The Ford Capri was created to emulate the massive success of the Mustang in the USA – right down to its fashionable styling.
Based on an assortment of parts from the company’s parts bin and sitting on a bespoke platform, it was something new – and incredibly successful during its 18-year production run.
Ford Capri: The car you always promised yourself…
The car industry had been going through some liberating times during the 1960s. Fuel was plentiful and cheap, and the Americans were making the most of the situation – offering buyers plenty of V8s to choose from. Even the entry-level ‘college’ cars were packing big (by European standards) six-cylinder engines.
The car that epitomised the attractive youthfulness of the American car-buying public was the Ford Mustang – a sporting legend designed for the young, free and single. Originally based on the Ford Falcon, the first Mustang rolled off the production line in March 1964 and straight into the arms of public acclaim.
Within weeks of its launch, the Mustang had generated huge waiting lists, and it had become the new cult car for a new generation. Within 18 months, it went from zero to a million sales, and a legend was born. By the time the Mustang was fully up to speed in the USA, Ford of Europe was already looking at doing the same thing over here – making a ‘Pony Car’ out of one of its mass-market saloons…
Project Colt kicks off
Development of the European Mustang came under the codename, ‘Colt’ in 1964 – a reference to the car’s role as a baby Pony Car, and was initially undertaken by the Engineering Team at Dagenham. As the project continued towards its July 1966 sign-off, an increasing amount of co-operation with Ford’s Engineering and Design Department in Cologne resulted in the Capri being the second pan-European Ford after the Escort.
In typical Ford fashion, development was a swift and efficient operation, despite the swooping styling needing to be changed at the last minute to incorporate the horseshoe-shaped rear window line, in response to unfavourable customer clinic comments. As it happened, in this case, the customers were absolutely right, and that uniquely shaped rear window became a Capri styling trademark, which remained with the car for the rest of its life.
Despite CAR magazine’s rather off-hand assertion that the Capri was little more than a ‘Cortina in drag’, the new car actually boasted a bespoke platform developed in the UK that comprised of the best bits of the Escort and its larger brother, the Corsair. Engine choice depended on where the car was being sold – in the UK, you could have either the 1.3 or 1.6-litre versions of the long-lived ‘Kent’ engine, alongside the forgettable 2.0-litre V4, and crackerjack ‘Essex’ 3.0-litre V6.
Engine variations
The European versions, on the other hand, used the German subsidiary’s own V4 and V6 engines, the former in 1.3, 1.5 and 1.7-litre form, and the latter in 2.0 and 2.3-litre form. Talk about an abundance of choice… Considering it was a sporting car, Ford decided to launch its vitally important new car in the depths of winter – in Belgium. The January 1969 Brussels Motor Show might not seem the most glamorous location to unveil a car, but despite the winter gloom, the world’s press warmed very quickly to the Capri.
Ford would have dearly loved to use the Colt nameplate for its new sporting car, but Mitsubishi beat Uncle Henry to the name, leaving marketing gurus fishing through the filing cabinet of defunct names – and drawing out the Capri moniker following its short career on the rump of the short lived Classic-based Coupe of 1961-1963.
A new year, a new car
Sales kicked off in February 1969, and Ford soon found itself in the fortunate position of having yet another sales hit on its hands – thanks largely to a memorable advertising campaign which was cleverly tailored to appeal to the young professional couples who the company wanted to buy the car.
If the intention had been to replicate the North American success of the Mustang here in Europe, it soon became clear that Ford had succeeded in its aims. Being a pan-European venture, the Capri was rolling off the production lines at Dagenham and Halewood in the UK, Genk in Belgium (briefly), and the Saarlouis and Cologne plants in Germany.
Rival manufacturers no longer needed convincing that four-seat affordable coupes were the way forward, and very soon, they all knuckled down to work on their own alternatives. Chrysler and BL’s most striking efforts never made it into production (R429 and Condor respectively), although we did get the Morris Marina two-door fastback… However, the rest made it further – but, thanks to the success of the Capri, we ended up with such fine cars as the Opel Manta, Renault 15/17 and Volkswagen Scirocco.
Making a big impression
The impact the Capri made on the buying public and popular culture as a whole was even bigger than on an industry that had been caught napping. Ford’s laser-sharp marketing gurus correctly figured that buyers were becoming increasingly affluent – with many cars now being bought by companies in the UK and offered to their employees as inflation (and tax-proof) ‘perks’. They put out an inspired series of adverts, depicting the Capri in all manner of exotic locations, and added the unforgettable tagline: ‘The car you always promised yourself…’
They figured that married-with-children middle managers liked the glamorous image of the Capri, and desperately wanted to identify themselves with the ‘bachelor-and-leggy-bird’ lifestyle depicted in the cheesy advertising.
One of the greatest aspects of the Capri wasn’t so much about how it drove, or even the way it looked – but the keen pricing. At the time of its launch in the UK, the entry-level 1.3-litre Capri would set you back a very reasonable £890 – nearly £100 less than one of the year’s other big launches, the Austin Maxi 1500. And that’s a lot of money in an era when you could buy a semi-detached house in Essex for £6000…
Having said that, the 1.3-litre Capri was a bit of a sheep in wolf’s clothing, with a 0-60mph time of 18.8secs and a top speed of 84mph. But none of that mattered, because it looked good, and made its driver feel like Jason King. Nevertheless, the road testers liked the Capri, and the normally sanguine Autocar proclaimed the 1600GT XLR as, ‘the best car Ford has ever produced.’
And although we consider the Capri a bit medieval today, its handling was blessed as some kind of minor miracle: ‘On corners, this Ford is quite unlike any other. It is balanced neutrally and in some ways feels like a four-wheel-drive car.’ We wonder how many GT40 owners would agree to the sentiment…
Model range development
Originally, the 2.0-litre V4 sat atop the Capri range, but it was merely keeping the daddy’s seat warm. Towards the end of 1969, the 3.0-litre version was rolled out – out went the form-guide, and in came a new benchmark in performance for accessibly priced cars. Using the 2994cc 138bhp ‘Essex’ engine in the light Ford Capri bodyshell, the pretty if none-too flighty Capri became a genuine performance car bargain.
For just over £1000, you got a 120mph top speed, and 0-60mph of less than 10 seconds – in 1970, you needed to spend considerably more than this to get comparable levels of performance.
But if the 3000GT wasn’t quick enough for you – then the RS2600 would have been right up your street. Featuring Kugelfischer fuel injection and 150bhp of muscular power, the special model was offered to customers on a limited in order to make Ford’s Group 2 activities in the European Touring Car Championship nice and legal. The RS2600 handled like a thoroughbred thanks to modified suspension, and was usefully quick thanks to the power boost and close ratio gearbox.
