
Well, the wheels would have been worth £200, the LSD axle the same, as would the interior, the gearbox, the engine, the suspension/brakes etc. so unless it was hooky....Bit late to the party here, but I still have mine. Owned it for 24 years this month (gulp) having being bought new by my folks when I was aged 9, sold locally at 4 years old and then repurchased when I was 21..
I can vouch that it’s as it left the showroom as I was there at the event!
I can vouch that it’s as it left the showroom as I was there at the event!
I think the Capri 2.8 was possibly my first "favourite" car (I was only about 3). The guy who owned the local post office had a black 2.8i Special and I thought it was very cool, especially compared to my parent's mk2 Polo (they were never that into cars). Capris became deeply uncool in the late 80s and 90s though. He traded his in for a mk4 XR3i, which was a questionable decision in hindsight and my secondary school PE teacher had a silvery blue Special to go with his purple shellsuit before trading it in for a mk3 Golf Cab. I'd still love one but they're silly money really and a university friend ran a really tidy, late Laser in the early 2000s and was fighting a losing battle with rust, so it's not really a practical daily. I'd love a piece of 80s/90s nostalgia for a bit of weekend/summer fun but even the hot hatches of the period (205 GTis/R5 GTTs/mk2 Golf GTis/Escort RSTs etc) are silly money now and it's difficult to justify spending that much money on a nostalgic "toy" when you can get a much faster and more usable E46/E92 M3 or 996/997 for similar money. Another university friend owned an E30 M3 back in the early 2000s but that ship has long ago well and truly sailed...
I guess the trick is to pick something similar in the 10-15 year old range, as that generally seems to be the point where most performance cars reach their value "trough". Values of "classic" Imprezas and early Evos for instance don't seem to have gone too crazy yet...
I guess the trick is to pick something similar in the 10-15 year old range, as that generally seems to be the point where most performance cars reach their value "trough". Values of "classic" Imprezas and early Evos for instance don't seem to have gone too crazy yet...
Edited by white_goodman on Monday 6th May 21:27
I remember back in the 90s, when Capris probably bottomed out in both image and value, I tried so hard to talk myself into buying a tidy-ish 2.8i with pepperpots. Really wanted it. £995. It looked good, in moonstone blue(?), but had just started to bubble in a few spots. Having had a Mk3 Escort as my first car and suffered the consequences of rust, I didn't fancy another helping. So I decided not to do it.
Honestly, every time I think about all the cars I've had and all the cars I narrowly missed, I think of that moonstone Capri and what could've been. The Capri really was the car I'd always promised myself. I grew up being ferried to school in a friend's dad's mk2 3.0, and then a Mk3 Gold 2.0 Ghia with tan leather. I'd always said to myself I'd have one. Combination of nostalgia and Ford's hyperactive marketing meant I always said one day I'd do it.
But ... after an E36 328i manual, a Clio 182 and a 130i, do I really want to drive my hero? Hmm. I'll keep thinking on that ...
Honestly, every time I think about all the cars I've had and all the cars I narrowly missed, I think of that moonstone Capri and what could've been. The Capri really was the car I'd always promised myself. I grew up being ferried to school in a friend's dad's mk2 3.0, and then a Mk3 Gold 2.0 Ghia with tan leather. I'd always said to myself I'd have one. Combination of nostalgia and Ford's hyperactive marketing meant I always said one day I'd do it.
But ... after an E36 328i manual, a Clio 182 and a 130i, do I really want to drive my hero? Hmm. I'll keep thinking on that ...
olly755 said:
Bit late to the party here, but I still have mine. Owned it for 24 years this month (gulp) having being bought new by my folks when I was aged 9, sold locally at 4 years old and then repurchased when I was 21..
I can vouch that it’s as it left the showroom as I was there at the event!
That's quite nice that your family have owned it for all but 8 yearsI can vouch that it’s as it left the showroom as I was there at the event!
I had six Capris between 1988 and 2017 and did around 150,000 miles in total.
A MK2 2.0 Ghia - Mk3 3,0S - Mk3 2.0 Ghia - another MK3 3.0S - 1.6LS and a Five speed 2.8i
I've driven many cars since that were faster, quicker and more capable - but none that I've enjoyed as much.
I'd have another but not at current prices.
The whole point was they had the best mph per £ ratio. Sadly they don't anymore.
My favourite was the 3.0S. There's just something great about it.
Rumbling through town centres at 10 mph in 3rd gear never gets old.
A MK2 2.0 Ghia - Mk3 3,0S - Mk3 2.0 Ghia - another MK3 3.0S - 1.6LS and a Five speed 2.8i
I've driven many cars since that were faster, quicker and more capable - but none that I've enjoyed as much.
I'd have another but not at current prices.
The whole point was they had the best mph per £ ratio. Sadly they don't anymore.
My favourite was the 3.0S. There's just something great about it.
Rumbling through town centres at 10 mph in 3rd gear never gets old.
