Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ray White]

We often read articles about classic cars and feel that they are biased. I think this is a very fair (and I believe accurate) article about a car that I have liked since they were introduced. To see a brand new one was - to a small boy - an exciting prospect.

Unfortunately, my Dad considered the Capri as impractical; considering the cramped interior he had a point.


https://www.carandclassic.com/magazine/ford-consul-capri-cult-classic-not-best-seller/

[Penman]

The reason why I still argue that the Capri Mk1 is actually the Mk2 etc etc.
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Bristols should always come in pairs.

Any 2 from:-
Straight 6
V8 V10

[peter scott]

I was always surprised that the Classic and Capri had such a short life. They were hardly around before the Cortina displaced them.

I also couldn't understand why the Corsair was produced. It's as if there was a load of independent designers all given free reign in the same product area. The latter clearly influenced by the '62 Thunderbird.

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

[bjacko]

I always thought it was an ugly car.
The article goes on about what Ford produced. The mustang was a good looking car in my opinion and the latest one is also good looking but oh the finish is terrible on the ones sold in Australia and they are plagued with problems from what I hear.

[mikeC]

Ford wasn't the first British manufacturer to try a 2-seater (or 2+2) coupe version of an existing saloon, Triumph was there a couple of years earlier with the Herald coupe. Neither were big sellers, and people now claim them as sales failures, but were they? They provided a 'halo' version for the bread-and-butter model, bur surely no-one really expected them to be big sellers?

The later Capri was a totally different animal - it could claim to be a full 4-seater, which the Consul Capri (and the Herald) could not.

Oh, and the claim that the Consul Capri's dipped-beam stalk control was a 'first'? Again Triumph was there beforehand with the Herald (and I have never seen that claimed to be an industry first, anyway).
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in the garage: 1938 Talbot Ten Airline
Recently departed: 1953 Lancia Appia, 1931 Austin Seven, 1967 Singer Chamois, 1914 Saxon, 1930 Morris Cowley, 1936 BSA Scout, 1958 Lancia Appia coupe, 1922 Star 11.9 ... the list goes on!

[Ray White]

I never had the opportunity to try the Consul Capri so I can't speak well or ill of it. I do however have a memory of a Consul Classic but only as a passenger.

The article correctly describes how the heavy construction imparted a sense of safety. The car I went in was certainly comfortable and seemed quite delightful. It was certainly more substantial than the Mk1 Cortina which I always thought was a bit "tinny".

From memory, the Consul range (like the Anglia before it) was horribly prone to rust.

[Ray White]

I found this one. Not the original engine or wheels. Better seats (leather?).


One should be wary of a car that seems 'tarted up'. I hate to think what horrors might be hidden....

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1409508

[ukdave2002]

I generally don't like US designed car styles (engines a different matter) , however the original UK Capri IMOI is ok. Never driven a Capri so possibly the common name the later model was given when I was teenager "Crapi" is unfair ?

Dave

[Ray White]

I don't remember who said it (probably the teacher at my school who had one ) but when I was an impressionable young lad - who thought the Classic Capri was wonderful - I was told in a dismissive way that in fact the original 1300 was "pretty hopeless".

The 1500 engine was a big improvement...but not before the underpowered car had suffered a reputation for crankshaft failure.

[Ray White]

[Bitumen Boy]

[bjacko]

Morris had a two seater soft top version of the Saloon models of the Morris Cowley, Morris Minor, Morris 8, and many other Pre-war Morris models.
In fact the ubiquitous Morris 8 Two seater is still the most sought after of the pre-war Morris cars today.