This 1973 Ford Capri project looks like it’s ready for a next owner to pick up and finish, with the seller noting it has a rebuilt 302 under the hood. My favorite feature right off the bat is the clean body with cool period graphics running along the bottom of the doors, but you’ll need to source a working automatic transmission before you get to gaze longingly at this Capri following a spirited drive down your local backroads. Find it here on craigslist for $3,800 in Brooksville, Florida, with a few other potential projects parked nearby.
The seller is one of the first I’ve heard say he’s leaving Florida to move back north, hence why he can’t take this collection with him. Usually, it’s the other way around, and northerners like myself are anxious to bring their project cars to a climate where they can enjoy them year-round without any road salt to do battle with. Hopefully, this Capri doesn’t travel northwards with its next owner, as not many are left in the condition this one is in, with a clean body, nice paint, and chrome bumpers that appear to be holding up with no immediate needs for refinishing.
The interior is another bright spot, and unlike many vintage projects left in the Florida sun, this one shows no signs of unwanted sun damage. The dash is crack-free and the door panels and seats look quite nice, nice enough that they may have been re-done at some point. Carpets are also clean, and the stock appearance inside gives it a bit of a sleeper look with the 302 nestled under the hood and not even an aftermarket steering wheel to give away the performance lurking within. If I had to have a 302 car, I’d pick this over a Mustang II any day. The seller notes it is equipped with an electronic ignition.
The installation under hood looks pretty clean and makes me wonder if the transmission just never got installed or if the one that went with the engine has already died. Regardless, finding a good C4 automatic shouldn’t be too hard, but I’d be sorely tempted to use this as an opportunity to swap in a manual gearbox. While such a configuration wasn’t available stateside, Basil Green Motors in South Africa actually built the Perana, equipped with the 302 and either the C4 or a Toploader 4-speed. Rarely seen today, this Capri offers the next owner the chance to build a high-performance Mustang-alternative of their own for a reasonable price.
We’re running one of the T-4 4 speed transmissions in one of our race cars with a full race gear package in it. There are adapters all over the country to bolt those units to the 302.Scott Young Enterprises in Texas builds them to any level and they are called Rocket Boxes. This car needs one to make it a fun ride. Nice find.
The lighter the car the more the 302 becomes a threat. Potentially cool ride but the whole sleeper thing is lost once fired up and running. For the street and overdrive 5 speed would be nice.
It could still be a sleeper with a V8. If someone were smart about their parts selection when it comes to heads, cam and exhaust they can make plenty of power without making much noise. There are more than a few 11 second 60’s muscle cars at my local track that run brackets on a weekly basis which wouldn’t turn heads at a stoplight due to their exhaust note.
Steve R
I’d love to buy this if it wasn’t so far away, my wife and I always wanted one but we can’t find any left that are in decent shape in southern BC Canada.
Rudy, to me that looks like a perfect excuse to fly down to Florida, buy the car, and drive it back to BC Canada. I’m sure that would make a trip that you and the missus would never forget! I lived in South Africa for 55 years, owned a ’67 Mustang and every time I saw a Mustang coming towards me on the highway it turned out to be a Capri. Very similar cars from a distance. I had the 1600cc, 2000cc, and 3000cc V6 Capri’s, and they were all great cars.
No tranny
Nice find, Jeff! My first car was a ’73 Capri, V6 four-speed bought for $600. I didn’t know anything about cars then other than I loved them, but now I realize it probably could have used shorter gears. I’d have taken better 0-60 and given up the autobahn gearing – it would run at 100+ as long as you dared. I’d love to buy or build something like this. At this price, it’s worth every penny but I’d have to sell another car first. Maybe some day; thanks for the memories!
I’m surprised this car is still for sale. Finding a Capri period is a difficult task. Growing up these cars were a rare sight.
I was married in 1973 and her dad had helped her buy a 1972 Capri, red with manual transmission, before we got married. It was kind of fun to drive; this comes from a person who had only driven a manual transmission in my dads 59 Ford truck. I had to learn to drive it so I was comfortable but still drove my 72 Nova most of the time.
After we had it for a few years, her brother was graduating high school so her dad paid her some money, NOMB, and he drove it for a few years until it was just no longer driveable. I’m getting old and don’t remember many of the details now.
Had one back in the day, metallic brown with usual rust over rear wheels. A blast to drive, I can imagine what it would have been like with a non emissions 302!
If this were in the UK it would be double the price. Biggest issue with the Capri was it was always tail happy, especially in the wet. And this having the bigger engine would just be wild. Nice motor all the same
Cars are just pallets to modify to do what you want! since these came with 1558 cc’s to 3200 ccs I think they’re simple to work on and a good chassis overall If you like the body etc the rest is up to you an AOD against any of them would be the choice for an A/T, five speeds screw right in against any also and Ford has lots of diff ratios!
BTW–the First Ford Capri came out in 1961, Ford killed it so not to compete with the up coming Mustang. It was part of the Consul series: Cortina, Capri and some other Fords, the later re-introduction was a MERCURY Capri.
“with a few other potential projects parked nearby.”
Like the sweet Toyota Celica peeking out from the background of the second pic.
Always liked the style of these Capri’s. And saddle color interiors do seem to fare better in the hot sun than just about any other color. Good luck to the new owner.
I’m quite surprised that this narrower than a 60’s mustang has so much room between the v8 motor & the shock towers! How is that possible??!!
I wonder if ford’s widest motor, the boss 429, would fit w/o shock tower modifications,
Saw a lot of these in my petrol-pumping days back in Ireland. The first gen Capri came out in ’69 there, a few years before it was available in the States and was a good looking, sporty 2+2 that was very popular. This one here looks like a good deal and should be quite the performer with the 302. I’d go with a C4 with maybe some performance tweaks mated to the 302. This would be a fun car to have; an unusual pocket muscle car that would surprise a lot of tuner cars.
Ran a 1973 V6 one for years….it was hard to break….only a clutch job to over 100,000 miles……..but that was back in the 70’s…….
The Capri’s imported to the US were sold by Mercury, not Ford. The ones in Europe were Fords. My dad had a 74, first year for the impact bumpers required by US standards
I was just going to say that. The car is left hand drive and it was sold in the US so that makes it a Mercury.
Had a new 73 Capri 2.0 and liked it so much I bought a new 76 Capri 2.8 Ghia. LOVED that car and have been looking for a well preserved one for years but they are now pretty rare. One of the best cars I’ve ever had, even though they both ate up water pumps about once a year😂
I had the same problem with my 1962 Ford Consul Cortina, which was the first 2 door off the production line in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and was presented to the wife of the managing director. I bought it about two years later and it always ran hot. I tried several thermostats before removing the water pump only to discover that the impeller had disintegrated. I fitted a new one but about two years later it did the same thing again.
Perhaps today’s phosphate free 5 yr or more coolant would make it last longer. Or even better, Evans waterless coolant.
I don’t see any listed on Rockauto for the Consul – not sure if the ones on ebay are NOS or new improved designs.
“Fitted” seems to be a very popular term in the UK.
Yep, English as she is spoke is a strange language. Maybe “Installed” would have been a better choice of words.
I owned a 1971 Capri and it was a US car badged as a Ford. Mercury Capri’s were a later iteration.