Earlier this week, I had written about a 1:24 scale model of a 1969 Ford Capri 1600 GT XLR I had recently purchased. I remain thoroughly impressed by manufacturer Welly’s attention to detail, which I think is remarkable considering the low price I paid for it. I’m not the ultimate connoisseur, but I have a number of scale models of cars that have been important to me displayed in my living space as part of the overall decor. Though the accounts of my Capri ownership experience were fictional, much of the rest of that essay was factual, including my long-time love for a beautiful, imported car I had grown up thinking was a “Mercury” Capri.
The 1979 model year was when the Capri became a legitimate Mercury, twinning with the winning, new Mustang based on Ford’s new, compact “Fox” platform. Several things I liked about the new Capri were its muscular, flared front fenders and rear quarter panels, the wide, smoke-effect taillamp lenses, and the flat front panel with its quad headlamps and horizontal grille.
The ’79 edition’s frontal styling provided, in my eyes, the only external piece of styling continuity with the European Capri, save for the fact the quad headlamps were now rectangular instead of round. On the inside, though, it’s clear by one look at the dashboard that the new Fox ponies were influenced by their European cousin. Even my ’88 Mustang had the same, basic placement of the gauges in their cluster as the early Capri.
The original Capri was a success in the U.S., even if its sales figures tapered off after the foreign exchange rate with (West) Germany made ownership here a bit cost-prohibitive for its content toward the end of its run here. It remained a well-liked car. Fast-forward to model year 1991, and the Capri made its final reappearance as a front-wheel-drive 2+2 convertible manufactured in Australia. We’ve covered the last Capri at Curbside here and here. To summarize its story in just one phrase, it was less than a success, and as a result, they are very hard to find in the wild. I could probably count on the fingers on one hand the number of them that I’ve seen over the past five years, or so.
Remembering these pictures I had taken last February, I considered them a fitting bookend to a week in which I had fantasized about owning an early example of the European sporty coupe on which this model name had first appeared in the United States. Not every story has a happy ending, and not every family name gets to live on to another generation. It has been over a quarter of a century since the last, new Capri made an appearance for model year ’94. Just the same, it was great to revisit this pair of pictures of a latter-day Capri in a bustling, downtown, city center environment to which I hope to return.
Downtown, The Loop, Chicago, Illinois.
Thursday, February 14, 2019.
Valentine’s Day.
Print ad and brochure photo were as sourced from the internet.
The curbside effect is an amazing thing… Last week I found this Capri, which I believe is the only one to be in Colombia, in the parking lot a mall in Bogotá. I was about ti take more pictures but the owner was inside the car. The car was brought to Colombia by oye neighbor in 1991 or 1992. He was a misterous gentleman that traded with interesting cars. Among them this Capri and a Matra Rancho.
Juan, I like the Curbside Effect even more when it happens across continents! I had to look up the Matra Rancho, as I was unfamiliar with them. It reminds me a little bit of a Citroen Merari (with which I am also unfamiliar).
Like you, I am also a little reluctant to take pictures of a car when there are occupants in it, but I took a chance a few weeks ago on a different car (that paid off) which I may write up here.
The original Ford Capriwas quite a nice car based on the Ford Consul but with fastback coupe roofline a genuine collectors item these days, the second effort was a bigger success based on Cortina 4 and Zephyr V6 mechanicals it ran for many years badged as a Mercury for the US the 3rd effort was a restyled Mazda 323/Familia cabriolet built in Aussie that leaked and sold poorly arriving around the same time as the very good MX5/Miata which sold well, I havent seen one for a while, a good thing really.
Bryce, the thing I always seem to forget offhand when comparing the Miata with the Capri was the layout – the Miata being RWD, and the Capri being a front-driver. When you mentioned the 323/Familia, I was reminded of this.
One other car it might be compared to would be the 90-95 Lotus Elan, it was an odd duck being FWD and the proportions are actually similar to the Capri (wedgy and stubby)
Most unfortunate timing for Lotus to spend a good chunk of GM money only to release this reputedly-excellent and very expensive car that not only resembled a rather dreadful and cheap Ford, it arguably looked the lesser of the two.
There’s a story (of forgotten provenance) that there was miscommunication between the design and production stages such that the Elan was made several inches wider than intended. It’s certainly the oddest aspect of the thing in the flesh: it looks practically square. Skinnier, and retaining the curves on the hips, it would look a great deal better.
