Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

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I am old enough to remember the excitement that followed the announcement of the 1969 Ford Capri. There was only one Ford Main Dealer with a twenty mile radius - Francis Garage - later Gordon Ford in Colwyn Bay and I recall seeing a queue of people standing in a line to see the new Capri in March 1969.
The first Capri in Betws y Coed was a somewhat underwhelming 1.3L in Blue Mink. With some friends looking at it we noted the lack of Rostyle Wheels, rev counter and front spot lamps to be found only on the GT models in X, L, R or XLR combinations. There was even a 1300GTXLR later in the village which must be now a very rare model, extinct even perhaps.

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A local businessman bought one of the first 3000GTXLR in August 1969 which he updated to a 3000E two years later but most models around here were "cooking" models - 1.3 or 1.6 and the GT versions were less often seen.

I drove several over the years, a Silver Fox 1600GTXLR and a 2000GTXLR which a friend bought in 1973 with it's Silver Fox paint falling off.
A 1977 S registered 3000Ghia automatic was a disappointing experience but I was an an impressed passenger when a neighbour bought a 2.8 version in 1983.

I never saw a RS2600 or RS3100 model but an acquaintance bought a very late 2.8 in 1987, E registered, it had been in stock since December 1986 when the last ones were built in Germany. He kept it for six years but now admits had it have been a Brooklands model or a 280, he would have kept it.

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I liked the Capri but have always thought that a Sunbeam Rapier - above - was a classier looking and more elegant car.

How many of you have owned a Capri? I did not but what do you think of the car in general and it's place in the Ford Classic Car status?
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Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[Roger-hatchy]

FORD hahahahahahaha
They stopped making good cars when they stopped making the model T

[peter scott]

I have to disagree with Roger. The other "Italian" Ford was a great car but I think with the Capri they may just have the "r" two letters too late.

Peter
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http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[Richard H]

Roger
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Richard Hughes

[welder]

I had a Capri as a company car, 1976 1.6L in orange.

It was dreadful. End of.

Ian

[Rusty]

Well I like the "Capri" !
I never owned one myself but I drove one quite a lot in the early 70s while working down in Perth that belonged to the company I worked for. (I remember running out of petrol in it in central Perth at peak hour and needing a bus driver to give me a hand to push it off st Georges Terrace around the corner into Barrack st ) I also had a mate up home that had one for about 10 years, lovely green car with the German V6, it used to go like stink and was one of the most reliable cars Mick ever had, I don't think it ever did anything wrong in 10 years of continual hard fast usage. I still like the look of them and had a great time talking to a bloke on a club run that has one on the road today fitted with a 302 Windsor V8.

[MikeEdwards]

I always wanted a Capri, when I was a kid - I had some models (remember the Polistil rally Capri?) and a local guy had a subtly-modified Mk2 or Mk3 (twin rectangular lights like American cars at the time, and R-reg) which I liked the look of.

Then when it came to buying my first car, all the Capris and Escorts were too dear for me, so I ended up with a 2-door Viva, then stuck with them in one form or another. As a result I've never driven a Capri so can't say whether they live up to the hype or not.

[Jim.Walker]

Never had a Mark I Capri, though I always admired the looks and deliberately ignored the obviously rehearsed exit from the rear seats by a couple of glamour girls in the TV advert. They must have practiced for hours to make it look so easy.
I did make the mistake of buying a Mark II. So little traction, it was almost impossible to keep moving in ice and snow. And totally refused to climb my drive in in frosty or snowy conditions. Though no other car I have owned has ever failed in 27 years at this address.
My son eventually "sorted" it by skidding off the road and rolling it!
The worst car I ever owned, by a country mile!
Jim.
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Quote from my late Dad:- You only need a woman and a car and you have all the problems you
are ever likely to want". Computers had not been invented then!

[Jim.Walker]

Posted in error - Sorry.
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Quote from my late Dad:- You only need a woman and a car and you have all the problems you
are ever likely to want". Computers had not been invented then!

[badhuis]

Pleased to see here that more people do not really like the capri. It just does not do anything for me, back then and now.

Although the lines are not really wrong (same for the Rapier), the wheels and wheel apertures seem to small for the bulk of the body. As if they designed the body without the wheels and then had to put them under.

[Rick]

They don't do anything for me really, although a 3.0 Mk1 might be entertaining to pilot for a while. Rightly or wrongly, it's a bit too "medallion-man with oversized lapels and sideburns" for me.

RJ
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[PAUL BEAUMONT]

Don't apologise Jim . What you said was 100% correct and the Sigh-era was not much better when it came to road holding especially if the road was not 100% dry!

[Ashley]

Interesting to read your comments Jim, I agree wholeheartedly, except that Mustangs were worse still and a friend of mine who had a garage many years ago, used to have to collect now valuable MKI Escorts by the dozen from hedges every time it rained.

One of my first company cars was a 1200 Cortina and it came with Goodyear Diamond Studded crossplies. Several times in traffic queues at 30mpg I lost the back end into curbs and buckled back wheels.

As regards the 3L Capri, there was a history of an ex Police one in one of the Classic Car magazines not so long ago. Someone had restored it, so it was "tested" and then various police drivers were interviewed about it. They'd all spun off in it and had no fond memories.

I can't imagine what Dodge Chargers, Pontiac GTOs and Shelby American Mustangs must have been like in the rain, the six cylinder Mustang was lethal enough!

BMC's ugly old FWD jobs were rather safer IMO.

[Jim.Walker]

[BigJohn]

I can still remember when I first saw a Capri, I was walking to school with two mates. We got to a road we had to cross which was used by the sales manager at the main Ford dealer in Leeds. He drove things like Lotus Cortinas etc. This morning he drove past in an Aubergine Capri with all the extras, (GTXLR?) we just stopped and stared, it just looked fantastic compared to the usual stodge that we saw drive past. My Old Man had a highly tuned, new, Corsair 2000, Ford wouldn't sell him a 2000e without a vinyl roof so he spat the dummy and gave his final year apprentices a £500 budget to build him a flyer. My mates dad had a new Merc, the other a new VX4/90. We all wanted, nay lusted, after that aubergine Capri. I still do