Ford Capri

The Ford Capri is a car which was built by Ford of Europe from 1968 to 1986. It is a fastback coupé and was designed by Philip T. Clark, who had been involved in the design of the Ford Mustang. It used the mechanical components from the Mk2 Ford Cortina and was intended as the European equivalent of the Ford Mustang. The Capri went on to be highly successful for Ford, selling nearly 1.9 million units in its lifetime. A wide variety of engines were used in the car throughout its production lifespan, which included V6 engines named Essex and Cologne at the top of the range, while the straight-four (Kent) and V4 (Taunus) engines were used in lower-specification models. Although the Capri was not officially replaced, the second-generation Probe was effectively its replacement after the later car's introduction to the European market in 1994.

Production of the Capri began in November 1968. It was unveiled in January 1969 at the Brussels Motor Show, with sales starting the following month. The intention was to reproduce in Europe the success Ford had had with the North American Ford Mustang by producing a European pony car.

It was mechanically based on the Cortina, built at the Halewood plant for the United Kingdom and at Genk (Belgium), Saarlouis and Cologne (Germany) for Europe. The car was named Colt during its development stage, but Ford was unable to use the name, which had already been trademarked by Mitsubishi (and used since 1962 on its Colt).

The name Capri comes from the Italian island and this was the second time Ford had used the name, the previous model being the Ford Consul Capri, often just known as the Capri in the same way the Ford Consul Cortina and Ford Consul Classic rarely used the "Consul" in everyday use (the Ford Consul Cortina was officially renamed Ford Cortina in 1964).

Ford wanted the flashy fastback coupé to be affordable for a broad spectrum of potential buyers, which it made possible in part by making it available in a variety of engines. The British and German factories produced different Capri Mk I line-ups, with the continental model using the Ford Taunus V4 engine in 1.3, 1.5 and 1.7 L engine displacements, and British the Ford Kent straight-four in 1.3 and 1.6 L form. The Ford Essex V4 engine 2.0 L (British built) and Cologne V6 2.0 L (German built) served as initial range-toppers. At the end of the year, new sports versions were added: the 2300 GT in Germany, using a double-barrel carburettor with 125 PS (92 kW), and in September 1969 the 3000 GT in the UK, with the Essex V6, capable of 138 hp (103 kW).

Under the new body, the running gear was very similar to the 1966 Cortina. The rear suspension employed a live axle supported on leaf springs with short radius rods. MacPherson struts were featured at the front in combination with rack and pinion steering (sourced from the Ford Escort) which employed a steering column that would collapse in response to a collision.

The initial reception of the car was broadly favourable. The range continued to be broadened, with another 3.0 variant, the Capri 3000E introduced from the British plant in March 1970, offering "more luxurious interior trim".

Ford began selling the Capri in the Australian market in May 1969 and in April 1970 it was released in the North American and South African markets. The South African Models initially used the Kent 1.6 engine and the V4 2.0 version of the Essex, although a Pinto straight-four 2.0 L replaced it in some markets in 1971. An exception, though, was the Perana manufactured by Basil Green Motors near Johannesburg, which was powered first by a 3.0 Essex engine and then by a 302ci V8 Ford Windsor engine after Ford South Africa began offering 3.0 Essex-engined options. All North American versions featured the "power dome" hood and four round 53⁄4" U.S.-spec headlights. They carried no "Ford" badging, as the Capri was only sold by Lincoln-Mercury dealers (with the Mercury division handling sales) and promoted to U.S. drivers as "the sexy European".