Love a big engined Capri but by the time I came to pass my test in the late 80’s they were considered incredibly naff image-wise, all Essex boy chest wig, as mentioned further up the thread.
Sadly by the time of their demise everyone wanted a Golf GTi or a Peugeot 205 1.9 GTi. I’d take all three nowadays, as it goes!
I do love seeing a Capri on the road these days. I was visiting some friends who live at the old Highbury Stadium in London the other week, now converted into luxury apartments. Under the old pitch is now an underground car park, and whilst I was very impressed at the dude exiting in a Gallardo, the thing that really caught my eye was a mint but tricked up white Capri parked there, looked proper cool.
Sadly by the time of their demise everyone wanted a Golf GTi or a Peugeot 205 1.9 GTi. I’d take all three nowadays, as it goes!
I do love seeing a Capri on the road these days. I was visiting some friends who live at the old Highbury Stadium in London the other week, now converted into luxury apartments. Under the old pitch is now an underground car park, and whilst I was very impressed at the dude exiting in a Gallardo, the thing that really caught my eye was a mint but tricked up white Capri parked there, looked proper cool.
Edited by PurpleTurtle on Tuesday 7th May 11:42
blade7 said:
BSSBMW said:
The second was a B reg Strato silver 2.8i Special which was very tidy and virtually rot free. It was a steal at £200 even back then!
Well, the wheels would have been worth £200, the LSD axle the same, as would the interior, the gearbox, the engine, the suspension/brakes etc. so unless it was hooky....It had no mot when i bought it and the owner needed it gone for some reason i cant recall but it was an honest car which was a bargain.
Not the only one ive had either when i comes to cars.
I had several mk1 V6 Capris, including the RS.
Most were tuned to around 200bhp and were easily able to take abuse, getting 14 - 14.5 sec 1/4 miles.
The weak point was the diff, but easily sorted with an LSD, though that made them even more tail happy. The other problem was only having 4 gears limited top speed to about 130mph, a 5th would've easily added 10mph.
Most were tuned to around 200bhp and were easily able to take abuse, getting 14 - 14.5 sec 1/4 miles.
The weak point was the diff, but easily sorted with an LSD, though that made them even more tail happy. The other problem was only having 4 gears limited top speed to about 130mph, a 5th would've easily added 10mph.
SlimJim16v said:
The weak point was the diff, but easily sorted with an LSD, though that made them even more tail happy. The other problem was only having 4 gears limited top speed to about 130mph, a 5th would've easily added 10mph.
Strange you mention that!I broke the diff in my 2nd 2.8i 4-speed after a "spirited" launch at a set of traffic lights. A couple of teeth punched their way through the back-plate on the casing.
But I managed to nurse it home 30+ miles at pedestrian speeds - I was hoping the other broken bits would stay in the bottom of the casing and it worked!
I found a guy on the outskirts of Guildford with a unit on a farm who rebuilt them and had mine rebuilt. He was into drag racing with a MK1 Escort, and said the 4-speed had the stronger gearbox, but the Special with the LSD had the stronger diff.
Both of mine would pull to the rev limiter in 4th, by which time they had reached the end of the clock at 140 but were probably doing 130 at best - Ford speedos were notoriously optimistic back then!
I'm still driving 6 cylinder N/A petrols with manual gearboxes and RWD now, but they're both BMWs - shame Ford haven't made any for years.
Johnny5hoods said:
Ford should recognise the demand for quality RWD coupes, and bring back the Capri. The BMW 3 series Coupe seems to have done rather well. Nowadays we've got the 2/4/6 series coupes, a coupe version of the Merc C Class and the 4WD Audi TT, blatantly all profitable ventures for their manufacturers. Plus, a (quality) RWD coupe would strengthen Ford's brand image. Just don't give us another FWD wannabe!
Why did the 2.8i get a bad rep as a sad 70's throwback, a medallion man's car? Because Ford refused to develop it. They appear to have convinced themselves they'd be scoring an own goal having two cars doing a similar thing - 2.8i, and 3dr XR4i. But the Sierra wasn't as pretty
nor as low slung.
During the 70's, the Capri dominated the market for 4 seater(ish) "affordable" sporty cars. Then, in the 80's the hot hatch stole that sector of the market.
So let me pose a question. Did the Capri die out because people really wanted hot hatches instead, or did it die out because Ford, essentially, left it largely unchanged all the way from 1974 to 1987???
You could argue that Ford have recognised the demand, hence why you can now buy a Mustang in Europe!Why did the 2.8i get a bad rep as a sad 70's throwback, a medallion man's car? Because Ford refused to develop it. They appear to have convinced themselves they'd be scoring an own goal having two cars doing a similar thing - 2.8i, and 3dr XR4i. But the Sierra wasn't as pretty
nor as low slung.During the 70's, the Capri dominated the market for 4 seater(ish) "affordable" sporty cars. Then, in the 80's the hot hatch stole that sector of the market.
So let me pose a question. Did the Capri die out because people really wanted hot hatches instead, or did it die out because Ford, essentially, left it largely unchanged all the way from 1974 to 1987???
