American fans of Ford Motor Company’s Fox platform will immediately recognize this bubble-hatch, swollen-fender Mustang-looking car as a Mercury Capri, that brand’s version of the popular pony car. Not so fast! In 1983 and 1984, Ford grafted Capri parts on some Ford Mustangs sold in Mexico, and you’re looking at one. This 1984 Ford Mustang made its way north of the border to El Paso, Texas. The 5.0L (302 cid) five-speed pony became part of a storage auction, and the repainted red hatchback seeks a new owner here on eBay, with a Buy It Now price of $6950 and a Make Offer button.
According to HotRod, the Mustang sold as an upscale performance model in Mexico, often with options like the power windows and seats shown here. In addition to needing some upholstery work, the seller reports the dashboard was cut at some point for a more modern radio. The Momo steering wheel may not be original, but it looks great. The seller holds a New Mexico title in their name, though it’s showing model year 1980 despite the car’s documented manufacture in 1984.
Mexican Ford fans call these models the Mustang “Burbuja” (bubble), and some say the treatment improves the hatchback’s aerodynamics. Capri fenders boast a top to bottom flare in place of the Mustang’s eyebrows over each wheel arch. Perhaps our Fox body experts can confirm, but they appear to be the same overall width.
If it follows American specs, this should be the 5.0L High Output V8 making 175 HP and 245 lb-ft of torque, which was more than sporty in 1984, a year in which the Corvette’s numbers were 205 and 290, respectively. Five-speed manual transmission units like this one used a Holley 4180C four-barrel carburetor, while automatics used CFI (Central Fuel Injection). The 5.0 can become as powerful as your wallet allows. Thanks to MotorTrend for some details. Would you pay a premium for what fans of these Mexican Fords call the “Mustang Burbuja” (bubble)?
Interesting combination.I like the flares on the rear
fenders,but prefer the standard Mustang hatch.And then
there’s one of those unsightly alarm key switches on the left
rear fender.
If it’s as clean and rust free on the outside as the pictures
look,this should sell.
Interesting car, some upholstery work and perhaps some other repairs/upgrades would result in a unique Fox. Take it to a show but be ready to fend off those who say it doesn’t exist, it’s just someone’s creation. A Marti Report could be illustrative.
I always thought the Capri was a cleaner looking Fox body until they ruined it with that bulbous hatch, and it ruined this car as well. Had it had the earlier Capri tail lights and hatch it would be pretty cool.
I remain mystified why Ford didn’t transfer the Capri’s handsome boxflared fenders to the Mustang for its ’87 facelift, since they were canceling the Capri at the same time anyway.
Also, some Mexican Mustangs had the US Mustang fenders but with a US Capri front-end cap, seems they were all some sort of Mustang-Capri jumble-up across the board in that market.
Agree with Kincer. Tail lights no bueno
You can carry more cargo in rear,wink wink.
$6,950 is pretty fair considering the 5 figure prices they command today. The late 1980s 5.0 were not much over $10,000 brand new!
On what these cost in ’80’s I hope this helps:
My brother and I had each the Lincoln Mercury ’82 Capri RS 3-Door, 302 HO and clean, non-bulbous back end.
Each had the standard HO twin snorkel air cleaner housing which this one does not.
Yes, I still have the sticker!: $10,291. Loaded (says Base was $8107.) but we leased under the “A” plan for employees, Dad was engineer on the LTD line.
Sticker on my 1986 Mustang GT 302 HO with fuel injection bought new at Beaudry Ford Atlanta was $13,636. Sticker.
GLWTS
Great deal, you will have the only one, clean it up, beef up hp and drive it, pretty cheap price.
Seems like a reasonable deal. The bubble hatch is not the styling cue on this car that bothers me the most. The Fox mustangs and the smaller escort both suffer from the same visual oddity of the highest point on the bottom of the car appearing to be the firewall. It’s an odd proportion.
That’s due to the firewall being a “hard point” of the Fox platform’s unibody structural engineering. The volume-leader Fairmont sedans would have looked oddly-proportioned with a low cowl, and it would be more expensive to add a cowl riser to those or allow for a cut-down cowl somehow on the Mustang (nevermind producing two completely different firewall/cowl configurations), so they went with the taller firewall across the board.
Bakes, perhaps Ford should have raised the doors’ beltlines to match the height of the firewall – meaning smaller side windows that may have helped the styling.
The speedo here in kilometers is a tipoff it’s either a export model – or it’s built outside the USA. I assume tho, reading the article below, that the door jamb plate says it’s made or assembled in Mexico.
Odd there’s no 5.0 or Mustang badges on the car. & no redline on the tachometer.
Can a USA mustang rear hatch simply be swapped onto this car, if so desired, but retaining the Capri tailights?
https://www.motortrend.com/features/rare-find-mexico-only-1984-ford-mustang/
I wonder what this car’s owner’s manual cover looks like & the same with some of the illustrations inside – if still available.
The more documentation, the better – with this one.
Joe, At this time all cars had to be made in Mexico.
This car was and that is why it is a mix of parts.
The only reason I can come up with is to make the Mexican Mustangs different from the US cars.
This car has the Mustang front end and hood with the Capri wider fenders and the bubble back hatch.
The coupe from the same year used the Capri front end and hood with the thinner Mustang fenders and the Capri tail lights.
That means they had all the parts in the factory to build them just like the US cars, but they chose not to.
One more advantage to this car is it doesn’t have any of the mandated US smog equipment on the engine.
I am surprised the ask is so low considering what Fox Body Mustangs are commanding these days.
There must be something gravely wrong with it. Maybe the mistake on the title is the reason, maybe it is something more.
I bet you are going to see this car for sale again at a much higher price very soon.