Why did it take me so long to write up this car! I’ve had it in my queue for over a week – sorry for the delay, and thanks to Jack M who sent along the tip. Here’s what’s going on: I called the owner to inquire about buying this car because I’ve been looking for an early V6 Capri – faux or not – for a few years now. I haven’t made up my mind on this one, so it’s time to throw it out to the audience for a weigh-in. This car is advertised on craigslist for $16,500, and it’s located in Costa Mesa, California. The seller is downsizing slightly and has a couple other cars for sale as well. Whatever goes first will solve his storage problem, so he will likely pull the listings on the others. So why would I put this in my garage? And why haven’t I, yet?
Far less common here than overseas, the Capri was Ford’s effort to bring a pony car to Europe. Introduced in 1969, the car was offered with multiple engine options ranging from Taunus, Kent and Essex fours to Cologne sixes. Ford Motorsport immediately entered purpose-built Capris in rallies and touring car races, scoring multiple successes. Raced by greats such as Jochen Mass, Emerson Fittipaldi, and Hans Stuck, the Capri generated plenty of interest in showrooms: more than 400,000 copies were sold in the first two years of production. One of the most revered iterations of racing Capris was the RS2600, equipped with fuel-injection and alloy heads, good for 150 hp. Its brakes were larger than standard, its suspension was modified to create camber, its panels were lightened, windows were plexi, and to top it all off, some cars received only one coat of paint – all in the name of shedding pounds while keeping the speedy little fastback on the ground. The RS2600 is a legend in Ford Motorsport history. Today’s Capri has been modified via an engine swap to a Cologne 2.8 liter, probably good for about 135 hp but with lots of upside from there, thanks to companies like Burton Power.
The interior features Recaro seats – not the original buckets, which are not with the car. Personally my back doesn’t get along with Recaros, so I would be looking for some other seating option. While the fronts aren’t original, the seller has just had the factory rear seats re-upholstered. The gearshift lever has been altered – it’s gained a couple of inches thanks to the installation of a five-speed manual gearbox. As long as the gearshift is, the opposite has happened to the e-brake handle, which is a shadow of its former self. Looking past those alterations, the instrument layout and two-spoke steering wheel appeal to me.
The paint quality is decent though in the trunk we can see a different shade poorly applied. Early-style bumpers have been installed and painted black. Twin exhausts exit the rear. If, like me, you’ve been looking for an early Capri, you know how difficult they are to find in the US. Any car has to be considered. There’s plenty to appreciate about this example, but also a smattering of things I don’t like – the seats, the painted bumpers, that chrome air cleaner, the awkward alterations to the gearshift and handbrake. I’m on the fence, given the price I’d have to pay for this car and the changes I want to make. What do you think? Worth it, or pass?
The car has already been listed for 19 days. I would estimate the costs to make all of your changes, and offer the seller a reduced price to cover them. The worst thing that they could tell you is no.
I saw lots of these stock Capris in their day driving around. They were a ‘dime a dozen’ cars. I never had any real interest in obtaining one even for modification. This one is survivor and looks to be in pretty good shape. Once again, many years later, I will pass……. especially at $16K+. California is the state for survivors like this. Someone will like this car!!
Nice one, Michelle, and thanks Jack M.! My first car was a ’73 Capri 2600 four-speed, rusty but happy to run 80+ all day long. It was reduced to Swiss cheese in NW PA or I’d have kept it longer. We’d love to hear from the buyer on their plans for this one.
Make him an offer..fulfill your dream,Capri’s are lovely lil GT’s and everyone should have one .
Good job Michelle. I really liked these Capris back in the day. This one doesn’t look bad, but I’m with you, I’m kind of lukewarm to some of the mods. Not many of them, in any condition, seem to turn up here in the US.
I owned a Capri with the 1600. A friend had the V6. They both rusted overnight. I live in the rust belt. Both were a lot of fun.
Joe stick shift and rwd = fun guaranteed 😎 👍
Memories!! I bought one brand new in 1971 when I returned from Nam. There was a line of people wanting to test drive and I got the silver one, 4 cylinder and 4 speed. Wrote a check for $2603.91 as I recall, not bad for a 20 year old. Had looked at Boss 302 Mustang and 2002 BMW but the insurance wasn’t affordable for an E-5 in the Corps!!
Well, if you can’t find a Perana….
Ever since I test-drove a U.S.-spec Capri back in the day — I ended up with a Mazda RX3 instead — I wished Ford would step up and let us have the Euro-spec Capris. I really liked the styling, but the performance and handling available here just weren’t quite enough.
This looks like a nice choice. If I were you, I’d give it serious thought, Michelle. Lots of upside, especially if you can get it on the downside of the ask. Or you could build one yourself and maybe save some money. Ford 5.0 engines are plentiful….
I had three Capris over a six year period, the last was a ’74 that o lavished with trendy aftermarket stuff.
Fun cars!
From time to time good South African Capri V8 come up for sale, although RHD. I personally owned a V6 (Essex ) powered ’69 car – great car.
https://www.perana.org/capriv8.asp
It looks like someone might have put an Edelbrock 4bbl intake on, that’s was a pretty common upgrade when there were a lot of modified Capri’s roaming California high school parking lots, along side Datsun 510’s, 240z’s, VW bugs as well as a slew of muscle cars.
Steve R
Why think 5.0 ? Sure its a upgrade but why when the real world beating small block would transform this car to dare i say Pantera heights the 351 Cleveland! We are a older crowd that isn’t easily impressed & that V6 would just leave you unfulfilled after a week of thrashing I would choose wisely. In a world with Hellcats is a kitten the right choice ?
