Family resemblances can range from the extremely vague through to the quite profound. When you look at vehicles like this 1973 Capri, it isn’t hard to see design and styling influences that reflect the success of the 1st Generation Mustang. Of course, the fact that a gentleman by the name of Philip T. Clark was involved in the design of both vehicles undoubtedly helped the cause in that respect. Finding a good Capri today can be quite a battle because many did succumb to the dreaded rust. This particular car does look to be a nice example, and after 10-years in hibernation, it has undergone a pretty comprehensive revival process. The result is a classic that is ready to be driven and enjoyed immediately. It is located in West Linn, Oregon, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. At the time of writing, bidding has reached $7,400. However, the reserve has not been met at this point.
There has always been a great deal of debate amongst enthusiasts as to whether the original Mustang would have enjoyed sales success had it been marketed in the UK. There are some who claim that it undoubtedly would have, while others state that it was a car that was too “big” for the average roads in that country. However, this argument fails to take into account the size of some of the offerings from manufacturers such as Rover and Jaguar at that point in time, so the sporty Capri was developed in the UK and served as a nice compromise. Cars destined for sale in the US were produced in Cologne, Germany, and whilst they were sold through Ford’s Lincoln-Mercury division, vehicles produced and sold between 1970 and 1978 were never officially known as Mercurys. The fresh coat of Yellow paint that this Capri wears does ensure that it is not about to blend into the background like some automotive chameleon. The Capri’s panels look to be nice and straight, with no signs of any dings, dents, ripple, or most importantly, rust. The panel gaps themselves look really nice and consistent, while the addition of a set of Superlite alloy wheels is a great touch that is well within the character of this car. The trim and chrome appear to be very good, while there are no obvious problems with the glass.
There were a couple of engine options available to a Capri customer in 1973, and this one is fitted with the 2,550cc Cologne V6. Buyers could choose to equip their car with a 3-speed automatic transmission, although thankfully this one houses the 4-speed manual. As part of the process that saw this long-idle Capri returned to the road, the V6 has been treated to a full rebuild. With the addition of a new Weber carburetor, there is a good chance that it will still produce its original 107hp, although a higher figure is certainly possible. The engine has only accumulated 500 miles since the work was completed, and when you couple this factor with new brakes and tires, along with upgraded suspension, then it is no real surprise to learn that the Capri runs and drives extremely well. Performance figures for the Capri really weren’t bad, with a 17.6-second ¼ mile ET well and truly possible. One interesting factor to consider when looking at this nicely detailed engine is just how much space is available within the engine bay. A South African gentleman and racing team owner by the name of Basil Green immediately saw the potential that was present and managed to slip a 302ci Windsor V8 under the hood of a local Capri, which resulted in an extremely potent classic. This initial concept was eventually built and sold by Ford of South Africa between 1970 and 1973. Known as the Perana, it could accelerate from 0-60 in 5.6 seconds and was capable of blitzing the ¼ mile in a neat 14 seconds. If ever there was a “hidden gem” within the muscle car empire, then the Capri Perana would almost certainly be it.
The person who buys this Capri isn’t going to have a lot of work to do, and the majority of what is required will be to smarten the interior trim. The front seats wear new covers, but the rear cover is original. It looks okay but does have a few marks on it. It is serviceable, but I would be inclined to replace it to ensure a perfect match in color and condition. The door trims look good for a vehicle of this age, while the dash and pad both look very nice. The Capri has been fitted with a new headliner, but the fit of this is a bit odd in spots and could do with an experienced hand to stretch it to a better fit. The rear trims have been cut to house speakers, which are fed by a Pioneer CD player. If spotless originality is required, then this could be changed. However, for a car that may see use on a regular basis, the CD player might help to alleviate boredom on longer trips. There is an aftermarket fascia on the console that houses a couple of gauges, and I’m not sold on the appearance. The Capri is also fitted with a leather-bound Prototipo wheel, but the finish on the leather has begun to show some obvious signs of deterioration. Having this restored would be possible, but I would be very tempted to try to source a genuine 3-spoke RS2600 wheel because that would look just right inside this car. These can be a bit hard to find, but good ones occasionally appear for around the $400 mark on eBay. The alternative would be to source one directly from the UK, which might be a pretty decent option to consider.
