Ford Capri

I’m about to get an inheritance and given that state of things it’s time for some bucket list action.

My wife will go batshit crazy but since my teenage years I’ve lusted after a 3 litre Ford Capri. I really need your help in being talked out of this. I imagine they drive like whales, but still, I’d have owned a Capri. For context I’m an ex-RX8 owner so have no concept of sensible motoring purchase decisions

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 **** 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.

a mate built this one, 5L V8!

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?

not really, have you seen how much they cost? They’re all tucked up in garages. You see the old German bangers being driven about cos they’re worth **** all 🤣

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.