Say what you will about Mercury, but they at least tried to make some interesting cars here and there. One of the more interesting cars from The Sign of The Cat was the Capri. Ford noticed that there were a number of buyers that were interested in European cars, and they found a way to get in on the action with a Ford of Europe product.
Introduced to the North American market in April of 1970. It was marketed through Lincoln-Mercury dealers as a sort of mini-Mustang. Initially available only with the British-built Kent 1600 cc inline four, it later received an OHC 2.0L four in 1971.
As the Mustang was getting rather large by the early ’70s, the sprightly Capri earned rave reviews and soon became the second-best selling import car in America, behind the VW Beetle.
By the late 70’s, it was becoming a bit long in the tooth, so the original Capri was discontinued after 1978, although the ’78s were actually unsold ’77s. Lincoln-Mercury didn’t want to give up on the Capri, so in 1979 it became a cousin of the Mustang.
While the second generation did okay, for some reason it was discontinued after 1986. But after a few years passed, Mercury decided to give it another try. Mazda, of all companies, had a smash hit on their hands with the Miata, and Ford wanted a piece of the action. But where to start?
Seeing how they didn’t have a lot of time to develop an all-new car, they turned to Ford of Australia, which just happened to have a little number called the Ford Capri, which, ironically enough, was based loosely on the Mazda 323, which was also what the 1991 Escort was based on!
The biggest difference between the Capri and the Miata was that the Capri had front-wheel-drive, and a tiny back seat. After a few modifications to get it certified for sale in the U.S., Ford brought it over and sold it as the, you guessed it, Mercury Capri!
The U.S. Capri was offered in two flavors, the base model and the slightly sportier XR-2. Both cars featured a 1.6 liter four cylinder, with the XR-2’s engine coming with a turbocharger. Another big selling point of these cars was the optional removable hard top, as seen above on our featured Capris. Unfortunately, these cars never really caught on with the public, and were quietly discontinued after 1994.
I found these two cars sitting behind a long-abandoned RV dealer near Standish, MI the other day. I have no idea how long they have been there or how they got there. I was going to take pics of the interiors, but they were too far gone to be deemed picture-worthy.
My guess is that whomever acquired these must have really taken a liking to them, as the green one is a base model, and the red one is an XR-2. It’s too bad that they were left here to rot away.
How or why these two cars ended up here is anyone’s guess. They seem kind of lonely, but at least they have each other.
I didn’t even know there was such a car in 1991. I distinctly remember the 79-86 Mustang based ones, and the 70’s cars, but the latest from the 90’s must not have sold well, at least around Pittsburgh.
Kind of neat little car, though. Reminds me of a Fiero or a Reatta. Convertible with hard roof, with hidden headlights, seems to be a winning combination. The public is fickle.
What didn’t helped things was Mazda who introduced its own roadster with the MX-5/Miata at the same era and it stoled the show.
You aren’t the only one who didn’t know these existed. I thought after the Mustang based Capris that was it. I do remember LM importer the Merkur (sp?)
I would tend to agree with you. Despite my usual conservative and practical tastes in things, I still find a car of this type to be rather appealing. I think the biggest downfall for the Capri, aside from the Miata, was in the details themselves. I had driven several of these back when I worked for Mr. Sesi at his L-M dealer. Other than the ability to drop the top and the small size, they didn’t have much of a wow factor after that.
But they undoubtedly brightened up many a L-M showroom at the time…
That brilliant last sentence may be the saddest thing I’ve read about any car.
This is a perfect example of what I think of as an “identiy crisis” car. IMHO an Identiy Crisis car is one that doesn’t fit the brands image and doesn’t signal a new direction for the brand. A car like this proves the people at the top have no idea what to do with a given brand.
The 1990s Capri, the FWD Cougar… these were cars that showed Ford was out of ideas for Mercury.
Although I will postulate that it is easier to run a brand like Ford or Chevy that have always been all things to all people.
I remember these, but had forgotten how short of a time they were offered. I recall seeing one or two of them around town, but they were clearly not the hit that the Miata was.
There is something about the styling on these that just turns me off, and I can’t really articulate what it is. A car of this class is, I think, especially dependent on good looks. The Miata was a visual home run, while this Capri was just not that attractive.
It was too narrow looking and lifted, and not wide and low like the Miata, to be taken seriously as a sports car.
