[Closed] Ford Capri

Do it

Just do it!

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1165257

Great looking cars. Get one with the twin headlights.

Difficult - 2.8i or tickford
The 2.8i with the pepper pot alloys and recaros would be my choice.

If you take your time, get a nice one, enjoy it for a few years, look after it then you should be able to sell for the same or slightly more money in a few years... good value I’d say...

I bought a black '86 1600 Laser for £500 in the late 90s and drove it for 2 years until the front suspension mounts failed the MOT test. I loved that car. Really comfortable to drive. Even the 1600 was fun, so the 3l must be fantastic. If you can afford one, get it. Fast Fords are selling for crazy money.

I love the Capri.

I see a pretty good conditioned left hand drive one driving around locally here in Spain every so often.

Wasn't the Ford Capri originally an equivalent of the Ford Mustang for the British market? Years ago (mid 70's) a neighbour had the classic orange body/matt black bonnet version.

Not seen one for ages.
We used to have endless arguments at primary school over who's dad had the fastest car. Mine obviously (Triumph Stag, the only V8) There was also a Datsun 240Z (which with hindsight probably was fastest) a Renault Feugo, an XR3i and two Capris.
The guy who's parents had a 900cc mk1 Fiesta never joined in.
I wonder if children nowadays have similar arguments over the Qashqai, Zafira and Sportage?
.
Anyway, if you want one, get one. And classic cars may be an appreciating asset

Thing is I can’t find a 3 litre on Autotrader only 2.8s

Autotrader probably isn't the best place to look I'd have thought. I assume there's probably a Capritrackworld type thing or similar.

Edit:-
Just had a look on carandclassic. Wow, they're a lot of money. £27-50000.
A whopping 136bhp from a 3 litre S, I assume it weighs sod all though.

Friend had a 3.1 similar but not quite the same as this one

I had a Dark Blue, Mk1 J-registered (1972'ish) Capri 1600GT as my first ever car!

I paid £220 for it, drove it for two years. It handled like a dog, was very slow, despite being the GT with a whole 86bhp (hahahahaha).

It would drift around islands at 30mph and slide across the roads on most corners but it was GREAT FUN. I've looked at Capri's on eBay and would have a nice one with a modern 2.0 engine (Zetec etc...) and a 5 speed gearbox ahead of an original 3.0 V6...

but I'm not sure I can be bothered :o)

Dad had a 1.6 Laser brothers ex misses had a 1.6 Laser, 2.8 and then a 280 Brooklands. And also sister's boyfriend also had a Capri at the time.

Pistonheads Classifieds would probably be a good place to start.

I had a 1978 Mk3 3.0L S way better than any 2.8i. You start off with a motor that can be more easily tuned than the 2.8 with its odd siamised head ports.

Things to watch for, timing gear on the Essex engine is via gears (no belt) however the standard engine used fibre gears (why, guess for noise) make sure they are replaced with metal timing gear, lots more reliable, if nosier. The inlet manifold can be quite restrictive on the standard engine, it comes with a 4 speed box so a 2.8i 5 speed is a popular conversion (mine on the 4 speed could hit 80 in second) front suspension and brakes can't really handle the speed and weight so again 2.8i struts and ventilated discs were a popular conversion.

The rear end can be a bit wayward, due to the leaf springs and solid rear axle, cheap trick was a bag of cement in the back, however the proper thing to do was fit a x-frame kit to stop the axle moving about.

Mine ended up with a Swaymar inlet manifold with a Holley 4 barrel carb, block bored to 3.1, re-profiled cam, solid timing gear, modified heads, modified sump (used to surge on bends) 2.8i struts and discs, skorpion x-frame kit. electric rad fan better cooling and more HP over engine driven stock fan. 2.8i special polished 7 spoke alloys (looked cooler than the pepperpots) all white exterior, with all black interior incl Recaros.

Usual probs for the era rust. I sold it in the end as I knew I would die in it, guy I sold it to has a RS3100 Mk1 and he's used the 3.0s for spares to keep the RS running, so I'm happy it went to a good place, well apart from the fact that a 3.0s nowadays can go for a song.

I really need your help in being talked out of this.

When we were kids people who drove Capris were ****ers called Kevin with girlfriends called Sharon or Tracey.

Any help !?

Difference between the Spirit of Ecstasy and Sharon?

One was screwed on the bonnet of a Rolls Royce and the other on the bonnet of a Capri

My Grandad had a 3l Ghia, bronze with brown vinyl roof. It was left to rot and when he passed it was given to me. At the time I was a young idiot with no mechanical skills or interest so we basically gave it away! I saw it a few years later, fully restored! It was stunning. One of the biggest regrets of my life! I will not return to this thread!!