Win on Sunday, sell on Monday
Ford was never one for resting on its motor sport laurels and, within a couple of seasons, up-gunned the RS2600 replacing it with the phenomenal RS3100. Although it was no more powerful than its predecessor, it was even more special…
The Capri went on to become one of the most successful sporting coupes ever built, and by 1973, a million had been built. Despite the roaring success, Ford developed the Capri continuously in order to keep it at the head of the pack. In 1972, it received suspension upgrades and a new interior, and the ghastly V4 engines, as well as the ‘Kents’ were replaced by the overhead cam ‘Pinto’ engine, as used in the USA.
Say hello to the Capri Mk2
In February 1974, the Capri Mk2 was introduced. After a run of 1.2 million cars sold, and with the post-1973 mood being rather glum in the wake of the Oil Crisis, Ford appeared to lessen the Capri’s glamour with the Mk2 version, and made it a whole lot more versatile with the addition of a commodious hatchback rear end, and split folding rear seats. So for all those, who said the Fiesta was Ford’s first economical hatchback, we present you with the Capri Mk2 1.3L…
The newer car built on the successes of the flamboyant original, but many purists felt that it looked a little on the ‘soft’ side. Perhaps it was the big and friendly looking headlights, penned by Peter Stevens – or maybe it was the fact you could now buy a Capri L, GL or Ghia – just like a Cortina or any other run-of-the-mill Ford. Sales did take a hit with the new car and, although the 3000S, Ghia and JPS Special edition added much needed testosterone-fuelled appeal, it was clear that a little more va-va-voom was needed…
And on to the Mk3
The final – and some would say ultimate – Capri came in 1977, and with the minimum of effort on Ford’s part, it put right just about all of the Mk2’s wrongs. Designated Project Carla, the re-invigorated car looked mean and moody, and proved that the Ford styling boffins had not lost their magic touch. In fact, it is hard to believe that in terms of styling, the only major differences between the Mk2 and Mk3 amounted to a re-profiled bonnet leading edge, some natty ribbed rear light clusters, and wraparound bumpers.
Once again, the Capri became the pushy young exec’s weapon of choice, and the ‘S’ versions did all they needed to impress potential buyers who may have otherwise been tempted to go and buy a Manta. The 3.0-litre version remained the performance bargain of the decade, which no rival could answer – and, although the Essex engine was beginning to be seen as a bit on the long-in-the-tooth side, there was no denying it delivered the goods.
However, time wasn’t kind to the Capri. By the 1980s, buyers were beginning to see the Capri as a bit of a hangover from a by-gone era and, just like stragglers at an overnight party the morning after, turfing out time was upon us. Except the Capri didn’t give in to the ravages of time without a fight – despite the arrival of the new generation hot hatchbacks as epitomised by the Golf GTi and Escort XR3. Ford dropped the Essex engine in 1981, replacing it with the ‘Cologne’ V6 – this creating one of the coolest named cars in the world: the Capri Injection…
Saving the best ’til last
Boasting 160bhp and a 0-60mph time of 7.7 seconds, the Capri was able, once again, to punch above its weight, and give the snobs from Germany and Italy a bloody nose… However, in real terms, that was it for the Capri. Final development was little more than a marketing exercise, with a raft of special editions seeing it into old age – you could buy the Calypso, the Cabaret, the Brooklands. But in an era of engine management and digital dashboards, Uncle Henry’s European Pony Car had passed its sell-by date.
In 1987, time was called on one of the defining cars of a generation and, after a run of nearly two million cars, the book was closed on a legend. The Capri was a social phenomenon and attracted a loyal army of fans during its lifetime – it was the introduction to coupe motoring for many a young blade – and let’s not forget its rather lucrative television career. The irony was that, in 1989, Vauxhall launched the Calibra – truly a modern-day Capri – and caused a storm with it.
Just as Ford had no answer…
Thanks to Andrew Elphick
Is the Editor of the Parkers website and price guide, formerly editor of Classic Car Weekly, and launch editor/creator of Modern Classics magazine. Has contributed to various motoring titles including Octane, Practical Classics, Evo, Honest John, CAR magazine, Autocar, Pistonheads, Diesel Car, Practical Performance Car, Performance French Car, Car Mechanics, Jaguar World Monthly, MG Enthusiast, Modern MINI, Practical Classics, Fifth Gear Website, Radio 4, and the the Motoring Independent...
Likes 'conditionally challenged' motors and taking them on unfeasible adventures all across Europe.
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“Just as Ford had no answer…”
Ford did try and fight back against the Calibra with the Probe 2, an import of a Mazda-based US coupe which itself was the second iteration of a car initially designed to replace the Mustang. Unfortunately, it was seen as too US/Japanese to replace the Essex bruiser – the name didn’t help nor did another fantastic piece of car-casting from the petrolhead Steve Coogan with one of his intentionally irritating characters!
Ford replaced the Probe with the Cougar, which was a Mondeo-based coupe, more in the vein of the original the Capri, but it didn’t sell well because coupe buyers were, at that stage, unfortunately going Bavarian.
This is why it is difficult to find a mainstream marque (though certain ‘premium’ marques are now more mainstream than the mainstream…) coupe or large saloon.
However, every now and then certain tabloid car magazines show a photoshopped rendering of a Focus-based coupe with the headline “The Capri is back!”, but this usually gets watered down to be a glimpse of the CC or the three-door model.
There are, though, rumours of an official import for the next-gen Mustang, as Ford tries its One Ford strategy yet again across the board (which almost worked for the Escort Mk3, Mondeo Mk1 and mostly worked for the Focus Mk1 until the bloodlines split). Presumably Hybrid and TDCi options will be available, as running a V8 is no longer economically (or low oil resource) viable…
Regardless of any criticism that could be levelled at the Cap-ri, the Mk2 was notable in that it set the template for many modern-day coupes – the idea that a young family man can have a stylish 3-door hatchback, that seats 4, has a large boot with a tailgate, and is available with the same level of comfort and safety as a saloon car all stems from the Mk2 Cap-ri…..in fact my next car will be from the same mould – the Alfa GT….. On the question of ‘will Ford ever replace the Cap-ri’ – Ford should, but somehow I don’t think it will – the RS versions of the Focus and Fiesta are extremely capable, and unless Ford decides to go after VW Scirroco sales, very successful (and cheap to manufacture) variants of existing cars.
The moment Ford went FWD with the Capri replacements such as the Probe/Cougar was when they lost it in the Coupe sector (with the smaller Ford Puma being an exception), Ford should follow the example recently set by Toyota with its GT86 as to what a properly Coupe should be.
