When Ford lifted the covers on the Mustang for the first time, they found themselves with a sales winner that was beyond their wildest dreams. Ford of Europe longed for a piece of this action but knew that a V8 pony car would never be a volume-seller in their markets. Their response was to produce a car that embodied the design philosophy of the Mustang but in a smaller and more efficient package. The result was the Capri. This gem was a marketing and sales success and was produced between 1968 and 1986. This particular Capri was built in 1973 and is a tidy and unmolested survivor. Changed family priorities mean that the current owner has been forced to part with this classic. It is located in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding currently sits at $6,200, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
Ford of Europe were no fools. They knew that the Mustang’s success was mostly due to its styling. The long hood/short rear deck look had captured the hearts of the American public. A similar philosophy was followed when designers penned the Capri. Their cause was assisted by input from Philip T. Clark, who was part of the design team responsible for the Mustang. Below that svelte body was a lot of technology that was drawn from their main-stream Cortina, meaning that development costs were minimal. The Capri’s appearance is distinctive, and it still looks surprisingly fresh today. This Capri is finished in Copper Metallic and has received a repaint at some point in the past. The paint has held up exceptionally well, with no signs of any significant marks or blemishes. The panels are laser straight, while the gaps are consistent across the entire car. Rust is not an issue with this classic. The exterior looks promising, while the floors and underside are as clean as you could ever hope to find. One area on a Capri that is always worth inspecting is the bottom seams on the rockers. The jacking points are integrated into these seams, and care has to be taken to ensure that the seams aren’t accidentally bent by careless owners. Those seams are also prone to damage if the vehicle experiences any off-road or rough terrain adventures. The seams on this classic are perfect, with no signs of any prior damage or issues. The exterior trim and chrome present well, while all of the original glass seems to be in good condition.
Throughout its production run, the Capri was offered with a variety of different engines. This car features the 4-cylinder Pinto engine, which represented a useful middle-ground between performance, economy, and cost. This 1,993cc four produces 99hp, which is enough to push the Capri through the ¼ mile in around 18.4 seconds. Not fast, but it is still a respectable figure. I have to say that it is refreshing to lift the hood on a Capri and find it to be completely stock. Many owners have chosen to add chrome components and different air cleaners to their vehicles over the years. This Capri has a history of ownership by true enthusiasts, and they have worked to maintain the vehicle’s originality. However, this isn’t merely about appearance. This is a well-maintained classic that is said to run and drive well. As a bonus, the braking system was renewed approximately 1-year-ago.
The interior of the Capri presents quite well for a vehicle of this age, but there are a couple of items to address. The original radio currently resides in the trunk. It is said to work, but it won’t lock onto any stations. There is also a small tear in the driver’s seat, but this might be able to be repaired with a blind patch. The most glaring issue is the deterioration of the woodgrain around the gauges. This is not a rare occurrence, and replacement woodgrain can be found for around $100. The carpet is also slightly faded, but I would be inclined to live with it. This is the genuine carpet that features the vinyl protection pad near the driver’s right foot. This pad stops the carpet wearing along the side of the transmission tunnel, and is well worth having. If the next owner is considering replacing the carpet, then I would strongly advise them to find NOS or aftermarket carpet that includes this feature. It might cost slightly more, but it will pay off in the long-term. Otherwise, the remaining upholstery, trim, and the dash, are all in excellent condition.
This Copper Metallic 1973 Capri is a tidy and original survivor. It has a few minor issues with its interior, but it is an otherwise excellent classic. These will never sell for the same sort of money as a Mustang, but they can still achieve respectable sale prices. I would expect the reserve on this car to be set somewhere around $10,000, although that figure could have been considerably higher if it had featured a V6 under the hood. If an affordable European classic has been on your radar, then this is a car that is well worth considering.
Nice write-up Adam. I’ve always really liked these, the sharp sporty styling still looks good today. Rarely seen in clean original condition. I’m even fine with the basic 4 cyl. 4 speed configuration. Girlfriend (now wife) had one back in the day, it was a fun car.
Nice write-up wrong name its a 1973 Mercury Capri 2000 (captive import sold at L-M dealers)
I like this car! Haven’t seen of of these in quite some time.
My first car! Virtually, anyway. Mine was a blue ’73 with black interior, crank sunroof, 2600 V6, four-speed. Lots of memories, like marking what I wanted on every page of the Dobi catalog. Sadly I didn’t realize the powerband was up high until it was about rusted into dust. Nice find and write-up, Adam! Thanks for the memories. Best wishes to the seller and new owner!
