Common at one time but rarely spied today is a first-generation Mercury Capri (’70-’78). I knew three individuals who owned one (a ’72 and two from ’77) but I had largely forgotten about this sporty Ford of Europe sold in the U.S. by Lincoln-Mercury dealerships. Today’s 1976 find, courtesy of Rocco B., hails from Brentwood, California and is available, here on craigslist, for $12,750.
So, what’s in a name? The Capri was named for the Italian island of Capri. However, the island is pronounced Cap’ri with the accent on the first syllable – I took a trip there in 2008 and was repeatedly reminded about the pronunciation. I’m not trying to run a travel agency here but if you ever get a chance to go to that part of the world you should check it out – there is a ski lift sort of a conveyance and you can cover a lot of the island that way and see it from an unexpected perspective. Anyway, this car was a product of Ford of Europe and built in Germany. A single two-door, four-passenger coupe is how they rolled and Mercury dealerships moved about a half-million copies over its nine model year span.
Being a 1976 model puts our subject car in what is considered the Capri Mark II series (’76-’78) which is very similar to its predecessor with the biggest difference being its hatchback body style. The seller of this car tells us that the finish is mostly original though it is faded – no surprise considering it’s red and 48 years old. The body shows well, however, with no sign of dents, rust, creases, or park by feel error. The BIG bumper black rub strips are faded but that’s to be expected.
An 88 net HP, 2.3-liter, in-line four-cylinder engine propels this little Mercury’s rear wheels, courtesy of a four-speed manual transmission. The mileage claim is 104K miles but it is not authenticated. The seller adds, “Runs great, new parts, brand new tires, brakes, spark plugs and wire, fuel pump and fuel hose, battery, valve cover gasket…..Pass smog test and register“. The last part about passing the smog test is important if his Capri is to remain a California resident. I can’t speak to the performance of this four-cylinder engine as two of my Capri-owning friends had an optional 2.8 liter V6 powerplant in their cars and the resulting performance was lively.
There’s not much to say about the black vinyl, bucket seat interior except that it’s in good nick. While a rather ordinary, ’70s environment, the upholstery doesn’t look worn, the headliner is sound, and the rear cargo area appears to be unscathed from careless loading.
If one were interested in taking a step back in time and reliving the experience of owning this European-styled Ford, this would be a perfectly good example. Even with a faded finish it still presents well. My only concern is the price. At $12,750, I’m not feeling it, how about you?
I can see this price for the V6, but 88HP isn’t enough to move the needle.
The lighter in weight Pinto with this motor would be a lot cheaper, faster, & better on gas.
This has it all over the Pinto in styling.
True. And the Pinto makes a MUCH bigger mushroom cloud.
Darcy, the fix for the cute & roomy for 4 people Pinto gas tank issue was simple & dirt cheap.
Have you heard the latest recall “fix” on some modern Ford Vehicles on leaky fuel injectors that can cause fires?
Watch on youtube, the beginning of “Ford Can’t Sell Their Vehicles Anymore and Now They’re Forced to Do This”.
Lets not forget modern electric vehicles(as well as scooters & electronic devices) that can catch on fire, even when you are not using them! – with the vehicle fires taking tons of water & time to put out.
For being a basic economy car, these were cool little machines. Sporty styling, straightforward mechanicals, attractive dash panel. I like both generations. I’d be fine even with the 4 cylinder as long as it has a 4 speed transmission. This one looks pretty good, doesn’t look rusty like most. They do seem to have a following in the US but I’ve heard they have a huge following in the UK. Anyone have experience with that?
Friend of mine bought a yellow ‘76 brand new, with the 2.8 V6/4speed. It was a nice car-good fit and finish. I had a ‘74 Pinto wagon 2.3/4speed at the time. It galled him that my Pinto could hang with his Capri. I couldn’t beat him- but he couldn’t lose me either. 😏 Cologne V6s were problematic, to say the least. Lots of valve train/head gasket problems.
