Establishing one’s own, unique persona and identity is important to a youth. It’s part of the path to increased self-ownership and healthy individuation from the family unit. This process can be more challenging if you’re one of other same-sex siblings. Increased attention to personal expression is also found in the classroom, especially after fall semester is underway. Up to a certain age, many kids want to be thought of as cool as they try on new-to-them styles of clothing and hair.
There are always members of a select vanguard who are on the cutting edge, and by my observation, it normally takes a while for the styles they showcase to gain enough familiarity with others before becoming more widely seen. The trendsetters don’t seem to care about what’s considered to be cool, and by not caring, they end up making the rules. Some trends never break out of the underground, but I have always had nothing but respect for authenticity, whether I liked something or not.
It’s also true that nobody likes a copycat. One can ape someone else’s style out of admiration, but absent the legitimacy of commitment and internalization of the associated attitude, attempts to bite someone else’s style can fall flat. I’ve written before about how I used to try in adolescence to dress like my older brother, who was a whole six years and change older than me. My younger brother, in turn, did the same thing with me, and it seemed to become some sort of weird sibling flex to try to copy each other. It didn’t help that unhealthy competition between siblings seemed to be fostered by our mother (another story for a different day), but the good that came of this – for me, anyway – was the idea that it was totally okay to go left-field and do things nobody else was going to try to copy.
Last year, one of my oldest friends, from since right before she and I started first grade, unearthed some college-era pictures of me with multiple piercings and a red mohawk (don’t ask, because I won’t post those shots here), and it brought back a flood of memories. Looking at those pictures of myself at age nineteen inspired respect in me for my former self, with the amount of risk-taking and apparent apathy toward convention that I displayed back then.
I was never going to be my family’s golden child or the comedian, so it’s like I had doubled down on my developing idiosyncratic characterization and just went for it, as if to send the message that I was simply no longer going to compete in unnecessary, tension-building contests that I had never signed up for. The “Flint” within me generally resurfaces only when it needs to, but mid-’90s Joe had visibly wanted to put people on notice. More importantly, I knew that few people were going to duplicate my exact look, which was important to me.
I was in high school when the first-ever Capri convertible arrived in the U.S. for model year ’91. The MX-5 Miata had already been on sale here since February of ’89 as a 1990 model and was already a runaway success. To me, the Miata seemed like a reborn Lotus Elan, with similarly appealing and yet thoroughly modern styling, but with bulletproof Japanese engineering, reliability, and modern performance. I had long been a fan of the original Ford Capri mini-ponycar, imported in two generations from Europe between 1970 and ’77. I also had liked the homegrown, Fox-platform Capri which was like a Mustang with a twist and those muscular, boxed front and rear fenders. That car had bowed out after ’86, so naturally when I learned that a new Capri was on the way, I was happy and had high hopes for the return of this nameplate.
Interestingly enough, this new Capri, like the Miata, would have Mazda DNA, based on the Ford Laser that was related to the Mercury Tracer and Mazda 323 sold in the States. Unlike the rear-drive Miata, the new Capri would be front-drive like the subcompacts it was based on. In another aspect of differentiation and one I had almost completely forgotten about, the new Capri would have a teeny, tiny back seat, effectively making it a two-plus-two. Or a two-plus-one. Whatever. That little, rudimentary bench behind the front seats made for a better experience than riding (illegally) anywhere else on or in the car for short trips.
I can’t speak to the mechanics, so the focus of this essay isn’t about the difference in driving dynamics between the two “cousins”, but rather about the contrast in their exteriors. The first MX-5 Miata was, and remains, a flawless styling statement. It will probably forever be my favorite generation of MX-5, and it would have to take something so pure a stylistic expression of automotive joy to dethrone it in my mind. The 1990 Miata was the first of a long line of great ones, and the fact that there was nothing else like it on the market at the time made it all the more special.