I remember the original Capri from the ’70’s (“The Sexy European! At the sign of the Cat”) and the later Mustang clone, but we never saw the last versions in Canada. It reminds me of a cross between a Buick Reatta and a Mazda Miata.
I see the one on the right has the rare Christmas Decor Package.
Really?
If it does, then the Grinch must’ve stole a few parts off of it. 😛
“Mazda, of all companies, had a smash hit on their hands with the Miata, and Ford wanted a piece of the action. But where to start?”
Hmm. My memory of this era was that the Capri and Miata came out almost simultaneously. Kinda surprised that Ford didn’t clamor for a rebadged Miata once it became a hit.
The Miata came out in 1989, the Capri was a 1991 model.
The Capri came out in 1989 in Australia, a month earlier than the MX5/Miata. It was also shown at the Chicago auto show early in 1988
He did say almost.
These are regarded as a bit of a lemon in Aus. Mostly the terribly leak-prone soft tops if I remember correctly.
The odd thing about seeing those two above is that they’ve both got hardtops – they were quite rare in Australia.
There was a Tickford-tweaked version that we also got in the Clubsprint. Besically just I cleaner bodykitted version of the turbo. I did have a bit of a thing for that variant back in the day.
http://1991-94mercurycapri.blogspot.com.au/2010/12/rare-1991-94-australian-mercury-capri.html
Oh, and the design was inspired by the Ford Barchetta concept car.
http://www.carstyling.ru/ru/car/1983_ford_barchetta/
This car was a victim of good idea, poor execution. Maybe one of the poorest executions in modern history. I wanted to like these cars, I really did, but they were very flimsy. They even look flimsy. It’s true about the Miata-for just a few extra bucks, you could have yourself a world class sports car tha looked great, handled great, and was built to last. And I do remember the Capri routinely being stacked up against it in comparos.
And although this is no fault of theirs, they are from the era of tourquoise, purple and yellow cars which were popular colors back in the early 90s. That green one actually looks like it might be a tourquoise or emerald color. That, like the last Capri, was also a short lived fad.
This car was high on what I call the Schlub factor – Someone, especially a guy driving one of these With The Top Down, EVEN Brand New, People were not Looking on in Envy. It Just did not reek fun like the Miata, I Sometimes was concious of my Cavalier Conv. being looked on like this.. In That “silly Brown convertible of his” I’d hear about town.
The Lines were just Wrong, Thw tail ugly, weird lines, tailight tucked under metal, no border…cheap…..A CUT RATE Reatta – Thats a good description, it was a chopped 323. Luxed up.
I Looked at Them, but was as unimpressed with them as I was WANTING a Miata at the time.
/ rant on
This is one of Ford’s deadly sins, to be sure. The Capri name, which really started as a trim line on 1950’s Lincolns, was transferred to the Mercury line in the US with a pretty neat little car. As the author correctly mentions, the car was a relative hit over here, as by the 70’s the Mustang was huge and losing it’s appeal to folks who wanted a small sporty car.
I was in Germany in the late 70’s, at an ADAC Rally, where I was exposed to the cars they raced over there at the time. I got to see tuner cars, like Irmscher Opels and the Ford Capris with the blistered fenders and huge BBS wheels. It totally blew me away, never imaging how beloved those cars were over across the sea. By then Ford had stopped bringing over the German Capri and we were on track for the Fox Body Capri.
At the time, I had little idea I would spend so much time in the 80’s with Fox body cars, particularly Capris. I had three of them, a 1980 Turbo, a 1985 5.0L and a 1986 5.0L. I got to know and love them pretty well. It was something of a disappointment when Ford announced in the mid-80’s that the Capri would die (again). It was the impetus for me to purchase the 1986 variant.
I was inItially heartened to hear in late 80’s that the Capri would be coming back. What? As a convertible? A front wheel drive convertible? With a turbo, optional?
WTF?
My initial elation turns to dismay, then, anger. The first two iterations of the Capri were at least sporty cars, both of them when equipped properly, could make a pretty decent set of wheels. The early 80’s turbo models developed tons of problems later in their lives, but when new, they were pretty darn good.
But a FWD convertible based on a Mazda 323 platform? You know, the successor the GLC? Oh yeah, THIS is the car I want to replace my modded 5.0L Fox body with….