Am actually surprised a Lotus Capri / Ford Capri Twincam was not considered for the mk1/2 considering the 1.6 Lotus Twincam engine was used in both the Cortina and Escort or that the mk3 never received a turbo 4-cylinder as an alternative to the Essex / Cologne V6s along the lines of say 150-165 bhp 2.0 Pinto / I4 or a 155-205 bhp 2.3 Lima.
The Capri always looked great in all its generations. I particularly liked the MK2 Ghia & S versions in 2 & 3 litres. If I could have afforded a Capri back then I would have settled for a 1.6GL – not being greedy! It wasn’t till 1976 that the car I then aspired to own was the Cavalier Coupe, then Sportshatch that followed. Great times!
As a teenager in the eighties I remember the 2.8 injection as a pretty cool car. Saw one quite recently – still a looker!
Hard to believe the MkIII is just a tweaked MkII. In my eyes it looks so much better – somehow wider, longer, lower.
The Capri Mk I & II was sold in the USA under Ford’s USA only Mercury brand to give them a car to attract younger buyers. It used the same engine as the Pinto, so no problem there. It came just as fuel prices jumped up in the 1973-74 oil crises, offered a sporty, ‘European’ car backed by a major NA carmaker and it looked good. Alas, our emmission standards, poor rust resistance, some parts not up to our poor roads and some too cheap to properly maintain them led to their decline by the early 1980’s.
The Capri is actually my all time fave car, and I came very close to owning a Mk1 many moons ago, I had the cash in my hand but the garage had sold it the day before 🙁 I do hope to own one someday, preferably a 3.0S or Ghia, but they are now going for silly money
A friend of mine had two Turbo Technics 2.8 Capris in succession . They were stunningly accelerative, if a touch noisy, and surprisingly reliable apart from a regrettable tendency to eat gearboxes . He was so enthusiastic about them that he kept the second for 18 years until 2004 when at the age of 57 he replaced it with that elderly fogey’s car ………..a Lotus Elise
I bought into the marketing hype from day 1 and I’m still there – just love these cars….I had two Series 1’s – a deep red 1300L and a yellow/black 1600XL….The red one was bought second hand from a Jaguar showroom and was just a couple of months old….Despite almost 20 other ( and expensive ) new cars since then, I’ve never been so excited and felt so pleased with myself as the day I drove it home….Who cares that it couldn’t even out-accelerate a VW Beetle – it was heartbreakingly beautiful to look at parked outside our house….One evening, I was asked to collect an Italian work coleague from the airport and take him to his hotel….On the way, he told me his hobby was cars and motoring, and so I was absolutely convinced he was going to be impressed and fall in love with my gorgeous Capri….As he got out at his hotel, he said nothing, didn’t even look back at the car as he walked to the hotel door and I thought ‘ probably, he’s just jealous ‘….A year later, I saw him on TV – Vittorio Brambilla, driving around Monza in the Ialian GP….Jealous, did I say ?? A couple of years later we replaced it with another one, a mark-1-and-a-half, this time new, and yellow with the obligatory and fashionable black vinyl roof….Ordered and delivered with a sun roof, it was also stunningly attractive but in a more aggressive way – the original red one was just beautiful whilst the yellow one was also a bit sexy….We kept this one for almost five years and only sold it when we went to live / work in France….If I won the lottery, before the yacht and the Ferrari, I would buy a Brooklands 2.8, green, black leather, and then I could die happy….One day I will buy one,just wish it could be sooner than current finances allow….
Every now and then, on a slow news day, and as Autocar does with the ‘Baby Jag’, AutoExpress reports that Ford is resurrecting the Capri when Ford wheels out a coupe concept at a motor show.
However, with rumoured plans to introduce a proper RHD version of the Mustang, and with Ford concentrating on the small car and SUV sectors, it is unlikely.
The Cougar, in my opinion, was a fine replacement. While it was RWD, so was the car it was based on (Mondeo v Cortina), offered US-coupe style while also being sold as a Mercury.
Best looking saloon-based coupe of recent years has to be the 406 coupe or the Brera.
In some ways the A5 is a spritual successor to the Capri, if the A4 is the modern Cortina.
@10 Stuart – reading your comments almost had me drooling at your descriptions of the Capri’s you owned. I’ll bet the yellow 1600XL was Ford’s famous “Daytona Yellow”. My Dad very nearly bought a MK1 Capri 3000E (or was it GT?). In the end though he got a Mazda RX4 Coupe in 1973, which was also a lovely car.
HD….
Yes it was….Registration was PMB 7L….Bought it from a Ford dealer somewhere close to Manchester Airport but can’t remember the name….After a year or so, I bought some alloys, unusually for the day they were black ones, and it looked even better….
The red one was registered SBA 132H bought from a Jaguar showroom on, IIRC, King Street in Central Manchester and with about 2k miles….First saw it surrounded by new Jags of all types, but shining under the spotlights I thought it was better than all those put together….
Huge, huge smile on my face as I’m typing this !!
@13 Stuart C. I know what you mean! Also agree that getting a Capri Brooklands 280 would be great. Like myself you seem to be able to remember all your old reg plates – and the memories that go with them. Good Luck…
@4 Nate. At the press launch of the Capri in 1969 there were several cars fitted with the Twin-Cam engine. The press loved them but unfortunately they never made production-
It’s also interesting that the 2.5 & 2.3 V6s were never used as a “gap filler” between the 2 litres & the bigger V6s.
Ford Germany fitted the 2.0 and 2.3 litre V6 Cologne engines to the cars for sale across continental Europe. I cant remember if we ever got the Essex engine in any car over here (apart from kitcars!). IMO the Mk1 was using a 2.6 as top of the range, Mk2 and 3 the 2,8 with injection.
BTW, the small engined Mk1s here in Germany had the local V4 engines, just as the old (pre-Cortina joint) Taunus and also the Consul/Granada.
Always a good looking car and a clever marketing tool, just as the Mustang used tame six cylinder cars as entry models, the Capri used a sluggish 1.3 model as the base of the range, just so people could say they owned a Capri, even if the car had no go at all. However, it was built to suit all pockets and most probably sold were the capable 1.6 and 2 litre models, the 2 litres offering decent performance in return for four cylinder economy.
I bought a tatty 3.0 manual Ghia Mk2 back in the early nineties for £400 from the auctions as a ‘stopgap’ car. It was woefully underbraked and undertyred (the Mk2s all had the same brakes from 1300 to 3 litre) so I sold it a few weeks later – almost doubled my money on it! Replaced with a 2.8 injection Granada which was a far better car.
A friend of mine had the 1300 version, it was incredibly slow and made an 1100 Escort seem like a ball of fire in comparison!
I had a Paris Blue 1.6 Laser , a Diamond White 2.0S , a Diamond White 2.8i Special and a 280 ‘Brooklands’ , love the Capri , just a shame they are so expensive now or i would have another!