I learned to drive in a 1974 Pinto wagon. And go my brothers 1971Capri when I went off to college. The Capri had the 1600 4speed. The stick connected to the transmission with a big nylon threaded connctor. The threads stripped out and would periodically come out in my hand. Fun times.
I had a ’77 Mustang 2 with the Cologne V-6. It was troublesome, and an oil burner. The 2300cc 4 was a better choice.
My Dad had a ’79 Capri (the Mustang clone) with the Cologne 2.8L V6, and it was O.K.. Not great, just O.K., until the water pump let go one night. I had just graduated from college and was driving it on my way home from work one night, when the water pump shaft let go. I wasn’t too far from home, and I was able to keep the engine temperature within limits by running the heater in July, but as the pump’s impeller smashed itself to bits, the pieces got sucked into the water jacket and clogged the cooling passages. Kiss the motor good bye. Dad let me drive the Capri because he had just bought a new Audi 5000 Turbo. We sold the Capri for $3000 to a guy who dropped a 302/5.0L V8 into it.
The front of the car always sat high, until I saw it with the V8 in it, when it sat level for the first time. The car must have had the front springs from a V8 installed instead of the springs for the lighter V6 in it.
The 2.9 v6 heads are the ones that had issues…..Not the 2.8….I currently own 5 of the 74 Capri models and three 76 or 77…Never had an issue with the heads on any of them….The timing gears yes as Ford tried to quit them by making them out of a fiber composite….They fixed that issue by making the gear out of aluminum….
Here in the UK had a 2.0s Mk III for 27 years (only sold due low emission zone coming in my area) Very large following here and in Europe and a simple easy car to fix-spares easy too…..well they made just under a million of them ! Mine had a 5 speed gearbox – made a differance on longer trips esp on motorways (oops-freeways) Still v practical and comfortable-I miss mine
These look SO much better with the Euro bumpers! Nice car, but not $12,750 nice.
I fell in love with a Capri with the V6, a whale tail spoiler, gold wheels and black and blue two-tone paint. I forget what L-M called that package. Anyway I was a broke teen and couldn’t afford it but the seller trusted me and sold it on installments. I took it home and every Friday when I got paid I’d drive to his house and make a payment. Oh yeah, the car turned out to be crap.
Those were called LeCat Black as I recall, saw ads for them in Mechanix Illustrated back then.
Drop a 2.3T n W.C T5 from a clapped out GT 2.3T, SVO, XR4Ti “s.a engine harness source also” or Turbo Coupe n this thing would be a blast.
Hmm, that does sound intriguing and yet, the first gen Capri’s were pretty tail happy and the sudden power surge of a turbo after the lag might deliver some unwanted surprises.
Something to think about.
Speaking of motor swaps: some company (long forgotten by me) used to sell kits to swap a 302 ford I to these cars. Ah, the unmaterialized dreams of 17 year olds, haha
Ford tried a version of your suggestion. My 1985 Merkur XR4ti had the 175hp turbo engine but used the Capri (some pronounced it Crap-ee) 4 speed with a 5th gear tacked on the back like an overdrive. You had to stay hyper-aware of when the turbo would spool up, it was very peaky. The Sierra was also very sensitive to TTO, glad I had the seat belt nice and tight. That trans could not handle the engine output very well and the tacked-on 5th gear would tend to pop out of gear on liftoff. I added a bungee cord around the shifter, finally changed to a T5. We liked the leather–after Ford fixed the bad stitching–and it was a blast in the era for “eta” engines,
I had one of these in the 80s. Turboed the V-6 but it needed more. So I swapped a 302 in. Easy fit. Fabricated mounts and used some early Mustang headers. The car was a rocket.
I think this is much better looking than the 1st generation.
My Dad test drove one of these. V-6, automatic, let me drive it too, at 15! Thought it was way more sporty than the Mustang II he bought instead.
I had a ’76 V6 4 speed and it was a GREAT driving car. I took it up to 125mph!!
For $13K, you still have a choice of daily drivable fourth gen Vettes, which offer more of everything than just about any Capri on the planet.
