This dusty 1971 Mercury Capri is listed with minimal information, and all we can glean is what we see in the photos: it’s been sitting in a garage somewhere around Fall River, Massachusetts, for quite some time. The old-school green-on-white Massachusetts license plates and the preserved AAA sticker on the bumper tell you that this relic is a bit of a museum piece, even if it hasn’t been dusted and washed regularly. Find it here on Facebook Marketplace for $5,500 or trade for a mini excavator.
I actually have access to a mini excavator and live nearby – hmm, wheels turning. Not really; as much as I like the obscure imports brought into the country by the likes of Ford and Chrysler Corp., I have no burning desire to begin working on an oddball like this. The Capri doesn’t appear super rusty in photos, but this being New England, I would not be surprised to see holes underneath. After all, it’s not as if these cars were treated like collector’s items when new.
The seller includes just a few photos of it in the garage, and impressively, the tires aren’t flat. It’s hard to say whether the inner fenders are hiding any rust, but I would absolutely want to rub my hands inside the wheel wells to see if anything is hiding. The good news is the Capri at least seems very original, still riding on factory wheels with all of its trim in place, aside from a wrinkled rear bumper.
This “money shot”, if you will, shows the Capri being wheeled into the daylight for the first time, and it definitely looks better than I’d expect. The sills don’t look too bad, and the panels are surprisingly straight going down the passenger side. Heck, even the antenna remains straight and true. Overall, this is a project with little upside if you get into it for too much money, but it’s rare to find one of these in any condition in the snowbelt.
I’ll be “that guy”. While Capri were sold at Lincoln-Mercury dealers, they wore no “Mercury” badge and were not considered to be Mercuries.
The Capri has a strong desirability in Britain, Australia and South Africa.
Hey, I can be “That other guy” who owned one! I got one of these for college and it was an awesome vehicle. Dad had just bought a new Lincoln, and they made him a killer deal on the Capri. I’m pretty sure my CA registration said “Mercury” on the Make line and “Capri” on the model line.The fit and finish, the interior, the peppy motor, it drove like a dream, felt totally German. Which it was. It was like a mini BMW, which here in SoCal was gaining a reputation with gearheads by then. It was San Diego State. I was from Calabasas. The car made multiple trips home (2 hrs flat in the middle of the night!) and multiple trips to Mexico ( surfing way south of Ensenada ) Then that summer, a surprise to me, a job at my father’s factory which was in Gardena, about 40 miles from home. All.Goddam.Summer. Then back to San Diego State. Point is, put a buttload of miles on that thing, never once broke down! Needless to say, all those college times, surfing times, dating, commuting, I have a lot of feels tied up in that car. Which may exaggerate the value to me. I guess I’m their target demo.
Escort in a party frock. From the staining above the tailpipe, this one was an oil burner for some time.
If this was in the UK, it would have been sold 1st day of advertising. They can be rust buckets, but all parts are available. A good MK1 now would command 25/30k GDP.
Had a ’73, awesome car………
Poor add….what motor?? 1600 or 2000??? Under hood pict would help.
They tended to rust above the rear wheel arches. Look closely and you can see lots of bubbling on this one. I had a ’73 with the V-6 back in the day, a real blast to drive.
Likely rusted badly. Also likely the 1.6 engine. With that said, that push rod Kent engine really is the better of the two. Yes the 2.0 is a tough engine but it is heavy and rough and better suited to a boat or forklift application. There is a high perf head from the 1300 RS(?) which really wakes up the US 1.6 version. I know it has rot everywhere so I’m out in either case
…I had three of em over a five year period in Alaska and Oregon. Fantastic cars with the V6s, but they didn’t age very well. Fun while it lasted…
This is the twin of my first car 1971 Capri 1.6l and 4 speed. Same color, red over black. A few week points…shifter, quarter windows. Nothing but fond memories…
l also had the identical car. Top speed was about 85 mph with the 1.6L. I then bought a new 73 v-6 which was considerably more fun to drive. Both cars were reliable despite being driven hard.
As i have mentioned before
I had a 73 with a 2.6 v6
Loved that car
I had a ’71 with a 1600 engine. Whenever I went a Mercury dealer for spares the parts guy would tell me there was no such engine. I once drove it from Toronto to New Orleans and back in a four day trip. A fun car but very rust prone.
I live 10 minutes away if anyone needs some legit eyes on this.
Let me know
wow- these are so rare now! they were very plentiful back in the ’70’s. i guess too many were rusted out, crashed and crushed.
they were great fun to drive, and easy to work on. if this was closer to me, i’d be all over it.
Had a 1974 4-speed with the 2 liter 4-cyl. Fun car, very German-feeling. Still recall the crank-open sunroof.
I had a ’73 with the 2.0 engine.It was a great road car,
but not much good as an autocross/hillclimb car.
I found this one in our neighborhood & helped the owner
sell it.He was the original owner.It went to New Zealand.
Every time one of these is on Barn Finds, it brings back fond memories to former Capri owners. Myself included. A great car for what it was.
yes it does, i would love to find a nice one like my 73 V6 4speed.
there were some great memories in that car
Had a ’73 4 cyl 4spd and a ’76 Ghia V6 4spd! Two totally different cars but loved them both. Would love to find a preserved Ghia…. maybe some day!🤓🤞🙏
I had one identical to this one. A lot of fun to drive. Only complaint I had was the fiber timing gears. They fragged on me one time. Just about had to disassemble the motor to get all the pieces out.
I bought a new one in May 1972. Red, 2000cc, 4 speed, AM radio.
Good car. Drove it for 3yrs, put about 60k miles on it. Fun times.
Advertised as “The Sexy European”