Ford Capri
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Wikipedia: Ford Capri
Wikipedia: Lincoln Capri Wikipedia: Mercury Capri Page Sections Reference Desk History Photographs Documents |
Reference Desk
The Crittenden Automotive Library's "Reference Desk" is a collection of materials that cannot be shared due to copyright restrictions. Information from these resources, however, can be shared. Go to the Reference Desk page for more information.
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1974  Book | Capri Service-Repair Handbook: All Models 1970-1974 by Alan Ahlstrand; Clymer Publications |
History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Mercury Capri page on 3 December 2016, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Mercury Capri is an automobile which was marketed in North America by the Lincoln Mercury Division of Ford between 1970 and 1994. The Capri was sold in the US as three distinctly different cars over three decades. The Capri for the 1971–74 model years and Capri II for 1976–77 were Ford captive imports produced by Ford of Europe in Germany. They did not carry any marque badging and each was simply a Capri. The Mercury Capri of 1979–86 was a re-styled Ford Mustang, produced in the USA, and the final version of 1991–94 was a convertible produced by Ford Australia.
The origin of the name after the Italian island of Capri, dates back to the Lincoln Capri of the 1950s. The European Ford Capri was developed as a "baby Mustang" for that market, a 2-door car with a short trunklid (later hatchback) and a long hood.
First Generation (1970–1977)
The Capri was built in Cologne, Germany, and was sold through Lincoln-Mercury dealers in North America. The European Capri was first sold in the US in April 1970. It did not carry Lincoln or Mercury marque identification. The only type initially available used the British 1600-cc Kent crossflow, with a starting price less than US$2300. The 2.0-L OHC I4 was introduced for the 1971 model year. The '71 2.0-liter Capris are particularly desirable, since they have a 9.0:1 compression ratio (which was reduced to 8.2:1 in 1972). The 2.6-L "Cologne" V6 was introduced late in the 1972 model year.
In 1973, the Capri was given a "facelift" for the model year with a revised grille, larger tail lights, and revised rear quarter "grills." North American-spec Capris received a federally mandated 5-mph front bumper. The chrome bumper was mounted in front of a steel pipe and attached to the frame by shock absorbers. The interior received revised seat trims, dashboard, and steering wheel. A new, different wiring harness was used.
Second Generation (1979–1986)
During this period, a version of the Ford Mustang was sold through Lincoln/Mercury dealers as the Mercury Capri, giving Mercury a pony car for the first time since the Mercury Cougar was upsized in 1974 to complement the Ford Thunderbird. The Capri was built on the Ford Fox platform, which was used for the Mustang from 1979 to 1993 with a design change in 1994. Trim series included the base Capri, the Capri Ghia, the Capri GS, the Capri RS, and the Capri Turbo RS. Altered versions of this Capri (including 2-door convertibles) are ASC McLaren were produced as an effort by American Sunroof Company and McLaren Automotive. The second generation Capri was the only Capri model to be equipped with a V8 engine.
The Fox-based Mercury Capri was fairly unchanged throughout its entire run. It maintained its squared-off front fascia and horizontal-bar grille (as opposed to the Mustang's slanted front and eggcrate grille), and distinctive flared fenders. The only major iteration happened in 1983 with the addition of a racing-inspired hatchback with a compound rear aero window (also known as the "bubble back"), a new rear bumper and taillights. In 1984, the high performance Capri RS received a front air dam which continued until 1986. The drivetrain and interior options closely matched that of the Mustang year for year. There are differences but they are generally minor.
The "bubbleback" rear window style was also shared with the Capri's smaller two-door hatchback stablemate, called the Mercury LN7.
Third Generation (1991–1994)
Ford Australia produced a Mazda MX-5 rival named the Ford Capri from 1989, which ironically, was based around many Mazda 323 mechanics. From the 1991 model year, this car was sold in North America as the Mercury Capri. The car was sold until the 1994 model year with minimal changes (1994 models did get a minor cosmetic update that included new front and rear bumpers as well as taillights). The XR2 also came standard with an independent rear suspension, and offering reinforced front and rear sway bars.
Ford sought to import the Australian convertible in response to Mazda's Miata, necessitating the addition of a driver's airbag for the US market. The Capri featured four seats - though the rear seats were unusable except by small children - a lockable top storage and lockable fold down back seat that made the trunk accessible through the interior when the soft top is up. Popular options included a removable hard top.
Two versions were offered for all model years: base and XR2. The base model featured a Mazda 1.6L DOHC 4-cylinder rated at 100 hp (75 kW). The XR2 featured a turbocharged version of 1.6L engine rated at 132 hp (98 kW). Both the base model and the XR2 had a 5-speed manual transmission standard; a 4-speed automatic was optional only for the base model.