NOT!
What were they thinking at the Glass House? Had they hired the guy who came up with the Celebrity Eurosport VR?
I get the idea that they needed some way to generate younger traffic into the Grand Marquis division, as the Lynx had recently left the line up too, but really? This? Well, the Tracer wasn’t getting the job done either…
A lumpy, humpy-dumpty car that totally f3cked up the lines Barchetta show car?
It was about this time I re-evaluated my decisions to buy Ford products. The 1980 and 1985 Capris were POS’s as were a later Topaz and a Grand Marquis (the GM had extenuating circumstances, tho), and since 2000 I haven’t bought, owned or barely looked at a Ford product.
Cynical marketing? Deadly sin? Division killer?
All of the above.
/rant off
yup. my 85 Capri RS 5.0 AOT was surely my worst made car.
but, with headers and CHP duals and BFGs, it could sure hustle around those SoCal on ramps!
My 82 5.0 HO 4 speed was pretty darned good! The computer box had to be replaced under emissions warranty, free. And it overheated once for no apparent reason and never did it again.
My first car with a manual transmission, and first car I learned to drive a standard with, was a 1980 Mercury Capri RS, with a 4 speed.
It had the honking, “pig nostrils” hood scoop, along with those sexy, bright aluminum, TRX alloys.
That car was very quick.
I remember this asshat in a 1979/80? Turbo Trans Am, driving like a jerk on the highway, cutting other cars off, and laughing with his lady friend next to him.
I caught right up to him in the Capri RS, switched over to the passing lane, next to him, looked over at the idiots,(he had a very shocked look on his face), smirked at him, then outdistanced the Pontiac, in my rear view mirror.
My car looked exactly like this one, but it was monochromatic white…sorta like a Miami Vice look.
The XR2 motor is a sweet little number. A friend of mine swapped that motor into a Festiva, and after a few tweaks it now runs a mid 13 1/4 mile. It’s a wild ride, that’s for sure.
I was living in Melbourne when these cars were being developed the hype surrounding the new Ford Convertable rivalled the noise that preceded the P76 Ford were on the radio advertising their exciting new car every hour and at least twice a day advertising for more workers to assemble them. this was going to be the greatest Australian designed car ever but when it finally hit the street it was a warmed over Mazda 323 cabriolet that filled with water in the rain something the Mazda version doesnt do The Buff magazines did their best but it was NO sports car then the announcement it was being exported to the US and while everyone knew American cars are junk it was hard to believe even they would like this thing even the magazines were amazed that this Capri would export anywhere other than NZ.
This was a low point for Ford Australia already reeling from warranty claims on the truly awful EA Falcon the Capri was nearly the final nail in the coffin Dearborn issued threats of closure and from then on would rebadge foreign Fords for Australia it got to the point of putting the Taurust on the downunder market but that thing was just junk a hideous POS that drove like a bag of shit. Eventually Ford OZ got their act together restrained the oil leaks in the Falcon reengineered the OD trans and reclaimed some customers and by the EL/EF models was building a car worthy of the name.
Bryce, you are right – the late 1980’s were the absolute worst years for quality – or lack thereof – at Ford. The EA Falcon was a beautiful car, but the quality was terrible. I had an EA Fairmont. The engine seized at 7500 Kilometres, because there was SAND in the engine, left there by some new process they used during casting of the alloy head. Overheating was a regular problem, the glass had ripples in it and the doors were so flimsy that ripples would develop in the doors around the (plastic) handles – and those often broke.
My father – a long term Fird buyer – bought a new 1990 LTD. Again, great looking car St. the time (LTD here was a stretched, luxury car using Falcon mechanicals – an Australian Lincoln). That thing never, ever was aligned straight. Before 10,000 kilometres two little dents appeared in the roof, just above the C pillar. We suspected it was from the body flexing! The dealer wanted nothing to do with it so Dad wrote to Ford, who replied ghost his card was “within Ford’s build quality standard at the time”. WTF? He never bought another Ford,switched to BMW and loved them.
Everyone’s tried to like the Capri, but it too had awful quality and was very prone to roof leaks. The roofs on all of them seemed to curl where it met the body at the rear. The Clubsprint versions were actually quite good but that was too late to save the project.
As I understand it, this Capri was designed by one of the Italian styling houses.
