The Ford Capri. What do you think?
Poll: The Ford Capri. What do you think?
Total Members Polled: 155
Discussion
As above really. Please help me settle an arguement about the Ford Capri. Is it a beautiful example of 70's automotive styling and should be celebrated as such, or should it be consigned to the scrapheaps for being an ugly rustbucket of mechanical mediocrity? Let the PH masses decide!
Stories and pictures about your past or present Capris welcomed
Stories and pictures about your past or present Capris welcomed
Simbu said:
As above really. Please help me settle an arguement about the Ford Capri. Is it a beautiful example of 70's automotive styling and should be celebrated as such, or should it be consigned to the scrapheaps for being an ugly rustbucket of mechanical mediocrity? Let the PH masses decide!
Stories and pictures about your past or present Capris welcomed
Big fan of the Capri, although personally prefer the latter MK's styling. Although MK1's look better than the II's.Stories and pictures about your past or present Capris welcomed
Has to have a decent engine though, 4 pots do not a performance make IMO. Not of this ilk/power level anyhow.
As for public opinion, well enthusiast and owners clubs and prices are rising by the year. Think that says it all really.
BTW - here's a Capri I snapped at a car show last week (think there were 3 in total):
LayZ said:
Look ok but unfortunately crap, uninspiring engines, cart horse suspension, rust etc.
I used to like the run-out 280 ones as a kid thinking they had 280hp, but they get the same boat-anchor V6 with not enough power.
What else was substantially more powerful or quicker for sale at the same time and for similar money?I used to like the run-out 280 ones as a kid thinking they had 280hp, but they get the same boat-anchor V6 with not enough power.
IIRC the 2.8 could sprint to 60mph in under 8 seconds and top 130mph+, which I think is fairly acceptable even today.
Totally iconic..... the European Mustang in so many ways.
It's such a shame Ford of Europe no longer have a rwd platform, as a 'modern' Capri would still sell in big numbers I would think.
I've had the fortune to have driven several examples of the RS3100, back in the early 1980's...... great fun.
It's such a shame Ford of Europe no longer have a rwd platform, as a 'modern' Capri would still sell in big numbers I would think.
I've had the fortune to have driven several examples of the RS3100, back in the early 1980's...... great fun.
They look good but the styling cues borrowed from American car design were never done as well over here in Europe. I feel like we missed out on what could have been an era of miniature versions of dodge challengers, chevy camaro's and mustangs - instead we got plain Janes.
The mk1 capri looked very soft in comparison to something like a 'cuda of the same era which is a very masculine looking car imo, even the aussies got tough looking falcons and chrysler/valiant chargers and Ford saw fit to give there cortinas better engine options. The Japanese produced some dreadfully cheesy US inspired cars in the same era as the capri and conversely some gems like the RA28 which all borrowed American styling themes better than Ford europe ever did.
It's just a shame most of our stuff was watered down (styling and performance wise), lets face it, if Ford UK sold and made the '65 fast back Mustang in RHD over here and if Dodge ever made and sold a RHD challenger over here I doubt we'd have this debate. We had the DBS and the V8 Vantage, the reserve of people with money, even a laborer in America could afford a car which looked and sounded equally brutal during that era even if the build quality wasn't there.
The coke bottle styling used on typical european cars like the mk3 corty and the viva hb (and many others during the 70's) you could see the manufacturers were trying to imitate those curves (albeit catching on late as the firebird and camaro both had coke bottle styling a decade earlier) in the same way the tail fins on heralds and the morris cambridge etc appeared in the 60's when the American styling houses were doing that look back in the 50's.
Either the Mk1 RS if you can find one or the 2.8i special or brooklands with the cologne V6 gear timed and mechanical fuel injection was the one to have imo, it came with better designed suspension than the 1.6 and 2.0 versions and handled reasonably well, I wouldn't bother with the 1300. The cologne is often regarded as a better vee to start with rather than the essex they are renowned to be good, solid engines. A friend and I rebuilt a 2.8i over a decade ago and the last time I heard it was still going strong, I do have many fond memories of that car.
The mk1 capri looked very soft in comparison to something like a 'cuda of the same era which is a very masculine looking car imo, even the aussies got tough looking falcons and chrysler/valiant chargers and Ford saw fit to give there cortinas better engine options. The Japanese produced some dreadfully cheesy US inspired cars in the same era as the capri and conversely some gems like the RA28 which all borrowed American styling themes better than Ford europe ever did.
It's just a shame most of our stuff was watered down (styling and performance wise), lets face it, if Ford UK sold and made the '65 fast back Mustang in RHD over here and if Dodge ever made and sold a RHD challenger over here I doubt we'd have this debate. We had the DBS and the V8 Vantage, the reserve of people with money, even a laborer in America could afford a car which looked and sounded equally brutal during that era even if the build quality wasn't there.
The coke bottle styling used on typical european cars like the mk3 corty and the viva hb (and many others during the 70's) you could see the manufacturers were trying to imitate those curves (albeit catching on late as the firebird and camaro both had coke bottle styling a decade earlier) in the same way the tail fins on heralds and the morris cambridge etc appeared in the 60's when the American styling houses were doing that look back in the 50's.
Either the Mk1 RS if you can find one or the 2.8i special or brooklands with the cologne V6 gear timed and mechanical fuel injection was the one to have imo, it came with better designed suspension than the 1.6 and 2.0 versions and handled reasonably well, I wouldn't bother with the 1300. The cologne is often regarded as a better vee to start with rather than the essex they are renowned to be good, solid engines. A friend and I rebuilt a 2.8i over a decade ago and the last time I heard it was still going strong, I do have many fond memories of that car.
MK1 with a Cosworth YB in it and appropriate suspension, brakes and whatever, keep it looking standard, job done.
They werent "crap", they were of their time, remember Ford introuduced it in 1969 and kept it going until 85, 16 years without much development, so they were an old design when they went out of production 25 years ago, coupled with the fact they were never meant to be anything other than a more interesting and sporty Cortina it seems a bit unfair to call them crap ! especially give how much they cost back then compared to anything else that was desirable, look at a seventies BMW, didnt do much more and cost twice as much.
They werent "crap", they were of their time, remember Ford introuduced it in 1969 and kept it going until 85, 16 years without much development, so they were an old design when they went out of production 25 years ago, coupled with the fact they were never meant to be anything other than a more interesting and sporty Cortina it seems a bit unfair to call them crap ! especially give how much they cost back then compared to anything else that was desirable, look at a seventies BMW, didnt do much more and cost twice as much.
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