It sounds like the seller of two Mercury Capris is fending off a decent amount of interest in these oddball Euro-Fords. The Capri nameplate has been used a variety of ways on cars in Ford’s lineup, from sporty 90s two-seater to the also-sporty but hardtop-only configuration seen here. These Capris listed as a pair here on Facebook Marketplace for just $1,800 are the MK1 variety, and one has the desirable Cologne V6 under the hood while the other is a 4-cylinder. Both are rough but they could be a bonanza of good parts for a Capri enthusiast.
It’s always interesting to me to see cars like this in their as-discovered state. What led to them being parked for so long, and in a place where they remained undisturbed? Of course, we forget how big the U.S. and how there are many places where visitors are scarce and population growth is non-existent. These cars are located in or around New Kensington, PA and feature complete drivetrains and interiors. However, like most captive imports from Europe and Japan in the 1970s, their body shells are incredibly fragile, and rust is likely a significant issue. The seller notes the blue 4-cylinder car is in worse shape.
But, to be fair, there’s also a lot to like if you’re on the hunt for useful spares. The interior are in surprisingly nice shape. I can’t easily tell which one is which, but given this car has the woodgrain dash and an automatic, I would guess this is the six-cylinder model. Also, since the yellow Capri is missing half of its windshield and this shows the gaping hole in the passenger side, it’s almost certainly the yellow car. The seats and dash appear to have held up well, and since outdoor exposure with a hole in the windscreen would likely render it trashed, it seems likely these Capris were kept inside.
I often forget that the Capri was a bit of a hit sales-wise in the U.S. Many of the sportier models sold by the Lincoln-Mercury dealer network were failures, but the Capri bucked that trend and managed to entice shoppers into showrooms. The smaller 1.6L Kent-series 4-cylinder produced around 75 b.h.p. while the Cologne V6 cars in 1974 generated a little over 100 b.h.p. and a healthy amount of torque, with slightly over 140 lb.-ft. Overall, these look worthy of saving for the price and the bounty of good spare parts.
Kinda rough… parts cars??
Looks like the ’73 has a Moss Green interior.
Loved the style of these at the time. The Black with the gold accents looked particularly nice. Lincoln Mercury dealer, next town over had 6 on his lot in 73, did not sell very well. They sent 2 to Ford desler. and supposedly were bought by people who came in for a Mustang 11