It’s funny to see a car you once considered throwaway look borderline collectible. The Mercury Capri is a model that occupies a unique spot in American car culture, as it wasn’t a bad driver and actually was fairly sporting with the XR2 option, but no one seems to be actively collecting them (or even using one as a prop for YouTube or Instagram fame). Based on global architecture shared with the Mazda 323 and built by Ford’s Australian operations, the Mercury Capri XR2 shown here on craigslist is loaded up with all the best options, including a factory hardtop. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Kevin for the tip.
With a loose affiliation with the NA-chassis Mazda Miata, the Capri was somewhat of a gainly step-sibling compared to the roadster’s immediate aptitude as an excellent track car. The Capri was not that, and its front-wheel drive setup likely had a fair amount to do with its limited success in the racing community. It was also a bit ungainly looking, with the design responsible for masking huge safety bumpers that ultimately undermined the Capri’s abilities to ever be considered a stunner. That said, the sporty front valence and alloy wheels certainly help to give the Capri some attitude. The red/clear taillights look sharp against the red factory paint.
In stock form, the 1.6L inline-four made a humble 100 horsepower. When the XR2 box was checked, that same engine was turbocharged and intercooled, bumping output to 132 horsepower. Thankfully, this Capri has the standard manual transmission, which should propel the Capri to 60 in about eight seconds and through the quarter mile in 16 seconds. Those numbers are helped by more aggressive gear ratios in the Capri XR2, and a bigger rear sway bar helps to keep the handling in check. Stopping power is helped by four wheel disc brakes, which rounds out the long list of features that help make the Carpi a respectable performer.
The Capri is the rare convertible that features a backseat, in addition to a decent stereo and nicely-bolstered front buckets. The interior is clearly from a non-U.S. design studio, with obvious European vibes. The reviews at the time were fairly direct that the Capri isn’t a competitor for the Miata – that’s an actual sports car, whereas the Capri is simply a good, affordable convertible. The Miata was also more expensive at the time so the Capri represented good value if you didn’t care about exceptional road-holding abilities, and to that end, the Capri remains an excellent value today, especially with the factory hard top and turbocharged engine included.
Looking at this, I try to imagine what it is look like without the Botox bumper treatment-bet it’d be a lot easier on the eyes but it stands as another potentially interesting Australian ruined by the IIHC and disinterested/biased salesmen.
The Wiki article for the Aussie version shows it had pretty much the same bulky bumpers, tho’ some versions had a dark lower half that (esp. paired with matching paint on the lower bodysides) helped visually tone down the chunky proportions.
What’s really sobering is looking at the lovely original Ford Ghia Barchetta concept that eventually led to this production model after 6 years in development hell where the product planners and marketing guys clearly had their way with it six ways from Sunday.
I live in a country town north of Melbourne in OZ and there happens to be one in our street. We didn’t have the USA type bumpers on those sold here which, IMO, did help their looks. If I remember correctly, they didn’t sell as well as they should have because of the new car price which was too close to the Mazda and similar imports.
Never really understood why these didn’t succeed. For 150k miles this looks to be in nice shape.
Mu daughter had one extremely low miles in stock form no turbo. Sold to to a friend who enjoys it this day. A solid reliable car for what it i day. Fun in the sun ☀️ good luck to buyer and seller😎
Thanks Jeff for the write on this Mercury. I totally forgot these cars where around. 😂 Never drove one. But did see them on the streets. A buddy told me this is based off a mazda miata. I said no way. This is on the fugley side. We’ll each of there own. Good luck to the next owner. 🐻🇺🇸
It is based off a Mazda, just not the Miata. At all.
Some considered it a competitor to the Miata… sorta, in the broadest sense of being a small, sporty convertible courting potential buyers in the market for that sort of thing. But within that domain, each car was everything the other wasn’t, so I doubt there was much if any overlap in those buyers. Those who found either car most appealing weren’t seriously considering the other one.
I’ve always thought if I had to drive a long distance to my job, I could drive one of these as a cheap daily driver. I could accept the looks of it, it is what it is, and the manual tranny with a turbo would be fun to drive. I missed the part in the writeup about where it’s located and the price. If I was serious I guess I could go to the CL ad. Not today…
I had a new one in 91 drove it for 150,000 miles with no problems. Sold it to my boss who drove it for years. 3 years ago I found another one in mint condition and bought it. Have it driven it daily and still love it. Most reliable little car.
I agree with ramblergarage. I had a dead ringer for this car back in the mid nineties. It was viewed by many of the Road and Track types as a bit of a “Rodney Dangerfield” car. But IMO they had a lot going for them. I enjoyed mine. It was trouble free, economical and fun to drive.
These would have been far more successful without the Miata, and with a dealer network that knew how to sell them. Lincoln-Mercury dealers couldn’t sell anything that didn’t have a spare tire hump or headlights hidden by upholstered covers. Btw… my eyes and the craigslist ad identify this as a ’94.
Believe this unusual ride is in GForest Grove OR
I had an XR2 with manual transmission as my daily driver for many years. It was a fun and practical car. Economical on fuel, it had a small back seat that was good enough for kids or an adult for a short distance. The foldable top fitted neatly under a flap and was up in seconds when the rain became to fierce. It wasn’t a supercar but it was faster than most cars on the road at it’s time. All the Mazda mechanicals were excellent and reliable, the Ford parts however….rather meh. Unfortunately it came to the US a year too late because Ford missed the requirements for a driver’s side airbag at the initial design. By that time the Miata had already taken the lead. I miss mine, it was one of the most fun commuter cars! I drove it rain, shine or snow with the top down whenever possible.