The car I never promised myself….
The Mk1 was a nice looking car but the Mk2 lost the plot and the Mk3 was only marginally better.
I remember the Mk1 1.3 being barely faster than my Hillman Imp, and definitely slower through the bends. I also remember repairing catastrophic rust in the sills and rear wings.
The cooking 1.6 was a sheep in wolf’s clothing, the 2.0 was acceptable and the 3.0 and 2.8i were pretty good. But the live rear axle would tramp like made when you gave it some welly and it was no better than a contemporary Cortina in the handling department.
Triumph of style over substance other than the V6s … and I’d still rather have a Dolly Sprint.
Just noticed the orange Capri MK1 at the top of this feature says “Capri 2600GT”. Yet the text says the German market got a 2300 engine as the largest(?)
The IIRC the Capri 2600 was a homoglamation special, & along with a 3100cc limited edtion.
Thanks Richard… very useful to know. The Capri was very much a car providing sporty looks, but on a budget. No wonder it enjoyed success in those days.
Often wonder why they kept the 1.3 L on for so long as everyone knew this was a joke.
A far better idea in the early eighties would have been to have the XR3 engine in the 1.6 and have fuel injection on the 2.0.
@26 I think all manufacturers list a feeble engine as a starting price (not sure on the actual availability even though in the price lists), It drags the punter in the showroom, However The Salesperson could then bump the price up by selling the more common bigger engines (In the Capri’s case the 1.6 or 2.0) remember it wasn’t so long ago you could still buy a VW 2.0 SDi non Turbo Diesel that couldn’t pull the skin off a rice pudding, Marketing Men always know Best.
I often wondered why Ford didn’t discontinue the old Pinto Engines, (1.6 version at least) when they had the Constantly Very Harsh Escort Engines, I think the 1.8 Sierra/ Early Granada Engine’s were CVH? But then again the old Pinto Lumps (Camshaft aside) usually out lived the newer CVH unit.
However I think Ford wanted to kill off the Capri (original XR4i was meant to be its unofficial replacement) but sales kept in production, probably why it didn’t receive many updates.
I know some “cooking” models were tax specials for certain markets.
Opel offered the Manta with a 1.2 engine, which must have been interesting to drive.
Hello…I currently own a 1971 Ford Capri, engine from Cologne, Germany…I am in the United States and have searched many hours for some good sites for any kind of specs or technical data on her…if anyone out there has any suggestions it would be greatly appreciated…I love working on her and driving her, Eve, but actual data would be so helpful…
Thank you & Have a great day
It was a shame the Capri died BUT VW’s Golf GTI 8v and 16v literally bit it up the rear end and showed the car buying public how to do it basically with a bit more get up and go and a much classier inside and a bit of high powered oomph to the proceedings too.
Hi all. I’m from South Africa. In the early 70’s a guy by the name of Basil Green upgraded the mk1 capri to run the same speed as a ferrari at that time. His company fitted a 302 V8 with a top loader 4 speed box and 292 diff all this was sanctioned by Ford UK. 550 units were made I have one. Its value in Rands is around R250,000.oo
I HAVE ONE AND IT IS FOR SALE!!! BRAND NEW PAINT LOOKS AWSOME, NEEDS MINOR REPAIR, SALES FOR $8,500.00 PLUS SHIPING AND HANDLING LOCATED IN GUATEMALA CITY.
We in the USA lost the real Capri after 1978. Ford came out with the Fox Body Mustang/Capri and she was just a simple knock off. I so enjoyed working on these gems back in the 70’s and would love to have a V6 4 spd Capri today. They were excellent for a Ford!
I had a white(ermine?) 1969 H registration Capri that I bought for £500 in 1980.
It was a 1600 GT Kent engined model with a sliding metal sunroof and a tan coloured interior if memory serves.
For it’s day it was reasonably quick and In the dry handled well but this changed drastically even after just a shower. You really had to respect how light the back-end was and drive very delicately.
I can still remember the novelty of the windscreen washers being activated by the floor mounted foot pump, the Rostyle wheels and the sunroof open on sunny days. As a 19 year old I really thought I’d arrived.
Read that Ford US viewed the 3rd generation Fox-body Ford Mustang as World Car and at one point wanted to sell it in the UK in right-hand drive, though given the Mustang would have been larger than the Capri one wonders how Ford could have further adapted the Mustang to the UK market at the lower-end of the range below the V8.
Can potentially see the 2.0 Cosworth YB and Cologne V6 (including Cosworth) being used along with the Ford I4 DOHC engines, though not sure what else especially in the event the Mustang is well received enough for Ford to consider a right-hand drive version of the 4th generation Ford Mustang and beyond.
The Mustang was UK available, presumably on special order.
The A-Z of Cars of the 1970s, mentioned it was available with the Cologne 2.8 V6, among American units of 2.3 4 cylinder (bored out Pinto?), 3.3 straight 6 & 4.2 V8.
I can’t think of too many cars with 4 different engine configurations!
Aside from the V8 the only suitable engines on the US Mustang’s of that era have for the UK market are the 2.3 Turbo and possibly the Cologne V6, assuming the US anti-Smog equipment is removed from the V6 and uprated to Euro-spec beforehand.
Little remembered now, but the Colt name was used by Mitsubishi in England in the seventies( possibly as it sounded less Japanese). They also had a competent Capri rival called the Celeste that in 1.6 litre form could do over 100 mph, came fully loaded with equipment( a Ghia for the price of an L), was very reliable and looked good. Wonder how many of these Japanese Capris are left now.
Probably a lot less than capric as they were even more rust prone than the Dagenham dustbins
I remember when Mitsu’s were marketed as COLT in the UK and I do recall the Colt Celeste, along with the Sigma saloon & Sapporo Coupe – actually nice looking cars in their time. I would suspect very few if any Celeste’s survive to this day.
I had a Celeste 1600 for several weeks while waiting for a new company Alpine GLS, drove like a truck and had awful seats and a distinct lack of oomph.
The differently shaped rear side window on the mock-up looks very contempory now, what with the modern trend for lots of metal in the rear quarter . . .
The Mark 2 Capri was a masterstroke, using a hatchback when most cars its size were still saloons, making a Capri capable of transporting a wardrobe while still looking cool. Always looked very nice in black with a gold stripe( I think this was a special edition around 1975 called JPS).
I remember the black / gold striped MK2 Capri as well… very nice. It was available around the same time that the F1 John Player team was in vogue. I think it was called the Capri 2000S & 3000S? The Ghia spec Capri’s were also nice aspirational cars
You could get the John Player Special in uprated 1.6 litre tune, giving the car performance over 100 mph, or as a 2 litre. Also the gold carpet and beige cloth sears added to the appeal. Very much a car for the disco era and a nice car to drive.