We did get the first British Capri here, but not the Series II.
“How or why these two cars ended up here is anyone’s guess. They seem kind of lonely, but at least they have each other.”
Oh, there there now. These clearly haven’t been there very long. The grass under then looks to have been mowed recently and isn’t dead yet. The way they are parked they probably even drove there under their own power. Most likely someone is getting ready to get one back the road for summer cruising.
Although I don’t why someone would bother. The styling is…awkward to put it mildly. Given a choice between this and a Miata, the choice is clear. Maybe they were really cheap. Around here, even beat up old Miatas in worse shape seem to go for $1200-1500 and I bet he didn’t pay more than $1000 for the pair.
They have been there for at least several months. I shot these almost a month ago, and they are still in that same spot. There used to be a large pile of brush and junk and such behind them that shielded that area from the main highway, and I didn’t see them until that was cleared away.
Minor clarification that a lot of CC readers already probably know is that the original Capri was only discontinued in the U.S. in 1977-78. A likely reason was not so much that it was long in the tooth design-wise, but that the changes in dollar/DM exchange rates had made it harder and harder to hold the line on U.S. pricing. It may have also fallen victim to the ongoing debates within Ford about where Lincoln-Mercury should be positioned.
The Mk III European car survived through 1986, although for the last few years it was only available in the UK. The late cars were seen in a very similar light to the late Fox-body Mustangs: rather crude, but a lot of performance for the pound.
The Mk III was also available in NZ until the very end.
I always thought these were a Kia product….
Believe it or not, the truth is even stranger. Kia didn’t have any part in the Capri, but the company DID try to sell rebadged versions of the 1990s-era Lotus Elan in the South Korean market. The result was less than successful:
http://lotusenthusiast.net/2010/11/the-kia-elan.html
Kia made the Ford Festiva with the Mazda 121 design
The Aussie Capri and the Pontiac Fiero were poorly executed attempts to compete with the Miata. My brother was looking for a sporty, small car at the time– the Fiero seemed cheaply built, the Capri looked ugly, and the Miata was unproven… So, being a Honda buff, he bought a CRX!
It should also be noted that Mazda has not always had a reputation for reliability: my 1983 Mazda GLC-323 dropped a rod at 90,000 miles, whilst my buddy’s comparable ’83 Corolla went 240,000 miles before retiring)
Huh? The Fiero was released in 1984, five years before the Miata. In fact it was canceled in 1988, one year before the Miata was released. Only in the used car market was a Fiero a competitor for the Miata. The Fiero competed with things more like the Bertone Coupe (nee Fiat X-1/9) and the original Toyota MR2. If you ever took a ride in or drove one of the V6 Fieros, particularly a GT version, they were far from poorly executed…
As I noted before, if Ford was trying to compete with the Mazda MIata, they sure as hell did it the hard way. Upon re-reading my rant, I wondered if there was some wild attempt at competing with the early 90’s Lotus Elan, the FWD version with the Isuzu motor in it? Couldn’t be, Ford didn’t have the vision to compete against something like that, and the prices were nowhere near each other.
Amen on the Fieros brother — drive a V6 Fiero, particularly a 4-speed or 5-speed car, and one will realize they are far from poorly executed. They’re not perfect but far from the POSs that people-who-have-never-owned-nor-driven-one claim they are.
I’d take a Capri over a Miata any day and yes, I have driven both. The Miata’s jellybean rear styling repulses me enough to even think of owning one. If someone likes this type of styling I will say the Miata styling was done well — I’ll admit the Capri might look a little Klunkier, esp with the hardtop but it suits me better.
A good friend I know bought a silver 5-speed ’91 model new. It’s somewhere around the 200-250K mark now & survived three teenage drivers who also renamed it the ‘Crappi’. When it occasionally broke I worked on it. Parts prices were ridiculous.
The car was very fun to drive and never felt “flimsy” to me. The top mechanism was ingenious — It’s a manual one-person deal that can be done while standing at the driver’s door area. When the top is shoved down in the well, a hinged hard tonneau cover latches in place over it. 30 seconds & the top is down & covered.
My only disappointment is the low final drive gearing. The engine RPM was very high @70mph but it got there quick enough. I was hoping to find a cheap hardtop for it but never did.
