The Capri was famously summed by the Ford’s advertising line of, the car you always promised yourself. It rang true because two million buyers were clearly in agreement. Influenced by the success of Ford Mustang in the USA, the Capri offered European motorists some long bonneted glamour, with the promise of Ford reliability and running cost. The Capri was probably the first sexy coupe based on humdrum mechanicals, a simple formula that has extensively used ever since. It was remarkably sharply styled for a Ford of the late 1960s and a real break from their expected output. It was available with engines ranging from an anaemic 61 bhp 1300 cc unit up to a 3.0 liter V6. The Capri also introduced Ford’s image building RS sports versions, including the ultra rare RS 2600 and impressively swift RS 3100. A complete restyle for 1974 was even more successful than the original, and the body shell now included a hatchback, making the Capri an even more practical proposition for the family man. Four years later the Capri’s styling was modified again.
The engine was very powerful with 160 bhp, steel monocoque hatchback chassis were installed along with the awesome disc brakes. Five speed manual speed gearbox was excellent addition in the softness of the car. Despite the age of the concept, the Capri remained popular until it was phased out in 1987 with the much admired special edition 280, it left production Ford failed to replace the car directly and, ironically missed the coupe boom of the late 1980s, led by the ultra modern Vauxhall Calibra.