As I’ve said before, the Capri was a masterstroke for Ford, whose sixties cars were very hit and miss, and formed part of Ford’s strategy to become top dog in Britain, which they did in 1976. Ford’s mixture of simple engineering and attractive body styling in the seventies certainly paid off.
I agree with all that Glenn… I was very much into Capri’s in the Disco days! I didn’t realise the JPS version was available in 1.6 too. I had lots of experience driving Ford’s as company cars back then – Good times
My Dad bought a mk2 when they first came out, a 1.6GT, TJM147N with a sports plus pack which gve it fabric seats, a map reading light, overiders a twin pin stripe and sports road wheels. In redish orange with a black vinyl roof it looked the part. One of my early memories is heading to Fort William in it…. me my sister, mum and Dad aling with my grandparents and a trailer in tow! No wonder it ate camshafts. It was replaced with a new S reg 2.0 S mk3 which was a far more reliable machine.
I had a Celeste 1600 for several weeks while waiting for a new company Alpine GLS, drove like a truck and had awful seats and a distinct lack of oomph.
Always considered a Cortina in drag – but its engineering in terms of suspension and rack and pinion steering came from the Escort – developed in parallel with it, whilst its floor pan came from the longer wheel base Corsair. By the time the Capri MK2 arrived the Cortina had moved on to the MK3 that shared nothing with that earlier generation of Fords, having all coil springing and a platform shared with the Consul/Granada.
Probably one programme more than any other made big Fords cool in the late seventies, The Professionals, and kept the Capri’s sales high into the eighties. Watching the show now brings back memories of when most schoolboys wanted a Capri 3000S, and their dads wanted a Granada Ghia like Major Cowley’s. Also a Ford Escort RS 2000 made an appearance in some episodes as Doyle’s personal transport, another hot Ford for people whose budget couldn’t run to a three litre Capri.
As a kid watching the professionals I can remember that it was 50 50 for what the kids at school wanted when they could drive. I was always a capri man (though I wanted a later 280 as it looked the best) , while my brother always wanted the rs2000. Though the early episodes of the professionals were bl cars, and if they had not fudged up the delivery of cars for filming maybe the capri would have disappeared earlier from UK streets and we would have wanted a white dollie sprint or blue tr7. I remember that Ford signed up to Dempsey and Makepeace, and even though that was rather naff, it did help sales of Escort cabrolets.
The first series saw Bodie and Doyle using Dolomite Sprints and a TR7, while Cowley has a Rover 3500. These were considered desirable cars in 1977, but problems with supply and reliability saw The Professionals switch to Ford, and this coincided with a rise in audience figures for The Professionals. Obviously Ford were enjoying a boom in sales in the late seventies, but product placement in The Professionals must have helped sales of the Mark 3 Capri.
Availability of the cars for the series was proven by the appearance of Doyle in a brown Rover P6, Cowley in a Black princess and Bodie driving an 1800 too
Forgot to say that it was a gold Ford Capri Mk2 3000 Ghia and a Biege Ford Granada used first before the famous 3 appeared on the Professionals. The Rs2000 disappeared in series 4 and was replaced by another Capri. Do you also remember the burgundy coloured cortina estate that they chased a criminal in with Cowley desk on top?
I remember the episode with the Cortina,quite amusing to watch. Also the Mark 2 Capri with its gold( or bronze) body and cream vinyl roof appeared in an episode last night.
What made the Cologne V6 better compared to the Essex V6 for Ford Europe to ultimately continue with and even further develop the German built V6, instead of opting to either continue / further develop the British built V6 or even opt for the US developed Vulcan V6?
The Capri and Granada were withdrawn from UK production and built solely in Cologne which is probably the reason why the German engine won. Also the cologne engine was chosen by Ford USA for models like the Mustang, who used a version for a while. Ford were trying to rationalise it’s costs in the 70s, with the US designed 4 cylinder pinto unit replacing the smaller unique v engines in both UK and Germany
So basically there was nothing inherently wrong with the Essex V6 compared to the Cologne V6 other than being a victim of rationalisation, with the former basically having roughly the same development potential as the latter?
To my knowledge yes – there was actually some commonality with the Cologne and Essex engines as they had been part of the late 50s and early 60s plan to bring Britain and Germany together to develop models. But because they never pushed fully by Ford USA until the Escort project they went their separate ways. Remember the Cortina and Taunus models had been planned together originally, just that because they had not been forced to corporate fully the cars took different roots (though the styling similarities are there to see).
Have read of modified Essex V6 utilizing parts of the Cologne V6 enabling the former to grow up to 4-litres, perhaps Ford UK and Ford German working together on a merged V6 (with scope for dieselization) would have butterflied away the awful V4s in favour of larger separate pre-Pinto inline-4s.
The following Curbside Classic article* suggests Ford Germany’s original plan was to develop a more conventional Kadett A-sized front-engined RWD with a Glas-like 1.0-1.2-litre OHC engine under the NPX-C5 project, before Ford US pushed the Cardinal project onto Ford Germany – where it became the P4/P6 Taunus. *- Google: Automotive History: The Real Story of How the American Ford FWD Cardinal Became the German Ford Taunus 12M – From Dearborn With Love
Not sure whether Ford UK was involved with NPX-C5 since apart from the proposed engine, it was to slot below the mk1 Ford Cortina years before the appearance of the mk1 Ford Escort, which makes one wonder if the original plan to merge Ford UK and Ford Germany was for Ford Germany to utilize the Cortina to replace the Taunus P1 while Ford UK was to use NPX-C5 to replace the Ford Anglia (similar to the Vauxhall Viva HA and Opel Kadett A sharing a great deal of commonality with each other).
Ford US’s original plan for the Cardinal project meanwhile was similar to both the Lancia Fulvia as well as BMC’s own 18-degree V4/V6 SOHC project, with Ford’s own narrow-angle V4 project being a 20-degree 1.4-litre V4 SOHC. Before Ford US opted for a 60-degree V4 OHV layout on the basis it would readily lend itself to a V6 variant, despite BMC demonstrating a narrow-angle V6 was feasible years before Volkswagen developed the VR6.
Not sure what Ford UK made of the US-developed Cardinal project, though they unlike Ford Germany managed to rebuff Ford US’s attempts to push the Cardinal project onto them.
From a tuning perspective I seem to remember that one drawback with the Essex V6 was that it used siamesed exhaust ports (interestingly a common BMC habit) meaning (I think) that there were only two exhaust pipes exiting each cylinder head.
IIRC the Essex V6s were quite heavy as they had been planned with a diesel version in mind that was never made.
Ford moved the tooling to South Africa so it wasn’t a total loss.