While it didn’t come close to achieving the sales volumes of its cousin the Mustang, there were still 113,069 buyers who chose to give the Capri V6 a home in 1973. This means that they were by no means a rare car when new, but as previously discussed, rust issues claimed a pretty high percentage of these cars. Finding a good one today is becoming difficult, but this relative rarity today doesn’t necessarily equate to inflated values. I wouldn’t expect to see the price on this one push much beyond the $10,000 mark, although as we all know, anything is possible. If it does stay at or below that mark, then it could be an enjoyable little classic to own and drive.
Other than the front seats being wrong a beautiful stock Capri.
Looks great but I like the factory rims, ditch these.
Surprised to hear that. Mini-Lites and/or Minataurs are the go-to upgrade for Brits like these and MG, Austin and Triumph. The standard wheels would have been RO-styles which found their way to the salvage yards after their carbon steel began to rust away the faux-mag finish. Even when an owner ditches their Rostyles you’ll find a used set of 5 that haven’t held a bead in years.
Not sure I see the Mustang resemblance. 107 HP seems a bit anemic for a v-6, I wonder why.
This was the hottest engine ever available in these in Europe, 160 colone injected horsepower. The other “hot” engine was an oldschool 3.0 Essex Ford with about 132HP, there were a multitude of 4 cyl engines available too…
More of a Manta A or Escort mk1 guy myself but these are growing on me
You’re thinking of the 2.8 this has the 2.6.
Faster than a 1975 Mustang Cobra V8.
The 70-77 Capri had little resemblance to a Mustang You can see by the picture below (“70” mustang) the scaled version they were trying t achieve.. I had a 73 yellow just like that one in 1977 in high school. Being as it only weighed 2500#, the 107 hp was plenty. The 4cyl was extremely weak. The 70-77 Capris where manufactured by Ford Europe and sold here in the US under the Lincoln Mercury banner Sadly in 1979 after a 2yr hiatus, Ford brought back the Capri, Nearly an identical version of that years pos Mustang. Marketed again and featuring the standard Lincoln Mercury upgrades (upholstery, trim etc) this was a genuine flop https://www.ebay.com/itm/134285258585
Had to write in. My second car was a 76 Capri that I bought for $1200.00 in 1987 in the exact color, and I loved it. They were a bit bigger and longer than the 73/74 models. It had a V6 that ran like it was brand new. Holley 4 barrel and Offenhauser intake. It would scoot! The previous owner(young guy named John) raised it up, and put hurricane rims on it and white letter tires. I LOVED that car. Miss it to this day.
I sm sure one could put performance dual exhaust and work with the intake and carb to 20-30 more ponies to help it move a lil quicker.
I think its a nice lil car 👍👀
I had a 73 Capri with the 2.6-liter engine. I used the Dobi catalog quite a bit and it was a fun car to modify. I put a 390 Holley 4 bbl carb and Offenhauser intake, a set of headers and true dual exhaust, a hotter camshaft and I replaced the nylon gear drive with a metal gear. I put in a performance clutch and pressure plate, but left the rest of the drivetrain stock. It ran high-15s in the quarter-mile… not bad for the era.
I had one of these, ’76 Capri II with the Cologne V-6 but Auto tranny and the loaded Ghia version. Only bad thing on the car was the huge bumpers! Even with the auto trans. it had adequate power. We kept it till 1986 when it basically rusted out! If Ford would ressurect the Capri instead of the Fiesta it probably would do good?
