The other Ford Capri (at the Techno Classica)
04/11/2019
Ford is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Ford Capri together with the clubs at Techno Classica. A large number of exhibits, some of them unusual, illustrate the approximately 20-year production period of the popular coupé, which was built from 1968 to 1986 and officially launched in 1969.
A special feature of the special show is that it not only commemorates the well-known Ford Capri, but also two of its lesser-known namesakes, namely the Ford Consul Capri and the Ford/Mercury Capri.
The Consul Capri left the factories in Halewood (Great Britain) and Amsterdam (Netherlands) 18,716 times between 1961 and 1964. Technically, the coupé was based on the Ford Consul saloon, initially with a 1340 cm3 four-cylinder engine, later with a 1498 cm3 unit. It was also available as a left-hand drive model and in this country, but surviving examples are very rare.
After the end of the European Ford Capri, a new front-wheel drive Capri was produced in Australia, marketed there under the name Ford Capri XR2. Between 1990 and 1994, 66,400 units were built. As the Mercury Capri Turbo, it was also to be sold in large numbers in the USA, making it perhaps the only Australian car to be strategically exported from Australia. However, demand for the convertible styled by Ghia was much lower than expected, the rival Mazda MX-5 with its classic attributes and low price too strong.
Some Capri Turbo models also came to Europe individually, such as the example shown here, which is still in daily use today and is also used in hill climbs at weekends. With 136 hp, an unladen weight of 1160 kg and an acceleration time of 8.9 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h, it is sufficiently motorized for the sport.
A visit to the Ford stand in Hall 3 at this year's (31st) Techno Classica in Essen, which is open until Sunday, April 14, 2019, is definitely worthwhile. If you're lucky, you might even get one of the famous Ford waffles in the shape of the Ford logo.