SlimJim16v said:
I had several mk1 V6 Capris, including the RS.
Most were tuned to around 200bhp and were easily able to take abuse, getting 14 - 14.5 sec 1/4 miles.
The weak point was the diff, but easily sorted with an LSD, though that made them even more tail happy. The other problem was only having 4 gears limited top speed to about 130mph, a 5th would've easily added 10mph.
I fitted a 5 speed gearbox to a 3.0S Capri. If I remember right, I used a 2.5 Granada/Consul V6 bell housing. Most were tuned to around 200bhp and were easily able to take abuse, getting 14 - 14.5 sec 1/4 miles.
The weak point was the diff, but easily sorted with an LSD, though that made them even more tail happy. The other problem was only having 4 gears limited top speed to about 130mph, a 5th would've easily added 10mph.
Mr Tidy said:
Strange you mention that!
I broke the diff in my 2nd 2.8i 4-speed after a "spirited" launch at a set of traffic lights. A couple of teeth punched their way through the back-plate on the casing.
But I managed to nurse it home 30+ miles at pedestrian speeds - I was hoping the other broken bits would stay in the bottom of the casing and it worked!
I found a guy on the outskirts of Guildford with a unit on a farm who rebuilt them and had mine rebuilt. He was into drag racing with a MK1 Escort, and said the 4-speed had the stronger gearbox, but the Special with the LSD had the stronger diff.
Both of mine would pull to the rev limiter in 4th, by which time they had reached the end of the clock at 140 but were probably doing 130 at best - Ford speedos were notoriously optimistic back then!
I'm still driving 6 cylinder N/A petrols with manual gearboxes and RWD now, but they're both BMWs - shame Ford haven't made any for years.
That’s right - the 4-speeder would hit 129/130 true mph at max revs in top - see below - speedo would have shown well over 140 at a real 129/130 ( as per road test it was showing 121 at a true 110 )I broke the diff in my 2nd 2.8i 4-speed after a "spirited" launch at a set of traffic lights. A couple of teeth punched their way through the back-plate on the casing.
But I managed to nurse it home 30+ miles at pedestrian speeds - I was hoping the other broken bits would stay in the bottom of the casing and it worked!
I found a guy on the outskirts of Guildford with a unit on a farm who rebuilt them and had mine rebuilt. He was into drag racing with a MK1 Escort, and said the 4-speed had the stronger gearbox, but the Special with the LSD had the stronger diff.
Both of mine would pull to the rev limiter in 4th, by which time they had reached the end of the clock at 140 but were probably doing 130 at best - Ford speedos were notoriously optimistic back then!
I'm still driving 6 cylinder N/A petrols with manual gearboxes and RWD now, but they're both BMWs - shame Ford haven't made any for years.
Type 5 box was pretty sturdy
Seems a light car now 1190kg and skinny 205 tyres - recipe of the GT86 and seemingly what many people say they want.
A manual box rwd coupe With hydraulic steering and a burbly 6-pot and no traction control systems
Bibbs said:
Made till the mid 90s .. awful things.
Don’t ever remember seeing one of those. RHD as well unless they’ve flipped the picture. Guessing it must be some kind of parts bin special (Fiesta base) or using the MX5 platform from Fords tie in with Mazda.
Seems sacrilege associating this with the Capri!
ballans said:
Bibbs said:
Made till the mid 90s .. awful things.
Don’t ever remember seeing one of those. RHD as well unless they’ve flipped the picture. Guessing it must be some kind of parts bin special (Fiesta base) or using the MX5 platform from Fords tie in with Mazda.
Seems sacrilege associating this with the Capri!
ballans said:
Bibbs said:
Made till the mid 90s .. awful things.
Don’t ever remember seeing one of those. RHD as well unless they’ve flipped the picture. Guessing it must be some kind of parts bin special (Fiesta base) or using the MX5 platform from Fords tie in with Mazda.
Seems sacrilege associating this with the Capri!
We have the Mustang now but its not really quite in the right market space to be a Capri successor, I think BMW and Audi Coupes like the A5 have filled that sector. Look at the typical E46 coupe owner nowadays, the Capri owners sons and grandsons, and hot hatches have got in on the act, I have an M135i, which has a six cylinder 3 litre, RWD and a Feu Orange air freshener, quite old school really.
Coupes in general have dwindled but the A5 has a bit of a wide boy geyser thing, ok more expensive than a Capri was but leasing has lowered the bar to entry, and to be honest Capris didnt always have the low rent/Del boy image people go on about, a new 2.8i or 280 was quite an upmarket choice when new as "premium" brand cars, the German stuff was a million miles away price wise and very rare in comparison, a new Capri from 1969 to 86 was still a respectable car, even for the middle classes, only the quite wealthy really had BMW's, Mercs or Audis.
Ironic now that a Capri of any description is more upmarket looking than most German stuff and much less showy, I mean, look at the proportions of that Blue over silver one, gorgeous, though they did sell so many beige ones on tiny wheels.
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