I had a new ’74 V6, same color as this one. well made, fun to drive. Wish I still had it.
Nice write up. Cute car. A little bubbling starting in the LR wheel arch. But about as nice as you’ll find, I’d guess. Surprised the owner didn’t throw Mercury in the description somewhere, given how they were marketed on this side of the border.
Back in the early 80’s, I had ’73 the same color with a V6 and 4 speed. Typical rusting in the arches, I fixed that and had a blast with the car.
Wow…This is exactly like the 1973 I had.Only kept her for one year.Was a fun car to drive,,,except in the snow even with true snow tyres.Should never have sold her.
I drove one of these when I was a detail boy at the dealership, loved that car
They were different v6s in a capri, most famous one was a german colone unit with 160 fuel injected HP and the other popular one was a british Essex unit with 3 liters and about 130 hp
(Typing from memory so dont quote me).
I would like to see the colone equiped capri compete with a datsun 260Z 2+2car one day…. (both were 2.6liter engines)
I had the 74 Capri, V6. Did milled heads, headers, rejetted carb, different cam, changed timing curve on the distributor, lightened flywheel, exhaust upgrades, tires, suspension, etc etc.
My car sat lower than the Z cars, and I never met one I couldn’t beat in the corners or straight drag race.
I beat out a lot of muscle cars.
The engine shop owner wanted to buy the car from me! He was a die hard GM drag racer, but, offered me a lot of cash when I picked it up. That says a lot
I had a ’73 Capri 2000,with a sunroof & V6 gauges.
Bought it from the original owner for $500.It had 99,000 –
miles on it.
It was a great road car,but didn’t do too well at the
Lord Ellis Hillclimb.I added a Quikor suspension,& Bilstein-
shocks.I sold it to buy a new 1979 Ford Fiesta,& go SCCA
Showroom Stock racing.
My previous comment about the v6s was to Fred W. Not sure why BF dropped it in the main feed.
Anyhow this should bring decent money, with the Ford Escort from this era demending boockoo bucks this gotta be the mext logical model to rise up.
I would even list it in Europe on Mobile.de since they would apreciate an american market headlight model thats also completely stock and a nice vintage color. (People are more OEM oriented there vs us in the states modifying everything).
Definatly a nice alternative to a datsun!
Had a ’76 Capri II Ghia when dating my first wife. Her folks could hear me coming from a mile away. Might have had something to do with the glass packs the previous owner put in place of the cats and mufflers. Twas the first car I took over 100.
Spent a lot of time in these back in high school and college (late 70’s early 80’s) They were awesome cars and they took a lot of foolish teenage punishment and kept going! Thanks for refreshing those memories. I haven’t seen a decent one in years.
Interesting to see the front bumper has an extension pushing it out from the body. They did the same thing with the 1973 Canadian spec mk3 cortina.
My 1972 Canadian spec Cortina has the bumper much flusher to the body.
They are definitely very similar cars, even the air box is the same as my cortina which differs from the English version.
Now even MIchelins have only 3 tread grooves per tire instead of 4?!
Bad trend happening.
My first new car was a 1972 V6 4 speed with manual sunroof. Prices of the 1973’s went way up.Someone just had to have mine, and off it went.
My ’73 Bullitt Green, v6, 4-gear, Pirelli-tired, Decor Group was $3555 out bthe door in Anchorage, Alaska, including shipping. It was a great car, replacing a problematric ’71 2L.automatic prior renter. An InterPart front spoiler, a set of Hella H4 headlights and the removal of the resonator made it a great cross country driver when I was 24.
The rust issues mentioned are valid but the worst area is the front fenders, behind the wheels and at the tops. The fenders are welded on and few people bother with fixing problems there.
This one looks like fun, but I’d still prefer the 2600 V6.
All Capris sold this side of the atlantic were sold at LM dealers. This car will be titled as a Mercury. There was no GT edition sold over here either. This is a 2.0 base, no decor group. Nice looking car but always have to be careful of any of these with a respray, which this one has.
The 3 litre Capri was a VERY quick car!
It made me smile.