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1953 Photo ©2012 Bill Crittenden Reserve not met ($8,000 high bid) at the Mecum 2012 Fall Premier Auction Mecum Auctions View photo of 1953 Lincoln Capri - 3.4MB |
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1953 Photo ©2012 Bill Crittenden Reserve not met ($8,000 high bid) at the Mecum 2012 Fall Premier Auction Mecum Auctions View photo of 1953 Lincoln Capri - 4.4MB |
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1953 Photo ©2012 Bill Crittenden Reserve not met ($8,000 high bid) at the Mecum 2012 Fall Premier Auction Mecum Auctions View photo of 1953 Lincoln Capri - 4.0MB |
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1954 Lincoln Entered in La Carrera Panamericana 1993, 1995, and 1996 Driven by Lorrie-Ann Fisher and Mark Fisher Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden 2009 Meadowdale, Motorsports & Memories September 19, 2009 View photo of 1954 Lincoln Capri La Carrera Panamericana - 4,352KB |
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1954 Lincoln Entered in La Carrera Panamericana 1993, 1995, and 1996 Driven by Lorrie-Ann Fisher and Mark Fisher Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden 2009 Meadowdale, Motorsports & Memories September 19, 2009 View photo of 1954 Lincoln Capri La Carrera Panamericana - 3,316KB |
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1954 Lincoln Entered in La Carrera Panamericana 1993, 1995, and 1996 Driven by Lorrie-Ann Fisher and Mark Fisher Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden 2009 Meadowdale, Motorsports & Memories September 19, 2009 View photo of 1954 Lincoln Capri La Carrera Panamericana - 3,240KB |
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1954 Lincoln Entered in La Carrera Panamericana 1993, 1995, and 1996 Driven by Lorrie-Ann Fisher and Mark Fisher Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden 2009 Meadowdale, Motorsports & Memories September 19, 2009 View photo of 1954 Lincoln Capri La Carrera Panamericana - 4,587KB |
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1954 Lincoln Entered in La Carrera Panamericana 1993, 1995, and 1996 Driven by Lorrie-Ann Fisher and Mark Fisher Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden 2009 Meadowdale, Motorsports & Memories September 19, 2009 View photo of 1954 Lincoln Capri La Carrera Panamericana - 4,648KB |
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Zakspeed Ford Capri Turbo Photo ©2013 Bill Crittenden 2013 GTR Summer NNL View photo of Zakspeed Ford Model Car - 3.4MB |
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Zakspeed Ford Capri Turbo Photo ©2013 Bill Crittenden 2013 GTR Summer NNL View photo of Zakspeed Ford Capri Turbo Model Car - 3.2MB |
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1979 Lincoln-Mercury Public Relations Photograph The base version of the 1979 Mercury Capri (above) is an extremely well-equipped car. Standard equipment includes a 2.3-liter overhead-cam four-cylinder engine and four-speed manual transmission; precise rack-and-pinion steering; strut-type coil spring front suspension with a stabilizer bar, four-bar link coil-spring rear suspension; a wide rubber molding for 360-degree protection against minor scrapes and dents; bucket seats; dual rectangular headlamps; full instrumentation including a tachometerand engine gauges; an inside day/night rearview mirror, and column-mounted stalk controls for horn, turn signals, high/low beam and windshield wipe/wash. In addition, the Capri's sleek, three-door styling makes it Lincoln-Mercury's most aerodynamic car. View photo of 1979 Mercury Capri - 3.2MB |
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1979 RS Lincoln-Mercury Public Relations Photograph The 1979 Mercury Capri is available in four versions - the well-equipped base Capri, the sporty Capri RS (above), the performance-oriented Turbo RS and the luxurious Capri Ghia. The Capri's standard powertrain is a 2.3-liter overhead cam four-cylinder engine coupled with a four-speed manual transmission. Optional powerplants include a 2.8-liter V-6, a 5.0-liter V-8 and a turbocharged version of the four-cylinder engine. Three levels of suspension - base, Radial Sport and one based on Michelin's revolutionary TRX tires and wheels (above) - are also available. The broad choice of powertrains, standard rack-and-pinion steering and three suspension choices add up to an extremely versatile car that can be equipped to meet a wide variety of tastes. View photo of 1979 Mercury Capri RS - 3.2MB |
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Mercury Photo by IFCAR View photo of Mercury Capri - 112KB Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License". |
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1983 Dobi Advertisement
View 1983 Dobi Capri Advertisement - 1.6MB |
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Mercury Photo ©2008 Bill Crittenden Johnsburg Car and Bike Show View photo of Mercury Capris - 4,606KB |
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Modified 1992 Photo ©2011 Bill Crittenden Green Street Cruise Night: September 12, 2011 View photo of a Modified 1992 Mercury Capri - 2,722KB |
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Modified 1992 Photo ©2011 Bill Crittenden Green Street Cruise Night: September 12, 2011 View photo of a Modified 1992 Mercury Capri - 2,528KB |
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Modified 1992 Photo ©2011 Bill Crittenden Green Street Cruise Night: September 12, 2011 View photo of a Modified 1992 Mercury Capri - 2,338KB |
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"Merc-O-Rod" Custom based on a 1990's Capri Photo ©2016 Bill Crittenden 2016 Lakemoor Charity Car Show View photo of Merc-O-Rod Custom based on a 1990's Mercury Capri - 4.1MB |
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"Merc-O-Rod" Custom based on a 1990's Capri Photo ©2016 Bill Crittenden 2016 Lakemoor Charity Car Show View photo of Merc-O-Rod Custom based on a 1990's Mercury Capri - 3.0MB |
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"Merc-O-Rod" Custom based on a 1990's Capri Photo ©2016 Bill Crittenden 2016 Lakemoor Charity Car Show View photo of Merc-O-Rod Custom based on a 1990's Mercury Capri - 2.6MB |
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"Merc-O-Rod" Custom based on a 1990's Capri Photo ©2016 Bill Crittenden 2016 Lakemoor Charity Car Show View photo of Merc-O-Rod Custom based on a 1990's Mercury Capri - 3.7MB |