Nate – Cardinal was forced onto the Germans, but UK was also pushed to take it to. After the debacle that was the Classic, the UK went their own way but the overall styles were a combined project which is why their is similarities between the Taunus and the Cortina. In fact project Saxon was supposedly a UK/German collaboration, but never saw the light of day.
Cannot see either the Kent or the Essex V4 fitting into a UK Cardinal project aka Taunus P4/P6, no doubt there was pressure on Ford UK to take it.
That said the Cortina and smaller NPX-C5 projects would suggest collaboration between Ford UK and Ford Germany would have happened more organically without the presence of the Cardinal project (or necessity of the UK/Germany to develop V4s) had the latter remained limited to North America (and possibly even South America in place of the Renault 12-based Ford Corcel).
The NPX-C5 project could have been Ford Europe’s equivalent of the Vauxhall Viva HA and Opel Kadett A.
Not sure there. To my knowledge the NPX-C5 was actually a rear engined coupe looking thing similar to what volkswagen were going to produce, and I think Britain would have done the same as they did to Dearborn and stuck two fingers up. It was probably also what Germany got Cardinal, as Henry Ford II hated rwd cars and probably told the Germans to take it or leave it. He was not known for his diplomacy, my old man met him once and said he was rather rude.
Brilliant story on the Ford Cardinal, including the NXP-C5:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-european/automotive-history-how-the-american-ford-fwd-cardinal-became-the-ford-taunus-12m-from-dearborn-with-love/
Also previous thought NPX-C5 was rear-engined too based on the initial garbled information, however the following Curbside Classic article Zebo posted clarifies the project was to be a more conventional Opel Kadett A-sized front-engined RWD car to be powered by a Glas-like 1.0-1.2-litre OHC engine (despite appearing to be a contemporary if not quite a precursor to the Glas OHC engine) .
Henry Ford II clashed a lot with Lee Iacocca over many issues, one being the Fiesta needing to be a FWD car, supposedly it took a demonstration of a Fiat 127 fitted with Fiesta bodywork to get the green light.
Heard a bit about Henry Ford II’s reluctance to approve the mk1 Fiesta and clashes with Iacocca.
During the Bobcat project that led to the mk1 Fiesta, there was one fascinating front-engined RWD proposal known as the Cheetah which was based on a shortened Ford Escort platform (which brings to mind the front-engined RWD Toyota Starlet P40/P60 along with the Toyota Publica P30).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aceanorak/6418829531
Thanks for the link Nate, The Mazda 323 was another small RWD hatchback around at the time, along with the Sunbeam & Chevette.
The AMC Gremlin was created but cutting down a Hornet chassis.
Speaking of AMC, it is a pity neither Austin/BMC or Nash (later part of AMC) collaborated further beyond the (speculatively A40-A55 Cambridge-based) Austin/Nash Metropolitan.
The assumption being the Metropolitan is replaced by an early-60s Marina (with Capri-like coupe) whose development and replacement butterflies away the Gremlin, yet doubt either BMC or AMC saw any reason for such a tie-up even if both were possibly roughly the same size as each other.
By the early 1960s most of the other American makers had introduced compacts & the Metropolitan had lost it’s niche.
Agree to some extent yet Ford planned to produce the Cardinal in the US, GM imported the Viva / Kadett to the US and Canada (with consideration given to a Chevrolet version) while Chrysler tried selling the Simca 1100 in the US.
A Marina-like successor to the Metropolitan could have worked better (at least theoretically) provided it was more akin to the later Australian-built Leyland Marina in terms of featuring a newer lighter 1500-2000cc+ 4/6-cylinder engine to replace the heavy B-Series. The involvement of another company like AMC could have potentially sped up development for an earlier alternate E-Series.
That RWD Cheetah is a fascinating what might have been
It would have been perfectly competitive (in the UK especially) in 1976, considering rivals like the Chevette and Sunbeam, but would have quickly got out of date. The FWD Fiesta we got, with one major facelift, lasted until 1989, so was money well spent!
Agree the mk1/mk2 Fiesta was largely money well spent, even if Ford in retrospect could have also approved the proposed 2/4-door three-box saloon and 5-door hatchback bodystyles to further widen their appeal in the face of increasingly tougher competition from later supermini opposition (like GM Europe did with the Nova/Corsa A and more, even the Metro featured a 5-door hatchback despite not originally being part of the project).
Did wonder if Ford could have repurposed the Cheetah as a mk1/mk2 Escort hatchback analogue of the Chevette and Sunbeam rather than as a separate project, the Secret Ford book IIRC does offer a few ideas of what such a model would have looked like. OTOH the SWB Escort-derived Cheetah would have probably been better received in places like the US (and Australia) compared to the mk1 Fiesta had it been conceived earlier.
The ‘real’ Capri was the Mark I, with the waist height ‘bulge’ sweeping attractively/seductively round behind the rear wheel arch. The Mark II lost that distinction, and much else. I was told the Capri was a certain ‘crumpet bagger’. Was it? I recall envying someone who owned a Mark I in Lesotho; he saw himself as a ladies’ man. At the time I had a VW 1600 Variant, and drove Series Land Rovers for work.
Second pan-European Ford? Car line, yes, but wasn’t Transit (1965) the first jointly developed model? Assembled in U.K. and the Netherlands and the European market versions had different engines, using the German V4s.
Worth mentioning the first Capri was built in Australia as well but only pre-1973 model year facelift. It was also a popular import into New Zealand, boosted by a special import licence allocation to all brands in 1973, and volume was sufficient for Ford NZ to tool up for locally made replacement toughened glass windscreens, the only time I recall that happening. After that, there was sporadic limited availability up to pretty much the final German made editions which were top spec injected V6s and very pricey due to 55% import duty; earlier British build attracted the ‘preferential’ 20% rate.
Also recall Capri was the first European Ford to introduce US style option packs; from memory there were X, L and R and combinations of those on top of the GT variants. The basic ones really were base but most I remember were at least XL.
Could never afford one, of course. A great trip down memory lane, this article.
The best Capri to me was the 3.0 Ghia, like a luxury grand tourer with its automatic transmission and long list of standard equipment, as well as 120 mph performance, and a huge boot to carry the golf clubs. It was the kind of car an older, wealthier Capri owner would buy.
How could-they sell a 53bhp RWD live-axle leaf-spring coupé begining of the seventies ?
Just compare to the Renault 15/17 …
@ Philippe, if this is the 1300 Capri, the main reason being it was an entry level model for people too poor to afford the bigger engined models, but could impress the neighbours by saying they had a Capri, which in Britain in the early seventies was a very desirable car, even if the performance on basic models was poor. Typically in Ford fashion, if you wanted performance to match the looks, you had to buy a 2 litre Capri, or have the money to buy a 3000 E, which was the luxury and performance model. By the eighties, cars like the Opel Manta, Golf GTI and Toyota Celica were far better.
