By relocating a single letter, you form what sounds like the word that for many people best described the Capri, a sporty coupé that endured from 1969 to 1986. That was then but, today, a good Capri is a desirable old thing.
It’s the third and final generation – launched in 1978 and known, not surprisingly, as the Mk3 – that we’re interested in here. Production ended in 1986 but it took until 1989 for the last example, a 280 Brooklands, to be registered, which tells you all you need to know about this fast Ford’s fading appeal.
If only we’d known then what we know now. In 1989, a Brooklands cost around £12,000, but today the best go for as much as £40,000. In the real world, prices for a good Mk3 start at around £8000 but you can get into a tidy 1.3 or 1.6 for £3500. That’s ‘tidy’ as in ‘not as rusty as you might imagine’ because there will be rust. Where there isn’t any, assume it’s because you’re looking at filler.
Click here to buy your next used car from Autocar
The Mk3 was little more than a refreshed Mk2, which actually was very successful. It used the same Cortina-derived running gear and engines. These ranged from a 1.3 to a 3.0 V6, the latter also available in torquey S form and breathing through three Weber carbs. Styling-wise, the most successful tweak was the way the bonnet extended slightly over the new quad headlights to give a more aggressive appearance. The car was more aerodynamic, too, and the most powerful versions had a discreet rear spoiler.
In 1982, the 3.0 engine was replaced by a cleaner 2.8 with fuel injection. Early versions of this unit had a four-speed gearbox. The 2.8i Special appeared with a five-speed ’box and a limited-slip diff in 1984. The 1.3 and 1.6 versions gave people a step up into Capri-land but it was the 2.0 that was the big seller. By 1984, the UK was the only country taking the Capri. In 1986, Ford had a final throw of the dice with the Capri 280 Brooklands, based on the 2.8i Special and finished in racing green. It was the last version off the production line.
Join the debate
Add your comment
By relocating a single letter...
...you form what souds like the word that for many people best described the Capri. I worked at a Ford dealership in the late 80s, a mate of mine there used to do exactly that rearrangement of letters with the badges on customer Crapis, I mean, Capris!
I want this problem
"There are fakes, too, such as 3.0-litre cars with 1.6 Laser body shells"
Loved them in their day
I owned a couple of Mk3s in the 80s and easrly 90s - a 2.0 Laser and a 2.8i Special - and my dad had a Mk1 and a couple of Mk2s back in the day. Loved them probably more than any car I've owned since, and the fun you could have on damp roads at legal speeds was amazing - and best kept to low speeds with those brakes...! Have idly thought about buying one now for old times' sake, but sometimes it's better to have the memories than face the reality that by modern standards (like almost any car from that era) they're really compromised (not to mention the rust, which usually bubbled through before the first MoT).