The biggest blow of all is that the Miata, an unabashed reformulation of the beautiful ’62 Elan, was considerably the best of either of these two forgotten contemporaries, and became a huge-selling icon that is still made today.
This looks like one of those shots in black and white where one object is in color. The photograph is much more remarkable than the car. 🙂
+1
It’s probably considered heresy to Europhiles, but I vastly prefer 79 Fox Capri to its predecessor, at least in styling alone.
Speaking of models, this is one of the ones I had as a kid where it had a mechanical folding top, I think they were sold at Walgreens back in the 90s, I remembering having a Miata version as well. Back then it seemed like any car that merited a diecast model being made of itself had to be desirable in 1:1, so it was kind of jarring seeing the real thing and realizing it was kind of a flop later on. In hindsight the model maker probably was just trying to apply their nifty folding top mechanism to the few sports car convertibles that existed at the time, and for the real deal that ragtop was its only selling point as well.
My son had one of those!
I drove a lot of this generation Capri. I wanted to like them so much, and there were so many things that worked. The interior quality was excellent. The seats were very good. Even the little parcel shelf/seat was notable. However, there were some things that just didn’t work.
The exterior. A dud. There was a lack of any styling beyond shaping the car as though it was a mild wedge. While the rear was interesting, the front was not. The car looked like it was assembled with a few different cars in mind.
It was not fun to drive. Even with the five speed, the Capri did not excite. With the automatic, what resulted was a mild coupe with a convertible roof. The interior was plush, the exterior was dull and the performance was blah.
I also had a lot of experiences with the Mazda Miata. The Capri was most definitely not a Miata. The Miata was a small road toy. My only complaint was that it was not a car for anyone over six feet tall. I wore that car like a suit. However, I absolutely had a ball in a Miata. Even after a few years of driving the Capri – not once had I felt “fun”. Instead the Capri exuded “adequate”. Consequently, the Capri suffered from comparison to the Miata, since the Mercury often reminded onlookers of the more popular Mazda two seater.
While I occasionally find this generation Capri for sale, I imagine being challenged with long term maintenance issues, due to its odd conglomeration of other car parts. Finally, to go through all of that effort for a car that really isn’t a lot of fun, seems like a waste of time.
I’m a bit embarrassed to say that the Mazda 323 engine/gearbox bits were good, and as a turbo manual, it was pretty quick in its time, but the Australian rest of it was really not. Dull to behold, they also had the structural integrity of a soggy pizza.
There’s a ‘first class’ example in a music video that my daughters find quite amusing
How have I not heard this?? Terrific – thanks for sharing this! And yes, I think the black Capri was well-cast in this video.
Presumably named after the lovely island off Sorrento in Italy, experience suggests they should have called it after the Tyrrhenian Sea surrounding, as a decent rainstorm with the top erected left more water in the Capri than off it. And that’s in sunny Oz. In February, Valentine’s Day, in Chicago, one can only imagine it fills up like an ice dispenser. Certainly a test for the relationship, going out to celebrate in that.
The thought of this Capri being used as an accessory in a disastrous Valentine’s Day date gave me a chuckle. Nicely played.
Greta spot Joe and well done for getting an “in motion” photo.
But to me, this always looks like a convertible version of the Volvo 480
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/ebay-find-1989-volvo-480-turbo-volvo-looks-forward-and-backward/
One of my co-workers bought a new one, must have been 1990 or 1991. I think it was his mid-life crisis car (he was older than I, but younger than my Father by about 10 years, my Father having bought a 1980 Dodge Omni 024 as what I think of as his mid-life crisis car).
His wife had previously bought a Cadillac (not sure which one) and this was his “spluge” purchase response. I only rode in it once, but it really wasn’t my thing. I lost track of him so I don’t know what became of it, guessing he didn’t have it long. His previous vehicle was way different (of course…that’s definition of mid-life crisis vehicle I believe)…an ’86 Isuzu PUP pickup, which his son got as a hand-me-down after he bought the Capri. Not sure why he bought it instead of the Mazda Miata, which of course was also new and a red-hot seller back then (maybe that’s why, if he couldn’t get a Miata at list price). Of course the Miata is RWD, vs FWD for this, maybe he should have held out for it, as Miatas have persisted for years, and this model only lasted a few.