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Mini Mustang: 1977 Ford Capri Mk II JPS Edition

The Ford Capri is sometimes referred to as the “Mini Mustang”. This JPS Edition is located in Bournemouth, UK and is available here on eBay. Spirited bidding has pushed the price up to £5,000 with just under 4 days to go.

The JPS Edition was introduced by Ford in March 1975. Available in either black or white with lashings of gold pin-striping, the model was designed to imitate and pay tribute to the Lotus Formula 1 cars of the era. This black car appears to be relatively straight, with only a dent in the passenger door as an obvious issue. The seller claims that the car has minimal rust and the photos tend to bare that claim out, although the paintwork and bumpers do appear to show some evidence of surface corrosion. Personally I would want to do a thorough inspection of the underside of the car to confirm the absence of rust.

The interior is complete, and it appears to be in fair condition with no obvious cracks in the dash. There is some evidence of mildew on the door trims and seats, but I suspect that a good clean would return the interior to its former glory. The carpet appears to be in good condition, and it is nice to see that the dash and door trims haven’t been attacked to fit an after market stereo.

The engine is the ubiquitous Pinto 2 litre, mated to a manual transmission. The seller doesn’t indicate whether the motor turns freely or whether it is locked. He states that the car “ran when parked”, but given the fact that it was parked 32 years ago I suspect that it may need some work. It is also a fairly safe bet that rubber bushes and hoses would be quite perished after such a long hibernation.

It is nice to see that the seller has a good catalogue of log books and paperwork dating right back to the original purchase of the car. A search of the How Many Left website reveals that there are less than 150 Capris of all types left in the UK. It does not indicate how many of the JPS Edition remain, but the number would be significantly lower. If the car is relatively rust free, this would be a great project and a great addition to any car show or car and coffee meet.

Comments

  1. Avatar Classic Steel

    Nice right hand drive that’s across the pond 👍👀

    Just get in put a scuba gear suit on and drive to the USA 🇺🇸 👌😳🙃

    Like 0
  2. Avatar JoeNYWF64

    Odd there are no side marker lights here in ’77!
    & odd the Capri II’s Ford racing mirror(s) not used.
    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Mercury_Capri_II.jpg/1024px-Mercury_Capri_II.jpg
    Interior completely different & possibly the air cleaner too.
    Not sure why – sure didn’t save money for Ford/Merc.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Grey O’Brien

      This is a Euro spec model. Back then side maker probably weren’t required in England and the mirrors didn’t meet US safety standards

      Like 1
    • Avatar Dave77

      Here in the uk side marker lights were not a requirement and the mirrors were standard on all capri’s here and the cars are quite highly sought after here

      Like 2
    • Avatar Dave77

      Here in the uk side marker lights were not a requirement and the mirrors were standard on all capri’s here and the cars are quite highly sought after here

      Like 1
  3. Avatar Rex Kahrs Member

    I saw two Capris at a charity car show in rural Ireland last year. 150 for the entire UK seems low to me.

    Like 2
  4. Avatar Miguel

    I have never heard anybody refer to the Capri as a mini Mustang.

    I have always heard people say it was a much superior car and to refer to it as a Mustang, especially a 1977 Mustang, would be quite the insult.

    Like 4
    • Avatar ken TILLY Member

      @Miguel. Back in the days in South Africa when I owned a 1967 Mustang Coupe I would often think that an approaching car was a Mustang, until it got close and I could see that it was actually a Capri. So maybe calling it a Mini Mustang wasn’t too far out.

      Like 3
    • Avatar Adam Clarke Staff

      Just to clarify for you Miguel (and thanks for your comment, I always appreciate them). The “Mini Mustang” tag was coined originally by motoring journalists when the Capri first broke cover in 1968. Sadly some of us are old enough to remember it! Journalists looked at that long nose/short tail fastback design and immediately compared it to the Mustang. This was hardly surprising because both cars were co-designed by Philip T Clark.

      Like 4
      • Avatar Miguel

        Thank you Adam for the clarification. I have and have read most of the magazines, well Motor Trend anyway, from that time period, and I don’t remember this.

        If they did say it at the start, I doubt they continued to say that.

        Like 2
      • Avatar Robeffy

        I have a hard cover book written about the Capri, starting, I believe in 1969, right through to 1978 or so. ( It has been many years since I read it ).
        Ford marketting wanted a “clone” of the Mustang for Europe, so the Capri was it.
        From the book “Capri – the development and competition history of Ford’s European GT Car” written by Jeremy Walton, Prelude, “Originally, the Capri simply seemed to be a European Mustang”.
        I owned a 74 Capri V6, 4 speed, and it was a blast, before and after the numerous engine and chassis upgrades.

        Like 3
  5. Avatar RattlingLikeNuggets

    I had a quick look at the How many left website and it’s confusingly laid out, so I see your confusion about the total numbers remaining. I checked out the most common Capri (the Capri Injection) and there were 583 of just that type still registered and over 1800 showing on a SORN notice (you have to notify the government when your car is off road, so you aren’t expected to pay tax on it).

    Like 1
  6. Avatar Jubjub

    One of the few cars that looked better with DOT lighting. The slim bumpers are cool but I prefer the quad round lamps we got here. A grade school friend’s dad had one of these and I loved it. Traded it on a ‘78 Anniverary Vette…I knew then he’d downgraded.

    Like 2
    • Avatar Mark-A

      Only has full lamps as it’s Mk2 model, earlier & later versions had the 4x equally sized round lights (only reason I know is a MK3 was my first car)

      Like 0
  7. Avatar Sheffieldcortinacentre

    That’s not a jps only an S the jps had gold four spoke alloy wheels & gold cloth centres on the seats & i think a gold centre cap to the steering wheel,it only appears to have the gold pinstripes (commonly retro fitted especially to black versions).
    But not the gold jps decals on the front fenders & tailgate.
    The rarer white versions have black stripes/decals.
    They where avl with the 1.6/2.0 sohc & 3.0 V6 Essex eng (the 1.6 being the rarest ) all came with 4 spud manual transmission
    Also I think they were only avl during 1975 replacing the even rarer 74 only GT version of the mk2 Capri.
    These are the only collectable versions of the mk2 Capri & often faked to get big money for an otherwise unloved Capri derivative.

    A neighbour had one in the 90s.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Derek

      Was the JPS bit not staggered vertical at the back of the rear wings? I remember that my mum wanted one but dad bought a Renault 14 instead. Which was the first car that I ever drove (aged 13-ish; North-west Scotland on holiday…)

      Like 1
  8. Avatar sluggo

    JPS Black & Gold livery was just an awesome look, from the race cars to the Norton race bikes. This is just cool. I am building a JPS styled 1979 Triumph 750 cafe racer motorcycle..

    Like 1
  9. Avatar Mark

    32 years parked and body looks that hood, wow !

    Like 0

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