By 1970, the Ford Mustang and Mercury Cougar had begun to put on weight. And Ford was a year away from introducing its first subcompact, the Pinto. That perhaps led Mercury to decide to add a sporty compact to its roster and did so in the form of the German-built Capri. Though smaller than the original Mustang, the Capri had the long hood/short deck lid configuration that worked so well for the Ford. This 1972 Capri has been off the road for 28 years and will need work, starting with getting it to run again. Located in York, Pennsylvania, this mini-Merc is available here on craigslist for $2,400.
For whatever reason, Mercury chose not to put any of their badging on the Capri, yet the cars were prominently featured in dealer showrooms. Ford of Europe supplied two generations of the Capri from 1970 to 1978. After that, the Capri name would move over to Mercury’s version of the all-new Foxbody Mustang. Despite its size, the first-gen U.S. Capri had quad headlights, a bit unusual for the size of the automobile. The 1972 Capri got its power from a 2.0-liter OHC inline-4, with a V6 being optional (the seller’s car has the 4-banger).
The seller’s bronze-colored Capri was last driven in 1998. Why its active participation ceased isn’t known, so does that mean a mechanical malady beset the little car? The odometer has turned over, so it was a well-used machine during its first 26 years. A 4-speed manual transmission resides behind the 4-cylinder motor, with its condition unknown.
Things are well-worn here, though the paint isn’t as bad as you might think for the age. Since this is a Pennsylvania automobile, surely rust will have to be dealt with. And the interior appears used up, with the front seats having upholstery with tears and splits. At the asking price, you might find this as an affordable donor, assuming you have another ’72 Capri on the rack. Thanks to Barn Finder Rob for the tip!
Brings back memories. My girlfriend (now wife) had one in this color. Hers was a 4 cylinder automatic; this one would have been a bit more fun to drive.
These were nifty cars in their day. I’d like to think this one can be revitalized, but after 28 years of sitting, and with rust showing, and with the trashed interior, it might be just a parts car.
My dad bought one new in 72. It was a V6 stick. A lot of fun for a 16 yr old to drive! Same colour.
4cyl auto would have been a letdown.
I think this car is pretty rough but after renting a 4 speed version in Europe I can attest to the cars being a lot of fun to drive.
When we moved into our neighborhood in 2018,I
walked around to see where the streets went.As I walked
by a house I saw a car covered in a plastic tarp & thought
that there was an interesting car under there.The next time
I walked by the left front wheel was exposed & I thought to
myself “That’s a Capri”.I met the owner George,who bought
it new in 1972 & it needed a restoration,but was in good shape.
He eventually decided to sell it,& it ended up going to
Australia.Almost wish that I’d bought it myself.
Good looking cars.
If this car were in the UK, it would be worth 10x this asking price.
These were really great cars back in the day. The Facebook “Capri” Group has some excellent examples that have been restored. Sad to this one in a state of disrepair.
All those years ago Ford should have used this as the basis for the Mustang II… and not the Pinto based travesty…
These were pretty cool and they had genuine racing cred. Back in the day, Ford’s Capri went toe-to-toe with BMW’s 3.0CS coupes in big European touring car races. It was an incredible rivalry and spawned such things as BMWs CSL Batmobiles and the RS series Capris, with huge flares, a huge ducktail spoiler, twin cam six-cylinder engine, etc. The factories signed the best drivers of the time: you saw the likes Lauda, Stewart, (maybe Fittipaldi?), Stuck, Peterson, and other greats duking it out. It was a no-holds-barred couple of seasons of racing. Somewhere in all the mess on my bookshelf is a terrific book on those epic battles.
Side-by-side through Eau Rouge* and all that stuff. See also Zakspeed Escorts!
*I’ve done that; just a bit slower…
I had one of these when I was stationed in England in the early 80s. Mine had the V-4 engine that didn’t make it to the US. It was a blast to drive especially around the country lanes there.
I’ve always wondered why Ford never brought that engine to the US… particularly in the gas crunch ’70s… We only saw it in the Saab 96 and Sonnet…
Because Henry Ford II wouldn’t let them, that’s why! He said so bluntly, using a three letter slur for Japanese folks, when he stated ” No car of mine is going to have a (expletive deleted) engine in it!”. This according to Lee Iacocca in his autobiography: “Iacocca: An Autobiography”, by Bantam Publishing. Lee Iacocca wanted to do a deal with Honda to drop ship V4 engines for use in the Pinto, at $600 an engine, far below Ford’s costs, when his boss, Mr. Henry Ford II, a.k.a. “Hank the Deuce”, said “No!”, using the nasty quote I cited. As Mr. Ford also stated quite plainly, “When your name is on the building, you can do what you want!” Point taken, LOL!