So because your 1983 Mazda took a dump, ALL Mazda’s are bad?…and because your friends Corolla, made it to over 200,00, ALL Toyotas are great?
Gimme a break, it could show you neglected your car, and your friend was more caring and maintained his.
Also, the Fiero was long gone(ended 1988), by the time the Miata showed up(1989). So no competition there.
The 1987-88 Fieros were actually pretty reliable, guess some of the bugs were worked out… They made the Consumer Reports recommended Used Cars list.
When I stumbled across that Maserati BiTurbo the other day I thought at first that it was a capri. Same sort of angular rear and the right color.
Only after I read the Maserati badge did I tumble.
Being a teenage Ford fan at the time, I really wanted to like these. Really, really tried to, but nope, couldn’t do it. The styling was just too slabsided – though I did like how the taillights tucked under the bootlid. The Clubsprint version was marginally better to look at though. Still a few for sale down here in NZ, but I haven’t seen a functioning example for a while.
Saw one yesterday at Mitre 10 rare sighting
I remember having a toy of one of these when I was a kid. I distinctly remember thinking it was better looking than the real car during one parking lot encounter.
I remember when these came out and thought them nice looking enough but never thought one way or the other over it, then as now.
That said, even if it’s based on the 323, word was the GLC/323 were very good cars and had great driving dynamics.
Did you know that the GLC/323 has had a long ancestry? Yes, in Japan, it’s known as the Familia and the first iteration of it came out in 1964 and has been updated/upgraded over time, the exports simply went by the motor displacement so depending on which motor was installed, it came in as 800cc, 1000cc, 1200cc and 1300cc if I recall right so it’d be simply known as the Mazda 800 if it has the 800cc motor in it. We got the top flight 1300 motor beginning in 1970 and thus was known as the Mazda 1300. They even made a rotary version as well. A one year grand Familia was sold here in the States, known as the Mizer, that was in 1973.
Then the GLC/323 came out but the car was still known as the Familia in Japan, 323 elsewhere but in N. America where the GLC nomenclature was used. By 1985, the GLC name was scrapped for the 323 used elsewhere but Japan. The Protege was the newly designed sedan, beginning in 1989, the hatchback was still sold for a few more years, remained as the 323. the hatchback disappeared in the US at any rate by 1993 or so, the Protege soldiered on here. Still, in Japan, the car was known as the Familia.
The Protege in its redesign in the mid 90’s brought the car from a B segment to the C segment compact where it remained until the end of its run in 2003 when both the Protege sedan and the Protege5 hatchback ceased production, paving the way for the slightly larger Mazda 3. Still, the Familia soldiered on through 2003. the 3 is known as the Axia in Japan, Mazda 3 elsewhere and made its debut in 2004.
So even though this Capri is based on the 323, its heritage isn’t bad at all as the Protege5 that I have has fantastic handling and is a joy to drive and those whom I’ve known who have had the 323/GLC loved theirs and admired it for its handling prowess for the time. So I wondered if some of the problems with this car stemmed from its poor execution on all fronts despite its DNA.
@Ciddyguy Sounds like a story you should write.
That has entered my mind in recent weeks and was even doing a bit of a review of my car and even got a start on it, but never finished it.
Maybe perhaps I should as there has not been a CC on it yet.
Mazda 3 = Axela in Japan, just to clarify 🙂
I think the Capri really suffered by comparison with the MX5, and I gather its development started earlier. It would be interesting to know what if any interaction there was between the two programmes. The car really suffered here due to soft top leaks – the current affairs tv shows took them through car washes and amazingly a bit of water got in… There were a lot of tops replaced under warranty.
As mentioned by a few people above they were very different cars – rear seats for small children (in earlier times!) for starters but 11″ longer and 225lb heavier. The Capri was quicker in a straight line with 135hp vs 114hp. The Capri was a lot cheaper too, starting at $23k in the Aussie market (the turbo was $27k) vs $30k. The other small sports cars like the CRX/MR2 were dearer.
A friend got one as a company car as he worked at the Australian tennis Open venue, he really enjoyed it as it had a good amount of go (possibly tweaked a bit?), and I know another guy who has one of the later Clubsprint models. Also a mate who still has a 1989 MX5 (I have driven that one). I wanted a CRX at the time, and would probably still go that way although the MX5 would be tempting.