The 3 litre was a Mk. 2, possibly Mk.1 as well? Edited - just googled it, early Mk.3's had the 3L too.
82 on Mk.3's went to the 2.8L engine. Even in the mid 80's, the Mk. 2's were being scrapped due to corrosion. It was only when they stopped making the range that people took the time to repair the rot and keep the remaining one son the road. And they did rot, everywhere. Suspension mounts, front and rear were common, the sills were rotten with awful regularity, the inner sills went too. Seat mounts rotted through. They were not a well made car.
But, if one has survived this long, then it has probably been repaired and probably painted/sealed to stop the rust.
I had 2, a 1976 Mk.2 and a 1981 Mk.3. The Mk. 2 fell apart. I did my own welding then, so could repair most things, but this was beyond repair, everything was rusty. the Mk.3 was better, but both wings needed replacing, so I sold it.

We used to have endless arguments at primary school over who’s dad had the fastest car.

Yeah but what mattered was what it said on the speedo. My Dad's 1.3 litre Chrysler Alpine said 120mph so that's what it would do in my 6 year old mind.

I've had 2 Capri's. I'd tell you about them but it's bed time.

Have you ever driven one? Even the good ones are absolute donkeys. They used to be good cheap fun but now they're mega, ridiculous money. And don't think that when you want your investment back you can just pass it on without losing your money. Watch the market for a while. People think old cars are worth a fortune so they price them accordingly and the same cars come up for sale month after month for sometimes years on end. Everyone thinks they're selling the crown jewels and no one wants to see the bubble burst.

My last one was £5000 for my dream spec mk3. You wouldn't even get a 1.6 Laser for that now. I paid £600 for one of those and I'd say that's about right.

I had a 2 litre MK2 twin webers in yellow, cool as **** absolutely shite - slow handled like a worn sofa. Traded it for a Mk2 Escort 1600 sport.

@YoKaiser must have pictures of his Brooklands, 4 of us squeezed into it after a nightshift was, er, interesting. 🤣

I loved my Capri's, I can tell you the reg of all of them (3) but not the car I currently own. Ended up with a Brooklands and let it go for a song after leaving it sat up for a couple of years with an electric gremlin. Kicking myself now. Not the fastest or best handling things but what a great place to sit and cruise.

@WCA when I had my 3.0s my GF at the time was a Sharon an she had a 1.6 Laser, so you called it. One thing to add about the Capri, it had a massive engine bay, I guess you could easily fit a 5/7L engine into it.

Do it - get a 3.0S with the V6 engine, none of that poncy 2.8i shite. I’d do something very similar if I had the money.

The guys who own the unit next to mine are some if the best in the business. Check out Restore-A-Ford on Facebook. There is a constant stream of mad Dutch guys driving over with an RS or Cosworth XR4I on a trailer to be rebuilt at huge expense. They look amazing but as somebody above said and I've had confirmed many times when chatting to the guy that owns the business - the prices are insane and they drive like you'd expect something from 1982 to drive like....

I grew up with my dad exclusively owning Capris. My journey home from the hospital was in a carry cot on the backseat of a 1.6, red with black vinyl roof. He then bought a new C reg 1.6 Laser in grey, then a year later swapped to a D reg 2.0 Laser (red, D52 SGD) when Ford announced the end of production. Great memories of that one, flat out on the M876 past Larbert with a Janspeed exhaust, kickstarted my interest in cars.

Asked my dad recently if given the chance would he buy another Capri, but he told me nah they’re shite!

First crash I was in was the passenger seat of a school mate’s 2.8i. Inevitable really.

(Very) Briefly thought about a 2.8i myself but went more modern instead/: Vauxhall Monaro. Sort of a modern day equivalent being the more working class option compared to rivals. Might be worth a consideration as an alternative, prices are cheap.

Get a 1.3 pushrod 8v to be the envy of the other Capri owners.

Why would you want a 3L over a 2.8i?

Love me a bit of a Capri and to my eternal chagrin I've never even sat in one. There's a black Laser that drives round near me with the iconic go-faster-stripe paint job and I'm this > < far from throwing myself under its tyres in order to start a conversation.

@sharkattack

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/354001/iconic-ford-escort-mk2-reborn-specialist-mst

I can't see this old ford/rwd bubble bursting anytime soon.

An S2 Escort Turbo can go for £15k these days. Jesus Christ!

A turbo'd 2door MkII knocking on double that. A mint original survivor who knows!

