What the Americans thought of the Ford Capri
06/16/2013
Americans also had the pleasure of driving the compact sports coupé Ford Capri - with twin headlights - from European production. From spring 1970, the four-seater was first imported as a 1600, later also as a two-liter, and registration figures rose from 15,628 to 53,219 for 1971.
The Capri was well received by the Americans; Road & Track reported enthusiastically about the compact sports car, praising its good handling and fuel efficiency. When V6 engines were added to the model range, the magazine launched an owner survey to find out what American drivers thought of the car. 174 responded to the survey, 40 of whom already drove a V6 model. 95% had opted for the manual version, 95% had bought the car new. 60% stated that they would drive "hard". The evaluation appeared in the 3/1973 issue of R&T.
In summary, it can be said that the Capri was well received at the time, with 88% of owners stating that they would buy a Capri again. The best characteristics mentioned were handling, driving performance, fuel efficiency, build quality and comfort, while the worst characteristics mentioned were the thin instrumentation on the 2000, suspension faults, noise, tight trunk space and the quality of service from the dealers.
Over 10% of owners had problems with the differential, the alternator and the exhaust behavior (examples).
Obviously, the satisfied owners were more than willing to accept the noted shortcomings for the good looks and convincing driving performance/handling characteristics.
On Zwischengas, the Ford Capri received an extensive vehicle report "... for family vacations and the race track" , and you can alsoreadthe" History of the Ford Capri on the timeline" .