As stated in a previous post, my Dad nearly bought a new Capri 3000E to replace his VX 4/90 ( I remember looking / drooling? at the brochure of it). In the end he bought a Mazda RX4 coupe. I still think the MK1 Capri’s took some beating in the car market place then.
The tales I have heard about the roadholding of the big engined Capri models, I select the 1300 for reasons of personal safety
I don’t know if I’d be happy with a 1300(OK then,I wouldn’t), but I imagine the rear end of a 3 litre would be very lively on a wet road. My Escort 1600 Ghia liked to step out when grip was at a premium. In hindsight it taught me a bit about car control. Considering how much faster I’d have been going in a V6 Capri, I’m not confident I’d have survived to learn the lesson.
The base 15 was a lot more expensive than the base Capri, and hardly great to drive either!
i do remember a 1600 GT model in the mid seventies that had the right trade off between performance and economy and was the basis for the JPS special edition in 1975/76. Just over 100 mph for a 1600 cc car was very respectable then and better than the 1600 XL. A shame the Mark 3 didn’t have a more potent 1.6 litre version, as this all style and no substance and no faster than a 1.6 Cortina.
In Uk, the R15 in 1300cc had 60bhp, was fwd which isn’t “THAT BAD” when it comes to cheap coupés, but more to the point, it didn’t want to kill YOU, the driver, at the first bend…quite a great advantage in 2021¬¬ so that I can write this post, Never had 15/17 but my Fuego Turbo, A view to a kill” spec, in red and black with sliding electric roof, like the 17TS/Gordini, 1968 Escort based Capri, everybody knew it was a VERY old design from another era.. 132bhp from an old 1600cc Cléon(same as the V6 3L ouch!!!) but with a magical turbine, it was the new generation, the GTI or HOTHATCHES in UK.. never bought any, gti, gte. turbo and so on are just a small hatchback with too much power to handle, espec. US brands..I have had many interesting cars but no GTI’s. it never appealed to me and the frenzy about them is baffling me!! And the bubble will blow, whereas I believe Capri prices will go up, only in the best versions with the 2,8I and 5 gears… It’s not gonna be UK frenzy though, thanks to little less limited supply and even less demand… in France, 15/17 and Fuego are the bees knees, I wish I had kept mine and my 944S2 cabby and my 89 X1/9 …
No confusion between the Cleon iron steel block and the Cleon all alloy block, both with alloy head anyway.
The iron-steel from 956cc to 1397cc started with the Renault 8 in 1962 and ended-up in the nineties with the Ford/VW in South America and Dacia in Romania.
Meanwhile it could receive the famous Gordini hemi-head that equipped tens of sports-cars including Renault 8 Gordini, Alpine 1300S, Renault 5 Gordini and many racing cars.
The all alloy Cleon is a bigger unit created with a wedge head for the Renault 16 and used in the Lotus Europe as well as Alpine 1500.
Very soon it was enlarged to 1565cc, 1605cc, 1647cc and even 1800cc in Alpine 1800 racing cars.
It could receive a hemi-head and then develop frop 96bhp to 150bhp in its ultimate Alpine and Renault 12 Gordini racing development, 132bhp with a low-pressure turbo in the Fuego Turbo.
Cleon stands for Dagenham, it means the 2 Cleons had only plant in common but no parts.
The hemi all alloy Cleon was a world leader – some Lotus Euope got it too.
This was the time when Ford was manufacturing all-iron wedge head Kent or all iron OHC but parallel valves harsh Pinto, BMC produced bullshit Jaguar XK and Rover V8 and SD1 sixes excepted.
One interesting version of the Cleon-Fonte would have to be the 1596cc commissioned by Oettinger for the 1979 Volvo 343 Oettinger via a 76mm bore and 88mm stroke.
http://www.volvo300mania.com/uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4454
Thanks for the information. Strange because a hemi-head gave 93bhp with the standard 1397cc block in the normally aspirated “R5 Alpine” (Gordini in the UK) and 110 with a turbo. So why such a long stroke and specific crankshaft with 90bhp only with I guess a “non hemi” head? In the past the standard 1255cc Renault 8 Gordini hemi-head gave 88bhp. The Brasilian Ford/VW derivative – originated in the Ford Corcel following the Ford buy-out of Willys-Overland Brasil – was pushed to 1 555 cm3 (77 × 83,5 mm) with 86bhp in the Escort XR3. Dacia had also pushed-it to 1557cc with 72bhp.
It is strange though assume they went a bit conservative because it was a Volvo. In theory a Cleon-Fonte 1596cc would have not only been widely used in standard as well as tuned and turbocharged forms, but would have also made the larger Cleon-Alu redundant short of Renault finding a way to productionize the motorsport (via Alpine IIRC) developed 1774-1796cc (if not the 1862cc) engines for road use for the Cleon-Alu to be a 1650-1800cc+ engine (if not be capable of further stretch prior to the Douvrin / J-Type).
Originally thought Renault themselves made use of a 1.6 F-Type petrol along with the 1.6 diesel yet turns out only Volvo made use of it from 1992 in the Volvo 440/460.
The Capri was the third pan-European Ford not the 2nd, after the Escort and the original, the Transit van.
Transit is NOT a car, it’s a big success from a vey greedy corporation…
Not my cuppaa, far from it, a death trap with 19th century leaf rear suspension dating back from Anglia, bmc made the same with the Marina…Again, taking the p”ss out customers, it is not a Cortina coupé. it’s an escort in drag, therefore the rear suspension is Anglia related.. leaf springs are a 19th century preserve, once 240Z and other Celica builders understood UK was in tatters financially, they had an Autobahn rolling for them… UK car manufacturing was dying…. by lack of investment and new models…
Actually it’s a bitsa! The floorpan is not the cortina but the modified platform that underpinned the corsair, while the suspension at the rear did come out of the Escort. At the time it was not seen as antiquated, as leaf springs they were still being used by a large number of manufacturers around the world.
Leaf springs were only used by the US,the Primula, and the Fords at that time, as for passenger cars.
Nissan were using them still in the sunny B110, Fiat Dino Coupe Jensen interceptor, Maserati Mexico. The Volvo’s XC90 uses composite leaf springs even today.
I assume the current Vovo technology has nothing to do with the railway-style used on the Escort/Capri.
Japanese cars were no better at that time. Celica was a Capri clone with harsh suspension, US-like interior and lumpy engine.
Same with Nissan and Mazda.
Only Honda was technically advanced.
Prices made the difference between a Mazda coupé or a Celica vs a Capri.