Enter the Australia-sourced Capri. Let’s think about this. There was already a Miata, which was also a Mazda. Aesthetically, Ford had this fork in the road when it came to styling this Capri: to serve up another curvy, ersatz Miata, or to go in a completely different direction – which is ultimately what Ford did. How would one out-Miata the Miata? This would have been an impossible task. The Capri’s much more angular styling, influenced by the Ghia Barchetta show car of 1983, was like an aesthetic one-eighty from the MX-5. It was a zig to the zag.
Unlike with the Miata, the Capri’s styling was not love at first sight with me. I didn’t dislike it, either. I just didn’t take to it immediately the way I had the Miata. I remember reading about it in some of the random car magazines I had picked up around that time, and while I can’t remember any specifics, what I can recall is that the general tone of those articles was hopeful and positive toward the new, little Mercury. Like the marranitos cookies I had referenced in my recent ’81 Toyota Celica essay, the styling of this reborn Capri eventually grew on me and I genuinely liked it… for a while. It hasn’t aged nearly as gracefully as the early Miata, but seeing this red example parked in the neighborhood in such great condition made me remember what I had found attractive about them when they were new.
The timeline of the arrival of both cars would indicate that the development of the Mazda and Ford had long been underway so that the Capri’s styling couldn’t be seen as reactionary. This was probably not how most consumers saw it. The Miata came first, and boy, was it pretty. The Capri didn’t copy the cool kid’s clothes, and it went in its own completely different sartorial direction, much like I did with that red mohawk. The Mercury roadster’s look may not have been a hit, but at least it was original, and more importantly, all its own and with no Ford equivalent. At the time, that was enough for it to resonate with me.
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois.
Thursday, July 4, 2024.
The 1991 Mercury Capri brochure pages were sourced from www.oldcarbrochures.org. The 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata print ad was sourced from the internet.
Linked here is an excellent and comprehensive article on this generation of Capri from JohnH875.
The styling doesn’t work. It comes off as too slab sided. I worked for Ford Motor Credit Company for a time in the early 90s and had the opportunity to drive one.of these for a few weeks. I don’t recall it being anything special to drive. That really sums it up for me.: nothing memorable and really a missed opportunity for Ford. Today a.survivor might make for an interesting fair weather runabout. Id probably take my chances on something with better parts support.
Ford Credit! I remember writing checks to your company when I bought my ’88 Mustang.
I wonder what the survival rate is, to your point about parts support. I’ve seen a few of these running around over the years, but none in condition as beautiful as this example. It’s special to him or her.
There is perfect and there is “not quite there’. The Miata nailed the first one. The Ford/Mercury occupied the second spot. The Capri is not unattractive, but it is also not attractive. Which was a big problem for a car in this segment.
I remember this car encapsulating “want to like” for me for a while before I actually liked it.
Joe, you’ve done a perfect job of capturing the awkward striving of this generation of Capri. Equating that to a late adolescents’ need to self-express is definitely on the mark. Embedded in this story is theme that the adolescent probably has “good bones” and all things being equal might should just be themself and that would turn out quite fine. It’s just that in this automotive case, the underlying bones was the same as the Miata…and so there’s probably no need for two Miatas.
I found the styling of this generation of Capri to be painfully awkward. I’ve never driven one (not being a 2+ “a little bit” kind of guy) so I was at the time only able to evaluate the car by its looks. Which I found awkward. Until the Capri, I mostly associated this shape with the Triumph TR7…which had its own mixed reception and (to me and I guess others) just seemed needlessly (pointlessly) jarring compared to the models that came before “the wedge”. Although, it seems that Triumph’s design still ultimately sits better (in history) than the Capri. Come to think of it though, I don’t see too many of either around. I guess “wedge” just hasn’t been that enduring an automotive design.
Sort of like red mohawks in the coiffure dimension.
I do really like the Capri ad that is your 2nd image. The cougar playing with the ball is kind of neat, and the little people dancing counter to gravity along the side of the car are kind of creepy. The whole thing is kind of cool, kind of awkward. Which is a lot like the car itself I guess.