Now their ilk are creeping up too, Lotus Sunbeams were under the radar, now off the scale, Dolomite Sprints are rising too. Old school RWD are always going to have a captive audience ready to spend big money on them.

To the OP I say fill your boots but don't fanny about, spend as much as you can on the very best you can find. Enjoy it, get it out of your system and I would be willing to say you get your money back on it.

@stgeorge I immediately recognised that video is of Trescott ford near Wolverhampton. Somewhere I cycled through a few times about 15 years ago. Why can't my brain retain useful information too? Foreign language, nah. But photographic memory of fords, yeah.

Speaking of alternative cars, how about a 944 turbo, similar era, can actually go round corners and quickly. Slightly less rusty, potentially equally as ruinous.
Fits a modern MTB in the back or two 26ers.
Pop up headlamps.

You see a lot of old VWs, and a few Mercedes too.  But it’s super rare to see an old Ford.  Yet ford were the best selling U.K. brand of the 70/80s. Bit suss?

I can remember going to the launch evening for the Capri, the Ford one, not the earlier Consul Capri, and I couldn’t quite get over the fact that the mustard yellow one with the Matt-black bonnet that was on display, some muppet had tried to polish the dull finish on the bonnet...
There are a few cars of that sort of period I’d consider if I had plenty of spare cash, but a Capri wouldn’t be one of them, the handling was dire, and they’re just not that much fun to drive.
Now, a Sunbeam Talbot Ti, or Sunbeam Talbot Lotus, or a Mk1 or Mk2 Ford Cortina GT or Lotus, or Mk1 or Mk2 Escort GT or Mexico, those are cars that really handle, and don’t need huge amounts of power to be an engaging drive.

One thing to add about the Capri, it had a massive engine bay, I guess you could easily fit a 5/7L engine into it.

You see a lot of old VWs, and a few Mercedes too. But it’s super rare to see an old Ford. Yet ford were the best selling U.K. brand of the 70/80s. Bit suss?

You see a lot of old VWs, and a few Mercedes too. But it’s super rare to see an old Ford. Yet ford were the best selling U.K. brand of the 70/80s. Bit suss?

Rust and the eighties fords I drove were crap.

If you do decide to get one it would have to be garaged somewhere secure as the classic Ford’s are really bad for being pinched, just like Defenders.

Pop up headlamps.

I'm in.

My favourite car from 38 years ago https://imgur.com/gallery/VwmCXLk

I never had a Capri but 3 Mk1 Mexico
This one in Sebring Red

since my teenage years I’ve lusted after a 3 litre Ford Capri. I really need your help in being talked out of this

They are shitboxes. By modern standards, they are slow and uncomfortable. Yes, you will look cool to children, but to the rest of the world, you will look like this:

I like them, seen a few go through the auctions. Look at glenmarch for sold prices, as said fast Ford's get top money.

Their performance by modern standards is poor, even the 2.8 or brooklands would struggle to match an entry level hatch, guessing there though.

Be careful buying your fantasy car, I did it once and shattered my dream. That big old pillar headlight merc saloon i lusted after turned out to be a barge doing 10 to the gallon.

There's a capri club on fb I follow, some real enthusiasts.

This is tough as the naysayers are right...but..one of the overriding reasons is I got a lift home from one of the teachers when I was in 6th form. He had a black 3.0 and I will never forget the sound as he floored it after Skew Bridges. That’s why it has to be a 3. Luckily the current pandemic prevents me getting one and is holding up the house sale.

My Dad had a DS Safari for years and I was lusting over old photos of that as well ffs.

I've had 2 Capri's, a bright banana yellow 1.6 which was really shit and then a really nice metallic green 2.0s which was modded to about 150bhp which was pretty good in the early 90's.
Engine and general mechanics they are really easy to work on but they are serious rust buckets the worst place to sort is under the rear seats right across the whole floor the seam goes.

For a hot looking car they were freezing cold inside, the heater took for ages to warm up the cavernous interior, get yourself a nice sheepskin coat to keep warm if you get one. Oh, and don't forget some crochet backed driving gloves to keep your hands warm as well..........

Just drive one for a day, that'll cure any need for one.

Great to look at, but like most classics, fine for a Sunday but murder to drive compared to anything remotely modern.

I love em. Had a 1976 Mk2 2L Ghia White with black vinyl roof.

http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/cars-fordcapri-280.asp

£500 for a long weekend, get it out of your system 🙂

I learned to drive in my dad's White 2.0 Laser Capri...Massive bonnet with that quite nonsensical power bulge on it, seats on the floor, my dad shouting at me from the passenger seat...Ah, happy days, it was a simpler time back then...Mind you it was ridiculously tall geared, if you could pull away in 2nd, you could top out at 80 with just one gear change.