I know some may tire of my views, but I’ve had a LOT of cars and trucks, some better than others and I say this everytime one of these comes up. They were ok cars, but the reason they sold any at all, was in the early 70’s, there weren’t a lot of small cars to choose from. Asian cars were a few years off, Pintos, Vegas and Gremlins were pretty stale, the Capri was literally, the only sporty game in town, sold by your neighborhood Mercury dealer, who I remember, like Opels at Buick dealers, they weren’t too fond of the car. I liked my ’73, very similar to this, but several short comings became evident early on and I sold it. Nice to see one again. Somebody sure liked their Capri.
I have owned a 1.6, a 2.0 and a 3.0 litre Ford Capri in South Africa and they were all great cars. As for the Basil Green Perana, I don’t think that there is any way that you could buy a pristine one in South Africa for under about $80k, if you could find an original one for sale, but there are plenty of clones.
Is the hammer along for the ride cause of a bad starter? lol
That steering wheel looks like the one in the mag ad for the ’69 t/a, tho never avail for the production car …
http://i.pinimg.com/736x/be/99/a5/be99a50a9606b3f7a8ee86adefa0816b.jpg
My first car! I mowed lawns and bought a rusty ’73 Capri, 2.6 four-speed for $600, with the hand-cranked sunroof. The prior owner worked at an exhaust shop and had fitted chrome side-pipes (!!!) that were so long he plugged the inlet and the pipes entered beneath the car about 2 feet back from there. It was a fun car that I would probably appreciate more now. Back then I was just happy to go down the road without hitting anything. One time I followed a friend on the local four-lane around dawn. Driving a new Buick Wagon he decided to run 100+ and the little 10+ year old German Capri was happy to sustain Autobahn speeds indefinitely. Most high-school cars in those days would not have passed that test. Nice write-up Adam!
I requested seller post pics of the underside. These cars attract rust like the plague and I’m always suspect of one that is “freshly painted”. I own 2 and know of what I speak. Not saying this isn’t possibly a nice car but….
I agree, having owned one back in the day just like this one. First place to check is over the rear wheel arches for bodywork, it would always rust. If this one is half as good as it looks in the photos, it’s a good deal.
I had a 73, 2600. I noticed the “plates” around the top shock mounts under the hood on this example. I do not remember those on mine. But I do remember the rust that was in that area. I wonder if these plates are some sort of “fix” necessitated by corrosion. I have fond memories of my Capri, but I clearly remember the rust. The only two irritants were AC that never worked (even when it was only a couple of months old) and a throttle cable that would corrode on the inside resulting in a sticky throttle operation that could make it hard to push the throttle down, but more importantly would sometimes stick open. My muffler fell off as a result of rust. The sound was amazing. I fitted “open” exhaust with little red mufflers. The sound was amazing. The power always felt underrated. The car was fast and reliable.
Those are aftermarket camber plates. Camber is preset at the factory and cannot be changed unless you install some of these, or adjustable control arms.
I probably should have requested pics of the car before the re-paint; that would tell a lot more. I’ve seen ones in worse shape go for 10k on BAT so guessing that’s his reserve, and will probably get more. I’m a little curious about the “bolt-on subframe connectors”; never heard of those for this car.
Car looks great but I sent the seller some questions and he never answered. Never understood why some sellers won’t answer a potential buyer’s questions.
there is enough room in the engine bay to put a 289 in it. Then it really flies.
Super fun to drive, nice sounding V6. Horrible Horrible cars, Mercury should have recalled and scrapped every one! This was the most failure prone car in the USA!!! Look up its record. I wouldn’t give 10 bucks for one.
Had a 71 and your right. Really fun to drive, but omg. Seemed like every day, something would break. Broke clutch cable FOUR times, shifter came out in my hand(!), side window fell out into the street…..But it was fun to drive
I had a ’73. What a HORROR. The timing ‘belt’ made of rubber would snap at will. I carried two extras in the trunk along with a full set of tools and a timing light. I could change it in 8 minutes flat. I know why I don’t see them around any more.