Like the car but not at $12K .
I was 20 then…. this one looks quite complete. I was hoping to see a picture of the gooseneck map light on the passenger side which was always shown in the glossy ads back then in Playboy etc. The map light was half the reason to buy one of these back then…….
and those crazy push button switches on the dash
Lovely looking car. Although I was way too young at the time to drive a car, I remember the Ford (Mercury) Capri. It’s a damn shame that this body style didn’t continue into the 80s. While the Faux bodied Mustang was a nice car, it didn’t translate well into the Capri. If only more pics were posted on craigslist.
Sorry you didn’t get the MkIII over there. The Capri carried on til mid eighties – in the UK any way!
These have a huge following, not just here in the UK but Western Europe as a whole and even basket cases get good money.
Specifically in the UK, we also got a MkIII, with the Brooklands 280 being the one to have, all coming (from the factory) with British Racing Green paint.
As far as the MkII, it’s the RS3100 (if you can find one!).
Capris here came with engines from the 1.3, 1.6, 2.0, 2.3, 2.8 and 3.1-litres and from trims from L, Laser, GL, S, Ghia etc.
I first fell in love with the Capris that were the stars of the TV show, The Professionals, with Bodie and Doyle racing through the streets of London in their 2.0S’s.
My mother later had a 1.6GL and boy did it shift if you floored it.
Truly wonderful cars!
UK buyers prefer righthand-drive. So cut the asking pris down to usd6K and it would maybe sell.
I’m not sure if the Ford FX Atmos would satisfy all countries since the driver is in the CENTER of the car!
The Firebird III surely would, since it’s BOTH right & left hand drive!
I find it odd that Straker’s & other cars in the future UK were LEFT hand drive in the 1970 sci fi TV show, “UFO”, as well as the UK cars in the 1969 movie, “Doppelgänger”(aka “Journey to the Far Side of the Moon” in the states).
When the British car TV show Wheeler Dealers moved to sunny CA for a spell, they did a Mercury Capri Mk. II. I saw it listed up for auction in Hemmings Motor News, except they called it a Ford Capri, since that’s what it was called in the U.K..
It was only a Mercury in the US. In the rest of the world it wore a Ford badge.
Man, one of the last 1/25 model cars I bought as a kid from Woolworths was a Mercury Capri in this body style. Black with gold accents.
My brother had a Pinto ESS with this V6 in it. He got plowed into by an Olds Delta 98 and the car got totaled before the engine could cause any issues, hahaha!
When I was in 5th grade my teacher had a Capri. She was hot, the car wasn’t bad neither.
My 2nd car in 1987 was a ‘76 Capri. Bright Yellow, 2.8 V6 4 speed. Previous owner put extra leaf spring in the back, and it had “Hurricane” rims on white letter tires.. Fell in love with that car, and bought it. Served me well and had plenty of giddy up at 17 yrs old.Sold it for $800. Miss it.
You certainly would have felt it ten years ago when it was half that price but time marches on and 40 year old classics go up in value, even the affoedable ones. If it was based a rarity alone this car would be double the price. Anything in this condition under $15k is a bargain these days. I bought a Capri in the 80s for $600 when it was a “used car”. I felt it. They are fun cars to drive. They were German made. You have to drive one to appreciate it.
I like the Mark II examples better and by the 1979 Model Year, these became Mustang clones. The 2.3L four was better suited to the Pinto, but there’s always a 2.3L Ecoboost crate motor for an upgrade.The Cologne 2.8L V6 was better, except for the timing gears with nylon teeth that were direct drive (no timing chain or belt). God help you if any of those nylon teeth chipped or stripped out! I don’t know if the Cologne motor was a non-interference engine or not (I sure hope that it was), but either way, those nylon timing gears weren’t noted for their longevity. Fortunately, the aftermarket replacements were all steel! Noisier, but stronger!