Thanks, Jeff! And I think the comparison with the TR7 is apt, as both cars shared a wedge shape.
I have never *not* liked the shape of the TR7 convertible. The coupe is okay. I think the TR7 drophead works better than the Capri only because its proportions are just those of a proper sports car – compared with the Capri, the TR7/8 looks longer lower, wider. Also, it has that Buick-like side character line to add a bit more visual distinction. One wedge shape, but one car is more slab-sided.
I kind of like the frozen dancing people in the ad! Haha And I wouldn’t have noticed the cougar kitten if you hadn’t mentioned that it was a baby. I think that was a great little marketing tie-in “at the sign of the cat”.
Of course these Capris were manufactured in Australia for export to the United States. And in Australia we enjoyed a much larger range of trim and option packages.
The final version sold in Australia was the best of all them.
I do genuinely like the final Ford Capri Barchetta with its nifty round taillamp housings. I wonder how many owners here in the U.S. made their Capris a clone of that one.
And, before the Ford Europe Capri, there was the Lincoln Capri of the 50s. And now, Ford Europe is going to paste a Capri badge on an electric SUV. Nothing like having a brand with an identity crisis.
Spotted this Capri at a local repair shop a few weeks ago. Had not seen one around in years. Appears to be well cared for.
…and don’t forget the Ford Consul Capri made in the UK from 1962-64. Same distinctive greenhouse shape as the much more popular Capri sold later in that decade. These were exported to North America but I’ve never seen one anywhere.
That one’s pretty.
And your observation about the various applications of the Capri name reminds me of what L-M did with the Cougar badge.
“Clunky” is the word that comes to mind when I look at these. As the featured Miata ad states, the O.G. Miata indeed showed the way into the 90’s, whereas the Capri was showing us 1987. It just never worked for me.
The Capri’s styling did always seem just behind the times to me, but I forgave that because: a ) convertible!; b.) from Australia; and c.) Capri fan, here. LOL @ 1987
Had I the means, I’d a got one of these. Thought they were so much more comfortable then the “Miata”.
Was “ensconsed” in my “brand new, mortgage about that time frame.
You have me wondering about things like ergonomic comparisons between the two cars. I wonder if I would have found the driver’s seat of the Capri more comfortable than that of the Miata. One thing’s for sure, though – five minutes in that back seat of the Capri would be more comfortable than walking in a rainstorm!
Too bad that Ford (or GM) did not try harder to develop a two seat sports car like the Miata. The Miata style got that European look styling right, and it was affordable. Has anyone else gotten such a hit since the first gen Mustangs? I have never considered a sports car except I did love my older brothers little Austin Healy Sprite back in the late 60s. I still remember drives with my brother in his green Sprite, what fun. More currently, when I lived in Canada, a good friend in his 80s had (still has) a Miata and I loved the long drives I shared with him. I am in my 70s and if I had the space for a third car, I would be looking for a Miata.
GM was still smarting from the Fiero’s lack of success as a little, two-seat sports car. Speaking of, the Fiero is the car whose styling the Capri’s seemed the most reminiscent of, to me.
I liked these, though if I’d have been in the market, I’d have a tough time choosing a Capri over a Miata. Maybe folks who really wanted a FWD car would see the Capri as being more desirable, but aside from that I doubt many folks saw an advantage. Even the sticker price was roughly similar, from what I recall.
I did think the fact that the Capri was Australian was pretty neat, and I wonder if an advertising & promotion campaign that stressed its Aussie heritage would have been successful… or not?
But at least this was a distinctive car!
Oh, and I had completely forgotten about the tiny back seat.
One other thing – it’s amusing how Mercury used a cougar kitten as its mascot for this car, while all other Mercurys got mature cougars.
The FWD vs. RWD thing would definitely be a consideration for those in certain climates, and what the precipitation looked like.
I was shocked to read in JohnH875’s original CC article on these that the earliest examples had soft tops that were prone to leaking. Like, what? They fixed that, but still.