This was the second best selling imported car in the USA in 1973, behind the Volkswagen Beetle.
I had three from ’72 to ’78, my ’73 was a 2600/4-gear, Bullitt green with the Decor Group interior. An Interpart front spoiler, a set of Cibie’ headlights and a pair of Cannon headers made it a fun, fast(er) car. Thar said, they were best when brand new.
My uncle had a new 74, w 4 speed, quick lil bugger, shifted nicely, he rode that car hard, I like this one a lot, if only I had room, and a Qualude to give my wife, 5 cars are a bit much
I always liked the Capris, and as others have mentioned, be careful as to what might be under that new paint, the majority of them rusted. I like Mini-Lite type wheel choice and the only thing I would look into would be a 70-72 front bumper conversion to tuck it back closer to the body. 73 was the beginning of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 5 MPH bumper. With an in-person inspection this could be one sweet car. Now, about that hammer on the passenger floorboard…
I went to look at a stash of A-H Bugeyes painfully close to where I live. On the property was one of these Capri’s with a trailer hitch. It was in the same color as my Matchbox toy…bright orange. The car was literally rusting from the top down — hood, roof and trunk lid had rusted through in places and the doors no longer opened or latched. Still better than some of the Bugeyes that were hiding under the pine trees and stacked in barns.
I’m no expert on the US spec cars, but for Europe you could for sure get them with everything from a 1300 to a 3.0. (I would not be surprised if they also were available with the 1100…) The 1600 was the most common and actually a quite fun engine. For the V6 they came as 2.0, 2.3, 2.6 and 3.0. The later square body Capri could be had with the injected 2.8. I’d argue that the 2.3 was the most fun, a short stroke rev happy mill that also sounded very good. The 2.6 just had a longer stroke but never ran quite as good. Much less sporty feel to it. I never got to drive the 3.0 – I think it only came in the UK built Fords and were quite rare in Sweden.
I loved the 2.3 V6 in my fake Cobra – when revved it sounded like a Ferrari V12 . . . but performed like an MG. Now I have a hot rodded 2.8 V6. As fast as a V8 now!
My first car in Ireland was a 73 1.6.
Overhead cams wore out quickly, rare as hens teeth now days
This car always reminds me of the family trip we were on when my sister pushed the pop out window in back so hard it popped completely out, shattering behind us as we were driving down from skiing on Mt Bachelor. Needless to say, my father was not pleased.
I seem to recall he enjoyed drifting it coming down the mountain closer to home too. It was orange, not yellow. Got to love the 70’s.
Dropped the reserve.
Don’t know what to think of the yellow overspray on the easily removable molding on the inside of the door.
Only the preface-lift GT had ro-style wheels the facelift had the “sports rim” (,some call them dartboards due to the 8 black squares) .
As said the the UK range was 1.3/1.6 ohv ( then 1.6 ohc ) 2.0 V4 & 3.0 V6 Essex. European version’s had 1.3/1.5/1.7 V4 cologne ( as used in Saab’s) , 2.0/2.3/2.6 V6 cologne.
I had a 74 with a 2.8 and Holly 2 barrel and 4 speed that car was faster the most v8″s for that year
My cousin in Scotland owned a 67 Mustang fastback that reportedly been there since new. I drove it a couple of times in Northern Scotland ,and I can tell you the Mustang is a HUGE car on the streets over there. On the highways its not bad , just don’t take an exit to main road . I had one front tire on the center line and the other tire was just touching the sand on the edge of the road. That being said , a neighbor of his had an old Mark IV Continental ; I don’t know if they guy ever took it out of his driveway, but that must have been a monster to drive over there !