Small block Ford time 302 fits with a little work but let you know you can build that 4 banger with some nice goodies too , I really think the price is a little to high good luck
True. A 2.3L Turbo from either an SVO Mustang or a Mercury Mercur XR4ti is a drop-in upgrade, since it’s the same motor with internal upgrades to handle forced induction.
Car Nut Tacoma: Ford continued MK. 3 production for Europe until 1984; for the U.K. until 1986, with the runout of just over 1,000 Capri 280s known as Brookland’s specials because of the green paint (leather Recaros, 15″ wheels and tires, 5 speed stick) went on sale March 1987.
Daymo: Check your facts – the RS3100 was built on the MK. 1 body, AVO finally got it ready just as the gas crunch hit, Ford had MK. 1 and 2 going down the assembly line at the same time.
Jimbo Jones: Pretty sure Team Blitz still sells kits to put a 302 in these.
For those who can’t get enough of Capris, try this.
https://www.bing.com/search?q=speyer%20capri%20meet%202019&qs=n&form=QBRE&=%25eManage%20Your%20Search%20History%25E&sp=-1&ghc=1&lq=0&pq=speyer%20capri%20meet%202019&sc=11-22&sk=&cvid=963D5C326E3B4C78B76BD8F67A782F62&ghsh=0&ghacc=0&ghpl=
Quite right. Typo. Sorry.
@ Paul Root, same thing happened to my 1971. As we figured out, if you hold the shifter firmly in place you could make the gear shifts.
Good times
Extremely difficult to find in this condition. I’ve a soft spot for this one even if it doesn’t have the V6; does have that manual transmission though. A test drive would be in-order. An acquaintance had a Capri II in the late-’70s and it was plagued with a rear differential whine. I asked her once if the dealer tried to fix it but I don’t recall if she had it diagnosed and fixed.
I happen to have a V6 Gaia version of this car (in signal red) with the sport interior trim and manual sunroof. It has just over 50K miles and is in amazing condition. I hope to have it on Bring a Trailer in the next few weeks. Mine is a very solid survivor and is hoot to drive.
I’ve had several MK I and MK II V6 examples and have found them to be bulletproof. The only weak point was the timing gear would shear from its plastic centre a engine would stop dead. Given that the Cologne V6 is not an interference engine there was no damage. There is an all metal replacement that is easy to install. These are very tail happy and a lot of fun to drive with plenty of power. Given the rarity of these and the general condition of the car, I don’t thing the price is too for off. Keep in mind as well that a 5.0 with a 5 speed was fitted to these in the South African market and sold as a Piraña which really makes the car dance.
South African Basil Greene built the “Perana” which was a 302 version of the Mk1. They are highly sought after now. I think the name is correct, no doubt someone will tell me.
The RS3100 was banned from racing at some stage, my memory lets me down with the specifics.
I remember a 71 or 72 at Milan Dragway, tubbed and sporting a Cleveland motor. Awesome looking car and if memory serves me correctly, it ran like gangbusters. Ahhh yes, the good old days.
Had a “73 2.0 L 4spd forrest green with black vinyl and a ’76 Ghia V6 4 spd white with black interior. Both were great cars but the V6 left the 2.0 in the dust. Our whole family had them, mostly ’74 V6’s. You never see them any more. This one is in good shape for its age and is ~ 10 miles from me. If I had garage space I would grab it. They are so rare now and this one is the best I’ve seen in quite a while!!
The Capri’s primary competition, at least until it went away after the 1975 model year, was the Opel Manta and its plain Jane sister, the 1900. Both captive imports, designed and built in “Der Fatherland”, and both offered a superior driving experience in many ways to their domestic cousins. The Opel fitted me better, but both were otherwise very good cars for their time.
I had an early car [ 73 ] with the 2.6/4speed. loved that car. I was maybe 19, lots of memories. they were extremely popular in my town, with my best friend and a couple other hunting buddies owning them too. Mine was the only v6/4speed, though one of my buddies ended up with a liftgate style 2.8/auto. [ not nearly as cool to us youngsters at the time ]