Cleveland are hard to find and expensive to build. The351C’s were surpassed by the 302 when the Fox body Mustangs became the dominant Ford performance platform in the early-90’s. The 302 and stroked variants are incredibly common and inexpensive on the secondary market, after market heads, roller cams, intake manifold both carbureted and fuel injected, none of that’s the case with the Cleveland, plus they are much more compact and lighter than the 351 Cleveland. The Cleveland makes sense for a late-60’s or early-70’s Mustang, but not a car like this Capri.
Steve R
Man, this is a flash back! I had a ’72 V6/4 spd. yellow with parchment interior. It was my 1st car. I bought it new. I wanted a 240Z, but couldn’t afford it. This car was like less than $2200.00 delivered. Gas was like $4.00 filled the tank from E!!! I kept that car till 1979, sold it with like 80k+ and it wasn’t falling apart. I did a RokStock suspension with Bilstein’s & CN36’s added an Ansa exhaust. My buddy, a ford tech, weighted the distributor and fiddled with the carb. That car was a ton of fun! The only time it stranded me was the shifter broke & I was lucky there was enough of a stub to get a vice grip on and I drove home.
Boy does this thing bring back memories!! In the mid 80’s I bought a ’73 2.6 autocross car from a fellow racer that ended up school bus yellow and hugger orange. Discovering there were very few power mods available for that engine at the time, I swapped in a 2.3 intercooled turbo/T-5 from an ’86 SVO Mustang. Bypassing the wastegate regulator and controlling boost to 20lbs with a Supertrapp muffler netted me a 240 horse 2000 pound racecar that was an annual Twin Cities class champion for quite a few years!!
I have always liked these cars. I borrowed one from a buddy to autocross one weekend. It’s the only car that I spun out at an autocross! (I still finished 2nd. if I remember correctly) The turbo 4 setup makes a lot of sense. Although an aluminum headed and intake 5.0 sounds like fun too. I have been watching for an affordable one for a long time. You better grab it. They are hard to find. The mods in this one don’t sacre me. Change the seats and get used to the other mods.
Bought a new one in ’72 while stationed in Germany. 2000 CC w/5 speed. Ran great for a 4 banger, but always wished I’d got the 2600. Got back and got the speed bug so 2 friends (one welder, one machinist) and I shoe horned a 289/w C-6 trans. Definitely took care of the speed problem. Problem was a flat air cleaner still stuck out the hood and crossflow radiators only available in Corvette’s and really spendy. Opted to open up the front top and bottom and put standard radiator in. Worked, but wasn’t pretty. Got orders for Germany again and sold it for a song. Been looking for one for a while, but they have gotten just to expensive for a weekender. Had one, have the memories, will have to do.
What memories! I bought a new ’73 4cyl/4spd as my first car for $3,200 cash that I saved since I was 12 doing paper routes, cutting grass and washing neighbors cars! It was forest green with black interior. Great car but in two years went through 3 water pumps! Sold it two years later for $300 less than I paid new and bought a ’76 Capri II Ghia V6/4spd. What a difference that V6 made. It was faster than my friend’s 2002TI!! Wish I had garage space for a nice Capri now. This looks like a good one but I would chrome the bumpers for sure…..
Spent 4 months in one while in Europe. Closest thing to a good BMW 2002 I’ve ever driven. I sure wouldn’t let this one get away Michelle.
First car (42 years ago): 1977 Capri II ‘S’, white with the gold stripes, gold accented wheels, black & gold cloth seats, 2.8V6, 4-speed manual and 2 sets of dual Ansa tips under the rear bumper. Nothing else like it in town, so much fun pouring over the Dobi accessories catalogs and daydreaming of turning it into a RokStok racer! I can still quote the VIN from memory, and I knew roughly where it was until a few years ago. I continue believing I’ll find it again one day!
Dollar is getting weak…wouldn’t be surprised to see this one head back to Europe.
Loved my ’74. V-6, 3 pedals. Well made, fun to drive.
Grab it Michelle, where are you going to find another one? Don’t let this one escape!
Always thought these were cool. Drove several that friends had. The great Ford Capri versus BMW 3.0CSL battles in early 70s European endurance racing were epic and fueled my interest. All the greats drove for the factories: Lauda, Emmo Fittipaldi, the wee Scotsman, Sir Stewart, and many others. Epic battles. Huge box flares covering ridiculous tires, big wings (BMW) versus huge ducktail on the Capri…straight six engine versus V6s (some with 4 cams!)…..three wheel cornering…it didn’t get much better!
The RS2600 was a great hotrod….the factory cars had Kugelfischer injection. When I was living in Germany, all sorts of German youth ran tarted-up Capris with all the looks of a muscular car, but base (SMALL !) engines.
Maybe a good Euro racer tribute would be one of Ford’s more recent muti-cam V6s that would echo the Cosworth engines found in in the factory racers?
For a good look, check out Jeremy Walton’s book: Capri: The Development and Competition History, etc.
Nice to reflect on, but I’m grateful for all my BMW 2002s, BMW Coupes, and my fabulous Scirocco. Still, the Capri was pretty cool and earned its stripes on the race tracks of Europe. Buy this one and go out and get sideways, channeling all the greats who had struggled with the beast!
Vinyl wraps have come a long way. Just wrap the bumpers in chrome – hard to tell it is not the real thing.
Vinyl wraps have come a long way. Just wrap the bumpers in chrome – hard to tell it is not the real thing.
I wish it were still available. Finding one rust free is difficult. I bought my 1973 in 1973 from a local dealer who repo’d it with 3,000 miles on it. Great price and it was in great condition. Installed a Craig “Auto-reverse” cassette deck and new speakers. Drove it to Prom and was surrounded by girls asking questions…The Sexy European they called it. My 17 year-od self loved that car!