1962 Ford Consul Capri – Project Profile

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Chris Pollitt

One of the most popular manufacturers here on Car & Classic is Ford. And rightly so. When it comes to classic car heavy hitters, there are few with such an impressive back catalogue. Fords have always been the ‘everyman’ car, we love them as classics because we all know someone who owned an Escort, a Capri or an Anglia. There is perhaps no other brand so tightly woven into our societal tapestry, or something along those lines. However, while Ford have always been popular, that doesn’t mean every old Ford is common. Some are incredibly rare, like the Ford Consul Capri for example. A machine of outstanding beauty, but one that is very hard to buy today due to it being both made in small numbers, and being made from metal so thin you can read through it.

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The Ford Consul Capri was the first use of the Capri name, and in essence it was nothing more than a coupe version of the Consul Classic. Sadly though, the Consul Classic wasn’t Ford’s finest hour. We look upon it fondly now, of course. But back when it was released, it was a bit of an antique compared not only to rivals, but to the offerings of Ford itself – the Mk1 Cortina was a spaceship by comparison. The Ford Consul Capri was introduced to make the Consul name sexier, and it it worked to a degree, with buyers falling for the gorgeous flowing lines. However, there weren’t enough buyers. This, combined with high production costs meant that in the end Ford killed it after two years and a production run of just 19,421. The Capri name, however, returned four years later as a standalone model.

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What is it? 

What we have here is a 1962 Ford Consul Capri finished in a now very faded shade of blue with matching vinyl interior trim. It’s a bit rough, but it’s ready and willing. The seller states it runs and drives, and while it may well be a bit down at heel, it seems to be pretty solid in all the right places. This example is fitted with the 1,498cc pre-crossflow four-cylinder engine, mated to a four-speed manual transmission. It is of course, rear-wheel drive. Its current owner has had it since 2018, but doesn’t seem to have done much with it, as it hasn’t been on the road since 1989. It seems that in a past life, this Ford Consul Capri has been tweaked, as there is more air horn than engine, the air filter has been painted and pinstriped, and the suspension looks to have been lowered.

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Why is it a project? 

Well, as we just touched on, this Ford Consul Capri hasn’t been on the road since 1989, so it’s going to need some serious recommissioning. However, the car does run, drive and stop, which is good. Though the seller states that the clutch master cylinder is leaking, so that will need replacing. Happily, the mechanical stuff isn’t much of a concern on this car, as a lot of that stuff was shared with other models. However, while oily bits might be easy to source and replace, Consul Capri specific parts are quite the opposite. Happily, parts like the doors, bonnet and impossible to replace boot lid all look to be in pretty good condition. There is some rust to be seen, but none looks terminal. It even looks good under the bonnet. Make no mistake though, the rarity of this car means you should really plan a full restoration, not a series of small fixes just to get it on the road again. It deserves to be done properly.

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Five things to look for:

1) Rust

Rust is what kills these cars. The good thing, if you can call it that, is that they rot on the outside as much as they do on the inside. This is good, because the car looks pretty solid. However, you need to properly check the sills, the pillars, roof gutters, the boot floor, boot lip, inner wings and bulkhead. In fact, if it’s metal, check it and then check it again. Replacement panels are available from the likes of Ex-Pressed, but it’s not going to be cheap if you need lots.

2) Suspension

This is more of a check than a deal breaker. The car looks to sit very low, however it is a uniform lowness, which would suggest it’s been deliberately dropped. However, because of the potential for rust, we’d want to check all the suspension and suspension mounting points. If it’s sitting low because it’s all dissolved, that’s bad news.

3) Glass

You’re not going to find new glass. You’re going to spend months if not years trying to track down used glass, especially side and rear panes. Check everything that’s on the car, and make sure it can be cleaned, polished and used again in the future. We can’t stress just how difficult replacement glass is going to be to source.

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4) Trim

Again, like the glass, you need to check the trim as replacement stuff is going to be near impossible to find. Chrome around the windows, for example. Rear lights, bumpers, interior trim, the list goes on. It needs to be restorable, or at least good enough that it can be used as a pattern for a custom made replacement.

5) Engine

The engine runs, which is great. It’s also dead easy to rebuild, should you choose. Parts are readily available, given how widely Ford used it. Just do the usual check for any overheating, look for any obvious leaks, check the block for any signs of cracks, check the core plugs and so on. It’s a tough little unit that, after a refresh, should go on forever quite happily.

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What should you do with it? 

The rarity of the Ford Consul Capri means that the most logical step would be to restore it back to standard. And it would of course look brilliant, resplendent in new paint, with overhauled mechanicals and a freshly-trimmed interior. However, if you want to go down the custom route, don’t worry. The Consul Capri was always a bit too tall and a bit too ‘under wheeled’ for our liking. We’d keep it low, but fit some Lotus style deep steel wheels with chrome caps. As for the engine; we would lose the pre-cross and stick in a crossflow from a Cortina, get it on a nice pair of twin-38s, fit some disc brakes up front and make sure the suspension is tight, not just low. We’d also paint the car two-tone, as the shape really lends itself to it. Imagine this in a deep candy red with a cream roof – delicious.

If you’re looking for a Ford Console Capri, the best place to keep a lookout is our Ford Consul listings.

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