I’m thinking about cold weather climates where Capri / Miata owners and drivers had to navigate snow sometimes.
I like that you and Jeff Sun pointed out the baby cougar in the ad. I hadn’t even noticed or seen that before today.
Like the Lotus Elan of this era, I think the wedge would have looked better as a shooting break. And it would have been more useful.
This looks really cute! I wonder what the take rate might have been. I imagine probably sort of low, only because the 323 hatch, while not nearly as sporty, would have had a proper rear seat and better utility. Still, I like the look of what you’ve put together here!
Great article, Joseph. Had forgotten this car. As a hatch it might have served as the new Pinto had that name survived.
Got my first job in ’88 and by the early ’90s was looking to get rid of my 10-year old Prelude. Needed something that could carry clubs during the week and luggage on the weekend, and stuff in general that I was starting to accumulate. A Capri 3-door would have been roughly the same dimensions, and with verve that mass market hatches didn’t have. But the quality needed to be there, and also some luxury. Was really keen on the Infiniti G20 in these years but the seatbelt mice turned me off.
As a Capri hatch, maybe it could have been the first car to offer one of those double-long sunroofs that the industry later produced (unless they already had). That would help open up the inside.
I don’t believe that these were sold in Canada, but I was certainly aware of them. I think it would be hard for the Capri to compete against the Miata.
One thing I didn’t do while writing this on July Fourth weekend was to compare sales figures of the two cars. I’m curious now to see what they looked like for the years both cars were on sale in the U S.
Late to the party, but I’ll chime in anyway. Teenage identity crisis, at your local Ford or Mercury dealer! What a great way to describe it, Joseph.
In my late teens, I just wanted to disappear, to be left alone, to be invisible. But not to conform, no way. Um – dichotomy there! And I guess you could say I was green before green was hip, cool, or whatever. So no mohawk here; that wasn’t a thing yet anyway. I let my hair and beard grow out in heavy gingery-brown waves (because natural), wore desert boots (because comfortable), lightweight green pants from the Army disposals (because favourite colour, cheaper than jeans and more comfortable), and green T-shirts. Everyhing I wore was green. If that doesn’t sound like an ‘invisible’ look in a seventies context, well I never claimed to be consistent! I was just trying to find a ‘me’.
From memory the Ghia Barchetta show car pre-dated the release of this Capri by about five years. It wasn’t a particularly attractive car at best, suffering heavy ‘blobby’ styling, but fitting in with the Sierra look. By the late eighties, I’d have thought the look should have been updated. I’d have added less clunky bumpers and some more curvature to the door tops, as the beltline has this unnerving varying-radius curvy-flat-curvy look as though someone’s been trying to channel M.C. Escher or something. Unsuccessfully. And the wheels are too small.
No, I didn’t like it. Still don’t. Even if it is Australian, I don’t have to like it.
Peter, I like your pragmatic approach to your teenage attire. This probably also meant you didn’t waste a lot of time figuring out how to style yourself for the day.
I remember seeing the Ghia Barchetta photos in JohnH875’s CC article on the Capri, which I liked. While I didn’t think that prototype looked particularly objectionable, the rear deck area looked too truncated. A little extra length out back wouldnhave done wonders.
The main thing with this Capri for me was that its beltline seemed a bit tall and thick. I’ve seen small, wedgy coupes that look great (FIAT X1/9, to make one), but below the greenhouse, the Capri has that same thickness that made the Ford EXP (and Mercury LN7) look less than graceful.
That tallness, or thickness, was dictated by use of the Mazda 323 structure, especially the firewall height. If I remember correctly, there’s all sorts of shared inner structure, such as floorpan, inner guards, possibly even inner doors, and none of that could ever have translated to a half-decent wedge overlay. It simply couldn’t be done, especially in a small car with a sedan/hatch’s beltline.
That much in common, huh? No wonder! They sure tried… I give the styling effort a solid B. Maybe a B-.