Imagine the strain on the forearms now with no power steering assist
Pulling out the choke
Never driven one myself but can't imagine they handled well, probably floated like a MK3 Corrina

And let's not forget the interior - especially the top spec cars....

I'm awake now so this was my last one,

2.9 Cosworth BOB from a Granada. Emerald ECU and handmade exhaust. Cosworth front brakes from a Sierra, rear disc conversion, adjustable Gaz suspension. The standard rear axle moves side to side as well as up and down so it had the triangulation kit which holds it still.

It had the diff from a 1.6 and with the low weight and big sticky rear tyres it would never spin the wheels in the dry. It used to feel so fast in a straight line and the noise was glorious.

Unfortunately under full power the power steering would die and you had to slow down until it came back. Turning the wheel on a hydraulic rack with no assistance is almost impossible. The wipers only worked when it wasn't raining, leading to some pretty hairy motorway driving. When driven 'enthusiastically' you had to tread very lightly as it would understeer into everything and oversteer out. The Recaro seats had the padding of a park bench. Somehow, it only went on an AA truck once.

I absolutely loved it at the time but it cost me £4500 fully built and I sold it 2 years later for the same. I wish I still had it for cruising around on sunny days but there's no way on Earth I'd spend the current asking prices to get back in once. There's too many far superior options.

Don't get hung up on a 3.0. Those leaky carbs might burn down your investment and the 4 speed box is like wiggling a mop in a bucket. The 2.8i is much better but still only has the power of an old diesel Golf.

JFDI.

I used to see a mk2 with a Rover V8 fitted quite often on the A69 on my way to work. Also, when I was little my mam's partner had a red mk2 and his friend had a really cool silver mk1- slot mags, louvre on the back window and everything.

I may have just done a romance explosion!

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1152575

RWD - yep, Ford - yep, Capri - nope but it's better

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1289409

Yeah, I think that Escort would be a much better thing to drive than a Capri with a huge lump of a V6 in the front.

MkI Escort probably holds no nostalgia value to the OP though. For me it would be a late 70's Capri or MkII Escort RS2000 (with the mesh headrests!).

But unless the OP has money to pee up the wall I'd not be spending £30 - £40k on a car that you could barely use for fear of devaluing it.

I would take this Datsun over any Ford though. Much better car than the Capri.

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1262694

@thols2 You're probably right, but you don't buy a Capri because you want a good car; you buy one because you want a Capri. By modern standards they are woefully underpowered (but wasn't everything back then in comparison) and handle like they are allergic to going forwards, but they look the business and are a right laugh to drive.

I had a 1.3 as my second car and a 2.0 Ghia with a twin-choke Weber and pancake filter some years later - what a noise that made. If I had the money, I'd get one. Or maybe a Manta 1.8 Berlinetta - again 🙂

MkI Escort probably holds no nostalgia value to the OP though.

Surely this is all that really matters. Buying a classic/vintage unless it is some sort of investment weirdness is almost all about the nostalgia generated and the desirability to you. For me capris have nothing but negative connotations (based around the only person I knew as a kid having one being a proper piece of work - with my adult 2021 eyes definitely a domestic abuser and I suspect a sexual predator to boot) and I oddly feel a bit sick when I see one - when I see one I see the crimes of that man, not the car. But that is just me. But very fond memories of being snuggled up in the back of a Reliant Scimitar driving across the moor in the driving rain though that I'd happily recreate..

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Free Membe http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/cars-fordcapri-280.asp

£500 for a long weekend, get it out of your system 🙂

This has 100% solved the problem. Cheers exactly what I needed and the money saved can be spunked on a guitar I won't be able to play very well instead.

You’re probably right, but you don’t buy a Capri because you want a good car

Exactly.

Or maybe a Manta 1.8 Berlinetta – again

Opel Manta you say? Had one of those as well...

This one had a 2.0 16v XE liberated from a Cavalier. Throttle bodies, megasquirt ignition and a 5 speed box.

It probably had less power than the Capri at around 200bhp but it felt savagely fast and it used to shoot big flames. It looks like a muscle car but it's about the size and weight of an MX5. The handling was far superior to the Capri with a much better rear suspension design. It was much more fun to throw around.

Sadly I owned this at a bad time and had to sell but it's the one car I wish I still had more than any other. It was amazing and I never got to fully enjoy it. So much that last year I almost bought another from a specialist and committed to a big build including a VXR engine. The person I sold it to left it on his driveway to rot and it hasn't moved since.