My first proper girlfriend and I had an orange one of these, only spoiled with an auto transmission. Ran it ragged for a couple of years until one morning it wouldn’t start. Mechanic said there were no lobes left on the camshaft! He was surprised it had run that long. One reconditioned long-block later and it ran until the rust got too much and we passed it on to a relative. It was replaced by a red MkII which we adored, but that’s another story. An absolute hoot in the wet due to the cart springs, plenty of axle tramp in the dry, and a nose you had to be careful sticking out into traffic. I’d have another in a heartbeat.
I also owner this exact version of the Capri. It was a very fun car to drive and the gas mileage was incredible. To the comment about snow tires…We got plenty of the white stuff in Michigan and this car (mine was a stick) was so light that in deep snow you could put it in first, get out and push yourself out of deep snow. Sounds crazy but it was that light.
I could be wrong, but I would bet it has been repainted along the way.
I had three Gen 1 Capris, loved ’em for a while.
First was a ’71 2L. Automatic former renter. Meh.
Second was a new ’73 2600, 4-gear, Bullitt Green, Decor Group, with Pirelli CN36 tires. Wondrous as a first new car when I was in the Air Force. A set of Hella H4 headlights, and an Interpart front spoiler made it a great cruiser.
In ’76 I found a low-mile ’74, went nuts with my pipeline money, proving the old adage ‘To make a small fortune with a trick car, start with a large fortune…’
This one looks good, but I’d still prefer the V6.
Fun cars, didn’t age well.
The body lines on these cars definitely gave you that sports car look and feel!! I would really want to horse shoe a 302 maybe even a stroker in there with the four speed and some bigger breaks!! It wouldn’t be as economical to drive but the added horses would make it more fun and cut that 18 second time down where it should have been when Ford produced these!!!
I doubt that latest offer is anywhere near the reserve. I predict this will go for no less than 20k
My dad bought my mom a 1974 Capri and I shared the car with her until I got my own car. Ours was brown 4-cyl/4-speed with a crank sunroof. We fit it with a trailer hitch and it towed a three-rail trailer loaded with a couple of motocross bikes. Made for an economical vehicle for getting to the races.
Took girls to watch the submarine races in the Capri, also. A/C was marginal and heavily taxed the performance of the car, but was very reliable, overall.
I sold my ’76 Capri II Ghia shortly before a USAF assignment to England in 1983. Arrgh. Over there the Capri was a fire breather that would do 138 MPH. Wanted one so bad but my wallet wouldn’t cooperate.
My GF and I borrowed her sister’s V6 Capri, when she lived in Oakland CA, and spent the next several hours exploring the Oakland/Berkeley Hills canyons. Exploring briskly, I should say. All my vehicles had been 4-cylindered up to then, but I was pleasantly surprised at how agile that car was despite its “primitive” RWD underpinnings. I think a 4-cylinder Capri would have been pretty much the same on those roads, and I would not mind the chance to try one out in our SoCal canyons.
This is a very pretty car, even after all these years. Too bad our stable is at capacity …
had 72 73 76 silver yellow blue 2 2600 1 2800 always a blast to drive 73 2600 4 speed the best took a long time but if speedo was right hit 155 plus a little sketchy but i was young and blew by a vette lol goood memories thx
It never hit 155 MPH, the speedometer didn’t even go that high. If you could double the 55 MPH speed limit you were lucky.
While stationed at Ft. Bliss, TX in 1980, a friend had one of these; same color, with the V-6. He had retired from the Air Force, and had bought his while stationed in Europe; hence, Euro-spec., with a bit of “tongue-in-cheek” transportation to the States. Not the round headlights. Euro-spec glass & emissions. Dual exhaust. Really nice car, and really fast !
You can put an Explorer 4.0 engine into a V6 Capri, pretty much bolt in.Just add sime wide Minilites and a pair of Super Oscars and you THE Boy Racer
Nice sports car. I like the 4cyl/4spd combo. There are a lot of options out there to up grade that pinto motor while keeping a stock appearance. Love the air cleaner.
A good strout motor and a 4 spd, what’s not to like?
Would love to have this parked outside my place.
A good buddy of mine back in ’76 had a 1971 Capri. I did all of his maintenance and he let me use it a lot. It was a fun car, and would do 0-60 in 10 seconds, which was quick for a 4 cyl. car in those days. Sadly, it was stolen and torched. These are so rare today. I guess too many lost their lives to the tin worm, or they were prematurely junked.
Its a 1973 Mercury Capri 2000 (not a Capri GT) this is a captive import sold at a Lincoln Mercury dealer. There was not Capri GT imported to the US.