The biggest problem the Crapi faced in Aus was the propaganda by Ford in their ptomotion prior to release it was going to be the great Australian convertable the hype was incredible but the car when it was finally release late due to difficulties with production was a major disappointment. These were the days when dissatisfied owners put huge lemon stickers on Fords and drove them around Melbourne or just parked them at Broadmeadows outside the factory trying to shame Ford into fixing them and there were a lot of cars outside the factory. ford had the worst quality at this point with the new EA Falcon being absolute rubbish and the Crapi not far behind, It took Ford 3 models to overcome the hatred and bad name of the Falcon with genuine improvements that should have been done during development they simply didnt have the resources to make the Capri right and the MX5 blew it right out of the water. massive fail
These were never sold in Canada so it is always a treat to get to see one. Styling is interesting. The front is a bit bland but the rear is very distinctive though.
A close friend of mine found one of these a few years ago for his wife for little money. It is a low mileage 91, automatic, both tops, red with the charcoal cloth interior. Cute car, rides well and is a good execution of a little convertible. However, I can see why the Miata sold so much better than the Capri. With a 5-speed these cars were fun to drive; however, the automatic is downright awful. The car whines and then jerks you when it actually shifts; the engine gives a horrible roar until it kicks in. He found out from other owners on the web that it is common for the automatic to perform that way. I find it a total turnoff for this type of car. It was cheap, and she enjoys it. But as a new car I can see why it would have failed.
Interesting to read about my “baby” ’93 Mercury Capri XR2. (Jade color, 5 speed turbo, gray leather seats. I bought it new, well…gosh 20 years ago and it only has 48,000 miles on it. Wanted a hard top, but was 1500 bucks new. Was “my cute summer car” that I really, didn’t pay very much for it since my dad worked at Ford. It’s worth nothing, but I love it, it’s fun to drive, and people always ask what it is. Replaced the top and wouldn’t you know, our city had a big hail storm that damaged the top, plus the beautiful almost perfect paint job, and a taillight cover. Boo! Now, only problem: the air bag light blinks 2 times then once more, and the radio (speakers?) stopped working. Both items, I am overlooking due to expensive repairs. Not selling, ever….poor “twins in the field!” Shame on whoever left them there to decay……
Glad to hear you are still enjoying your car!
I shot these pics back in the spring. I just passed by there today and they are still sitting there, the weeds have gotten quite a bit taller around them…
I had a ’72 capri v-6, 2.6 litre back in the day. Great,fun car. Handled well, fast enough to give the mid 70’s “muscle cars” a run. I remember those wretched Aussie Capris too. I remember all the recalls, engine fires, electrical failures, and general poor build quality.
I always thought these looked like something Maxwell Smart would drive. That’s not a bad thing in itself, but maybe explains why they looked dated to me right out of the box.
i recently purchased a 1992 merecury capri with a soft and hard top. the interior is in great shape but the front rt. fender needs replaced. it has 160,000 miles and runs great. its a 5 speed and i love it. if anyone knows where to find the body parts please let me know’
thanks
kelly785-845-4018
I just got one today 1992 xr2 and for a 130+ horsepower motor which I may add is more than miata and Honda crx offered it is one ugly ass car but for fuel mileage and horsepower vs weight ratio very sporty little car I’m fixing it up for kids first car but don’t like front wheel drive should’ve done a rear wheel drive n would’ve been better to play with lol but easy access to most parts I’d have to say not the ugliest I’ve seen my first car was a gremlin for crying out loud this is a beauty compared to that n let’s not forget the pacer.
Even though you couldn’t buy an Aussie Capri in Canada, A few enlightened souls did beg Ford Canada (for which Ford Australia is a division, know it alls!) to bring it there with no avail. When I lived in NYC I came across a cute White ’90, and I test drove it in on just-paved 11th Avenue, it handled like a dream! I would’ve loved to get it, but along came Miata, and I couldn’t buy both. But there’s a Capri in my late Uncle’s collection, a ’91 Base model in White with gold striping matching his other Capris, a ’71 in Blue and a 1985 Crimson Cat T-top. The little Capri may not have turned heads, but for the right person and the right model Capri would be a sweetheart! Still would like to do a “Fast and Furious” remodel of one tho’.
A Fast and Furious model?
Uh, please don’t… The car is weird looking enough, already.
Plus, the whole world will thank you for it. 😉