I had a Plymouth Duster when these Capris were still on the road and I cant tell you how many times people would say ” theres a car like yours ” Looking at it now, I can see a very slight resemblance to the Duster , more so than the Mustang
Nice body style but to me it more resembles the Nissan 240Z than a mustang!! I would like to put a 302 in this car and beef up the suspension with a 9 inch rear and some bigger disc brakes!! Then you’d have something!!!
Wish I could find one in the south east. Never ever see em around , can’t remember seeing many back in the 70s around here. Course I was just in elementary school then. But I’ve always loved cars so I think I would remember. I recall Dad test driving a 78 Ford Fiesta. Orange. I loved it , he did not. Bought a used 76 mustang II instead.
Here in Australia we got the English built Capri with the 1600 4cyl and 3000 V6 and they were assembled her in CKD form although a lot of the V6s ended up with Australian Borg Warner single rail 4spds from the 6cyl Cortina and they went pretty hard to
Excuse me if this turns out to be a long rant on this car. If by chance anyone reading this is bidding or thinking of bidding read on. As I’ve stated earlier these are rust buckets and the seller’s reluctance to post pics of the underside and pics of the car before the respray is a big red flag. I wondered why one would list this on eBay where the fee is a percentage of price as opposed to here or BAT where it is a flat fee. Well for one thing, questions and criticisms are not public on eBay. The seller would be hounded for underside pics and a video which I believe both would expose some not so nice stuff. We can’t really tell the quality of the paint job. There does not appear to be an exhaust pipe exiting the rear of the car, meaning it goes as far as the mufflers in front of the rear axle. The mechanisms to open the rear side windows are missing meaning they have been fixed closed or ready to fall out. New headliner, yes, but a poor job of install. Rear side panels and door cards are screwed on, meaning the panels are messed up or the plastic retainers are broken or missing. Front seats and dash fascia are from a MKII (this is a MKI). Not sure what that center console is out of but not a Capri. Next to the hammer you see the kick plate is not attached and it doesn’t look right. It should tuck under the door weatherstripping wher it’s coming off. Why leave junk in a car you’re posting for sale (hammer stuff in back seat)? Camber plates look homemade to me. It will have to be aligned and those bolts in the slotted holes better be torqued down like your life depended on it because you hit a hard bump, there goes your alignment. Above the engine on the firewall is supposed to be a drain for water runoff going in the grill in front of the windshield, instead there’s a panel. Where is the water supposed to go? He also mentions a sub frame extension. I’d be curious to see that, but no underside pics. We also don’t know if this was always a northwest car and even if it is, he’s not far from the Pacific with all salty moisture in the air. I believe whoever buys this car is buying a bag of cats.
Re Sonny Paine – All valid points. This car seems to prove my contention that all cars should be personally inspected by somebody competent before sending money off.
Regarding Bring A Trailer – while I have sold nearly a dozen cars with them early in their venture, it is now quite hard to get them to accept listings anymore. And it’s not that they have standards or something (consider the misrepresented crap they let the principal behind Cosmo Motors run).
I think there is room for a B.A.T. competitor who will focus on affordable cars, much like B.A.T. was in the beginning
Hey Barnfinds – instead of Bring a Trailer, why don’t you start Drive it Home as a competing auction site!!
They actually do auction cars here (I bought one). Not many people take advantage of the service. Maybe a separate site with a catchy name as you suggest would be the ticket.
I remember the 2.6 liter V6 as a smooth, pleasant engine.
That said, I think the lack of Capris on the road today is about more than rust. Reliability was not very good. I’m in Southern California where cars don’t really rust out and it’s very rare to see a Capri.
This was also my first car, but a forest green 2.0L. Also bought it new at 16 wih paper route, car wash and lawn mowing $ since I was 10🤓 It was sluggish but fun and 3 yrs later bought a new 76 Ghia V6 hatchback. Loved both cars and would love to find a nice one now. This looks good on the surface but Sonny above made a lot of valid points. Love the color but i’ll wait for a better example!! Great memories…🚘🚘