This may yet be another example of Detroit’s shortsightedness, as the refusal may have spurred Mr. Honda to start his own car company to compete with Ford, just for spite, LOL! The results are plain for all to see!
…but, but… they were Ford engines. The “Taunus” V4 built in Germany… and the “Essex” V4 built in the UK. Still don’t get it ;-)
Perfect for carting my homunculii around.
What, exactly are hormunculi, other than the the plural form of hormunculus?
LOL correct, plural of “homunculus”. My OP was a reference to a Capri starring in the TV series “Small Prophets”. Within that context, then, a homunculus is
Alchemy & Folklore: Historically, a miniature, fully-formed human created through artificial means, often described in 16th-century texts as a “prophesying spirit”.
Had an identical one in same colors but mine was the V6 and 4-speed. Lots of fun. Not sure this one is worth saving it will take a big investment which puts it well past its value.
What a neat lawn ornament. I remember the second gen from when I was a kid
Me too! The second generation cars has a cleaner look and better proportions, these were kind of chunky, IMHO. When we were shopping for a used car for my college ride, so my younger brother could drive Mom’s Maverick (he was still in high school and needed a ride to get to hockey practice), we looked at one of the first generation cars. Dad had to test drive it though, because I didn’t know how to drive a stick yet. We passed, because Dad, who was sixty-seven (67) inches tall, found the driving position awkward, and felt that given my 59.75 inch height, would have found the car not only uncomfortable, but almost undriveable!
The 2.8L V6 was either a German motor, built in Cologne, Germany, or an Essex V6, I can’t remember which, but it had a direct drive timing gear setup (no timing chain). The timing gears meshed directly with each other, but one of the gears had nylon teeth, which tended to break over time as the plastic got brittle (As seen on Wheeler Dealers). All-metal replacements are available on the aftermarket, and the engine is a non-interference engine, so if the timing gear breaks, the engine will survive the event!
I worked at neighborhood local Getty station , we had customer with v6 Capri 4 or 5 speed stick , I wound it in first gear banged second gear and a put a rod through the side of the block, my boss was livid.
Don’t remember why but I wanted one of these so bad right when I was about to get my license in the early 80’s. Found one in the dirt parking lot of a used car dealer but being in the NE it was really showing its age so I passed on it. Ended up getting a 68′ Camaro. Still really like these cars though and thought they were pretty cool looking. Considering this one hasn’t run in 28 years and is in PA I’d probably pass on it too.
Europes Mustang.
Had a ’73 in this color with the 2.8 V6 auto. Was a cool work beater, but the heater core went out right before a ski trip to southern Wisconsin with a girl I had been chasing for awhile. This was our first date and we wore parkas and a blanket for the 2 hour trip. Had a good time, but when it was time to leave, she opted for a ride with some guy she met in the lodge. He had a Camaro, (with a heater) and a mullet. Felt bad for her, but we never dated again. I don’t blame the Capri though… just her poor taste in men.
This was a much better car than that abomination called the Pinto.
You haven’t lived (or seen death) until you were in the back seat of one driven by a high school aged young lady using the I-95 offramp as an onramp, and then deciding to do a 5 point turn to reverse course.
This was before I knew about the exploding gas tanks too!
Parts are available. Might have to have some shipped from the UK, ZA or AUS. I’m sure someone is itching to build a Capri Perana tribute…
I’m sure you are mistaken
Spent the summer of 1976 driving a Capri back and forth to my evening shift job in a paper box factory in Helsingbord Sweden ,,as an illegally employed alien! I’ll never forget getting out of work and it was daylight at midnight……and I was expected to go drinking….but boy the women were beyond beautiful.
I think the Capri was a four on the floor…the boss, a friend, had a ’76 ( I think ) 442 ( not to be confused with the original ) with T Tops and a slushbox if memory serves me. He was always getting tickets on the incredibly curvy roads but because of his status in the City….he never had to pay them…I wonder how that works.
Memories……….
Wow, did this one bring back memories—for me and for a number of others here. My 1971 Capri was equipped and painted same as this one. Same tan interior. Bought it in Wisconsin in 1977 with 89,000 miles on it. Drove it four years, and 45,000 miles, with some of those miles a fun trip to Texas with a new girlfriend (now my wife).
When the u-joints failed, at about 100,000 miles, the shop I took it to had a heck of a time fixing it—they claimed the u-joint wasn’t replaceable and they had to find a replacement driveshaft. They implied that these were 100,000-miles-and-throw-them-away cars.
Whenever I tried to buy parts for it, guys behind the counter would squint and ask, “You mean a Chevy Caprice?” I learned quickly to specify that I needed something for a MERCURY Capri.
Still, it was as fun to drive as the others here remember.
Ford sold thousands of these. I think there are still 2 left on the road.