My father bought a Mazda RX4 Coupe in 1973 and I can honestly state it was a nice looking car, functional interior that didn’t offend me and had a smooth powerful Rotary engine. (was a bit thirsty though). He replaced it with a Corolla 1.2 Auto saloon in 1978 (nowhere near as good or in the same league)
In the seventies the problem with the Mazda was more the look and the chassis.
Weird look and RWD with live axle (leaf springs I don’t remember)
Another source of competition for the V6 Capri would have come from Germany. More affluent buyers who wanted a six cylinder coupe would have been turning to the BMW 6 series, and while not quite as prestigious as the BMW, the 1983 Opel Monza was a better car with its 135 mph petformance and smooth straight six. Also the Audi Coupe and Opel Manta GT/E could totally outrun the Pinto engined two litre Capri.
BMW 6 series was a premium, prices could not be compare !
@ Philippe, bear in mind, the middle class in Britain became wealthier in the eighties due to tax cuts, rising real wages and property prices and BMW saw their sales quadruple in the eighties over here. Also the Opel Monza developed a following among well off coupe buyers as it could do everything a BMW 6 series could do for less money and was a classier car and better to drive than a V6 Capri. Then there was the Audi Coupe snapping at the Capri’s heels and some internal competition at Ford from the XR 4i.
Glenn, as far as I remember in the eighties, being in Cumbria or even in Brighton many houses for sales, people driving Escort or Marina. Of course in Central London the situation was different but the middle-class was down. It’s the upper class which was up due to Thatcherism, and then of course this brought more customers for BMWs. The Capri 2.8 i was probably 30% cheaper than the 628. Sadly there was fewer and fewer middle class to purchase 1.6 or 2.0 Capris which were really good value for money for those who could afford the rear suspension setup.Yes the Monza was a very nice car, here in France driving a Commodore, a Monza or a Senator was like driving a premium with less money. Why did GM Europe did not cut-out those nasty Kadett / Ascona and try to rise at an Audi’s level ? Now they are just Peugeot clones !
From my memories / and photos of the RX4 Coupe I still think it was a good looker (not weird) especially with quad headlamps. Was great when my Dad let me drive it (I was about 21/22) and he had no mechanical issues with its rotary engine whatsoever. To this day it looked more appealing than the current never ending crop of SUV’s and crossovers.
Many plies, a kind of pseudo-US.
Yes strangely much more reliable than the ill-fated COMOTOR.
@Nate, overbored or overstroked engine to some extent are not that reliable, this is probably why they stopped one at 1397 and the other one at 1647 even though for racing they extended but a racing-car will not need to reach 150,000 miles. See the Series 2 4.2 XJs, overbored and already long-stroke.
For sure some further modifications for Series 3 made it slightly more reliable (additional water inlets between bores).
Same with A Series, originally 803cc, still reliable in 1275cc form and extended over 1400 I guess for racing but never for production.
Back to the Renault range, the F was to replace the Cleon Alu with 1721cc 82bhp initially, a gasoline G was expected for the 2.0/2.2 range but killed in favor of the Volvo N series (in 4 and 5 cylinders form), E and D replaced the Cleon Fonte.
The gap between 1390 from the E and 1721 from the F was filled-up when the E was transformed into a K, allowing to extend-up to 1600, 90bhp, then later 110 and up to 130 in 16 valves form.
The Capri became left behind, which is the simple answer for its demise. In the Ford range, you could an Escort XR3I that was 15 mph faster than a 1,6 Capri and there was the Sierra XR4i, using the same engine as the Capri injection, which was a far more modern car to drive and looked quite futuristic.
Ford had planned to replace the Capri with a Sierra based coupe, but as hit hatches were taking off, it was dropped sn we git the XR4i instead. Steve Saxons book has a pic of the car.
The XR4i was an internal competitor to the Capri Injection as it used the same engine, but was a much more modern car and Ford advertising were keen to move it away from the furry dice and Professionals image of the Capri, I do recall the advert from 1983 with the wealthy couple setting off from Chelsea in their XR4i for the weekend in France.
A car I preferred to the Sierra XR4i was the Sierra XR4x4. It had the five door body style only (I think) and looked good. Once, I was a passenger in a client’s XR4x4 up the A1M and it was a fast smooth ride. Must have been 1986/87
Found another image of the Sierra-based Capri below, cannot say am a fan of the Jelly Mould front or the underdeveloped ill-proportioned “Isuzu Piazza look” of the rest of the body though it can be remedied with a mk2 Sierra inspired front and other changes.
It would have been better for the Sierra-based Capri to move more upmarket against the Hot Hatchbacks, as a 2.0-2.9 Coupe (instead of a 1.3-2.9 Coupe) via a range of 123-150 hp (or 136-150 hp) 2-litre DOHCs, 204-224 hp 2-litre Cosworth YB, 150-160 hp 2.9 Cologne and 192-210+ hp 2.9 BOA/BOB V6s (possibly uprated to around 230-250 hp at most).
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/concept/11-secret-fords-you-never-knew-existed
That pic of the Sierra derived Capri reminds me of a prototype Cavalier MK1 Sportshatch in 1978. The production Cavalier Hatch looked better though. Thanks for sharing this Nate.
That is one possibility yet the Dacia, Argentinian and Ford Brazil versions of the Cleon-Fonte had little issue reaching similar capacities.
More plausible would be a combination of Renault not wanting to ditch the time and investment getting the Cleon-Alu* into production (where a 1300 version was originally conceived for the 12 before being abandoned in favor of the cheaper 1289cc Cleon-Fonte), along with the joint-development with Peugeot of the Peugeot-Renault X-Type “Suitcase” engine (and other projects) together making further development of the Cleon-Fonte a lesser priority prior to Renault dropping the X-Type engine.
*- Even though the Cleon-Alu was said to have been conceived as a 4/6-cylinder engine before the Six was abandoned together with the Project 114 successor to the Frigate.
The limitations of the A-Series appear to largely stem from making do with transfer machinery rather than a more modern production line, which would have allowed easier (and earlier) enlargement to 1275 up to about 1400cc at most as well as for getting other updates into production.
However the company was not in a position both financially and mentally to consider updating the A-Series or producing such an engine except belatedly in the form of the A-Plus (via the stillborn A-OHC), being caught in the middle between those who wanted to keep the A-Series into production as it was for as long as possible (conceding grudgingly to minimal updates to pass increasingly stringent emissions laws) and those who preferred developing a entirely new small block engine without recognising there was not enough money available (nor an significant improvement over the A-Series) prior to the K-Series.
Despite the differences between the similarly sized A-Series and Cleon-Fonte / Energy engines, BMC / BL should have embraced similar approach to Renault with the A-Series.