THE LEGENDARY FORD CAPRI WAS DISCONTINUED IN '86 - BUT HERE'S A REIMAGINED MODERN VERSION AND IT'S FIRE.
The Ford Capri is one of those classic icons with a unique character that made it a favourite in European motoring history and was popular in the different countries it was shipped to, like here in SA. Growing up in Kempton Park, Ford was boss and so I’d always see plenty of them, usually with Tiger Firepower tyres on small and wide wheels with some serious poke. Almost all of them had rear window louvres, and the V6 models had side-exit exhausts, but none of them were stock. The Capri hit the “world” markets in 1969, designed by British designer Philip T. Clark, who’d previously worked on the original Mustang. Ford wanted a European equivalent to the Mustang with a design appealing to young buyers. There were a few iterations of the Capri over the years, the car went through three generations. The first one, the Mk1, ran from 1969 - 1974 and it featured a sleek, long hood, short rear deck, and fastback styling a la Mustang. It was available with a variety of engines, from a wee 1.3-litre inline 4-cylinder through to the range-topper that used the well-known and much-loved 3.0-litre Essex V6, the latter is quite sought-after. There were a couple of special models, like the Capri RS2600, a homologation special for touring car racing and it had a 2.6-litre V6 engine with fuel injection, it even had an aluminium bonnet to save weight. The Capri 3000 GT was the big daddy with the 3.0-litre Essex lump. The Mk2 ran from 1974 - 1978 and it was a more refined car with more comfort, a larger cabin, rear hatch, and better safety. The engine options were the same as before with a few slight improvements. The range-topper here was the Capri Ghia - an even more upmarket spec. There was a noteworthy special edition in black and gold, the iconic John Player Special model that was a special edition celebrating Ford’s motorsport ties with the well-known JPS racing team that still has some of the best racing livery to date.
The last generation of the Capri launched in 1978 and production ran until 1986. While you could still instantly recognise it as a Capri, it was smoother, had better aerodynamics, better stance and quad headlights. Keeping up with the times, in the early 80s the car was given fuel injection as opposed to the usual carburettors. The Capri 2.8 Injection dropped the Exxes lump in favour of the Cologne V6 engine and it was rated at a cool 120 kW. The last hurrah for the model was 1987’s Capri 280 known as the Brooklands - a limited edition with a unique Brooklands green paint job and distinctive styling. With just 1,038 units produced, it’s one of the most sought-after models in existence. The End of the Road (1986). Thanks to SA’s political climate, we never got the Mk2 or Mk3 here, besides a few private imports, but it was a proper favourite. To keep local cars up to spec, local auto fanatic Basil Green of Basil Green Motors produced a limited edition that saw the factory 4-pot replaced with the Essex V6. After Ford released its own version, he upped the ante and chucked the V6 in favour of a 5.0-litre Windsor V8 and it was marketed and sold under the name of the Capri Perana. The best bit, Ford was on board with the project and even gave the car a factory warranty. The V8 lump was fiddled with a bit too, featuring a Holley carb, a high-rise ally intake manifold, an uprated cam and strengthened valve springs resulting in 210 kW and 406 Nm of torque. It’s a legend in SA, and some prime examples have been shipped to the UK and Australia. If a new-generation Ford Capri were to see the light of day, we’d bet some good money that a bunch would end up on our doorstep. There are plenty well-off Capri fanatics in SA whose fathers or even grandfathers had a Capri who would buy one based on nostalgia alone. What do you think of these renders? Would a 2025 Ford Capri be viable? Well, if it doesn’t return as a hybrid-powered SUV…
Take a look at the YouTube video from the chaps at Race Rivals that shows off what they think is a 2025 version of one of Ford's iconic cars from the past - the Capri. We think this is absolutely amazing and we fully support a new car like this, even in a limited number production runs. Sadly, the way these things seem to go, if the Capri returns, it'll be an SUV: 2025 Ford Capri – A Modern Classic Reborn | Race Rivals
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