The search for identity here was a Mazda 323 hatch trying desperately to be noticed by dressing in drag as a sportscar, but looking instead like a half-collapsed IKEA camping cupboard. Like Pete, I never liked these and don’t still.
Mind you, it didn’t help that just as this teen was adding the finishing touches to this glam-radical ’80’s look, an entirely sexy, proper-sportscar cousin called MX-5 was ready first. Game over.
Everything from the chunky chonker of a dashboard to the Lego-block tailights bugged me. The hood looked awkward when up, and by all accounts, didn’t work much better than when down as a weather shelter anyway.
Worse, I can tell you they didn’t drive very nicely. Unsurprisingly, they felt like a bendy 323 without a roof, though the Mazda engine and box was sweet. The highest you’d say is “mildly competent, on smooth roads”: hardly the words the MX was (rightly) inspiring. Worse again, the turbo version, seriously snappy in its day, had atrocious, unfixable torque steer, so even any speed advantage was not usable. Like trying to pilot an unsteerable floppy mattress, it was.
I think the most intriguing thing is, how on earth does a pristine one still exist in salty old Chicago after 34 years? It’s like someone in 2024 still rocking a shiny jacket new-looking shoulder pads from the same era, and still confidently believing they’re quite with it.
I need to go back and re-read the original CC article on this Capri that I had linked, because now I’m curious to seewhat had to be done to reinforce the 323 structure for the lack of a solid top, and what that did (if anything) to weight or any other dynamics. I wouldn’t remember anything about the turbo, except that any added power would have been welcome.
I actually sort of liked the taillights before the refresh – I thought that wedge cut out of the tops near the trailing edge of the trunk was a creative, little detail.
Your metaphors kill me. I return to laugh at them. 🤣😆
I am very familiar with this car. We rented them in Florida as we retired the fleet of Miatas. As management, we were given the Miatas to use, so I had a bright red Miata for about a year for personal use. It was one of those perks. I squeezed into it when I wasn’t driving a Lincoln, and buzzing throughout Illinois and Wisconsin in it, looking for curves, hills and nice weather.
So, when the Capri showed up, I was immediately delighted. Larger where it was needed and even had a proto-rear seat, a-la-Beetle or Gremlin. It was cute, I got another red one and I was really excited to have it.
The problem with the Capri was that it was no fun. It wasn’t as fun as the Mustangs we had in our fleets, and didn’t come close to the Miata for pint-size fun. It was about as fun as a four cylinder Mustang, just smaller. The interior was usable, but it did not delight. In no way did the Capri ever surprise me. It didn’t let me down, but it didn’t exceed my expectations. It was, um – a pretty boring little car.
There were other similar cars back then. It was just that we rented Mercury and Lincoln products, and occassionally had a Mazda, Nissan, Mitsubishi or some other import trying to get our business, and let us management types have these special rides. Consequently, I cannot compare the Capri to anything except other Ford products and that Miata. The Toyota Del Sol was around and it was about as exciting as the Capri, and then there was the spectacular Honda CRX, but that wasn’t a convertible.
After a month, my interest in the Capri passed. We never got the sportier Capri with the turbocharger and spoiler. I certain that would have helped. Yet, after tooling around in the Miata, the Capri was not even close to the ride, handling and fun quotient the Mazda had.
I wouldn’t want one now. Here in the Midwest, try find parts – they just aren’t available. As a result, this car can be had in decent shape for prices below $10,000. Good luck trying to fix a cracked windshield, or any other body parts. To me, that is too much effort for what is, by my experiences, a car that just gets you from Point A to B.
“About as fun as a four-cylinder Mustang…”. Oooouch. I had a 2.3L Mustang and I loved it because it was mine and I had paid for it myself, but it was slow.
Reading the above, it sounds like your experience of the Capri was not unlike lukewarm water, which is never a good thing for a car intended to generate excitement.
The Del Sol was actually a Honda and not a Toyota – maybe you meant the Paseo? The latter never did anything for me, coincidentally. I thought the Del Sol was cool by way of being a targa-top Honda.