This thread has got me thinking. I've got the Fiesta for another 2 and a bit years then I might sniff around the classic market before I commit to a replacement.

Had a 2 lt white one vinyl roof and the fancy gear box, like sitting in a wheelbarrow when yu got in, so low and dodgy seats, huge long bonnet.

Reasonably fast but sliddy in the wet, beware of rusting internals o the headlights and dodgy electrics, mine melted some cables to the lights, a bottle of water put that out.

@sharkattack That is nice, much nicer than the type I was thinking of! 😀 (it's not mine, but mine was exactly the same). And, yes, it handled far better than the Capris. But then, so did jelly.

much nicer than the type I was thinking of! 😀 (it’s not mine, but mine was exactly the same). And, yes, it handled far better than the Capris. But then, so did jelly.

@brakestoomuch that's what springs to my mind if someone says Opel Manta. Love the shape of that style.

It's a shame that Manta's have all but vanished. They rusted far worse than Ford's which doesn't help and most of the 1.8 hatchbacks were broken for the gearboxes and big wing sumps to build cars like mine.

There's at least 3 Capri's in Sheffield which I see regularly but I can't remember the last time I saw a Manta outside of a classic car show.

A few years ago I really wanted to buy a Monaro with a tired body or a bit of accident damage and then save up to reshell it into a Manta coupe because I know someone who had a rolling shell lying around. Then I'd have an LS2 powered 400 replica! Pure daydream content.

Well, It's hardly a rational purchase is it!

If your heart wants a Capri then it wants a Capri so suggesting any number of better, faster, more usable, etc etc cars for the same money won't help.

I've never owned one, but my entire extended family seemed to own at least 2 at some point, usually more. It was the only thing my Father and Maternal Grandfather had in common. I don't know how they drive, other than 'badly' I imagine, but I know how the seats feel, how they smell, how they sound, I'm sure a short ride in the back of one now (assuming at 41 year old adult would actually fit, I was probably younger than 10 last time) would leave me a blubbering mess these days as pretty much everyone in my life that had one is now dead. I still don't know what that little knob on the dash to the right of the radio does, I was never allowed to touch it, my Grandad said it made the wings come out.

I still don’t know what that little knob on the dash to the right of the radio does, I was never allowed to touch it, my Grandad said it made the wings come out.

If I remember correctly it's a twisty knob to adjust the brightness of the dials. From blacked out to dull in my experience. Mine had white LED's in.

You could maybe put on a bid for this
https://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/ford/capri/aetv48352555

£500 for a long weekend, get it out of your system 🙂

You have no idea just how close I am to hyperventilating right now.

My one and only reservation is "after all this time, what if it turns out to be utter shit?" They say that it's not always wise to meet your heroes.

Parents had a bright yellow 1.6 from 1976.lasted 7 years and literally dissolved. My mum kept a hammer in the glove box to hit the solenoid to start it. The passenger door didn't open so you climbed across the front. In the last year you could only use it during daylight on dry days as the electrics were so unreliable you never quite new what would happen when you flicked a switch or pressed a button. No lights, no wipers. The petrol tank fell off due to rust and I remember seeing the sparks on the road as my mum kept driving with it bouncing off the ground under us. Other than those issues it ran fine and we all loved it. Still feel happy when I see one drive past.

Rihearn how did it get a mot? Maybe an easy going tester who accepted some afternoon cakes or had the hots for your mum when she was picking it up

My mum kept a hammer in the glove box to hit the solenoid to start it.

This made me lol! I did exactly the same thing with my 1.6 Laser. First I had to learn what a starter motor was and eventually I learned how to replace one but in between, I carried a hammer.

I learned everything I know about cars from fixing that thing. Haven't used any of it since.

Very enjoyable thread, thanks. Had a 1983 rust free metallic green 1.6 Capri as a student and into first job. Was an absolute hoot, and actually pretty reliable all things considered. However, my mate's Astra actually went round roundabouts without drama, unlike the Capri.

Occasionally look at them on Autotrader, but I just don't have the time to spend on it, or the garage to store it (full of bikes)

I had a fad on a 2.8i capri when a workmate was selling his for £400, took it for a test drive and it was dog shit 😀 I went back to my RS escorts 😀 😀

Watching this pretty much got it out of my system.

Just spotted the Dolomite in that vid. The wife and I owned one for a while. Buying one of them would get the green flag

One thing to add about the Capri, it had a massive engine bay

And with that came a massive bonnet. Which flew up on my uncles when he was driving at speed down the A1. I was in the passenger seat at the time. Thankfully it had brown veleur seats.