Buy a Ford Capri – Here’s Why
December 9, 2022
If you look below, you’ll see one of our recent videos. In it, we look at five reasons why you need to buy a Ford Capri. We could have done a buying guide, we could have told you where they rust (spoiler alert – everywhere) but all that content has been done to death. Instead, we wanted to speak to you, the person, we wanted to enthuse and motivate you to buy one. The Ford Capri is one of the most instantly recognisable classics on the road. It’s also one of the most regularly searched for models here on Car & Classic. You, it seems, all utterly adore the Ford Capri.
Now, we want to encourage you to buy a Ford Capri, but in order to do that, we’re not going to just type out the five reasons mentioned in the video. If we did that, you’d have no need to watch it, and we need those YouTube clicks, so go and watch it and then come back to this. And when you do, we’ll go through five reasons why some of the people here at Car & Classic bought a Capri. We’re not just a website, we’re enthusiasts too, and we have all had our fair share of motors. The Capri is no exception!
First up, our Head of Editorial, Chris Pollitt. He’s had a great many Ford Capris, fed by lifelong connection to them. Which is why he bought… lots.
“I’m going to go right ahead here and blame my parents, my Father in particular. It all started before I was even born, when he bought and modified a 1964 Ford Consul Capri. While not a ‘proper’ Capri (as it wasn’t its own model – it was based on the Consul Classic) it was the first car to use the Capri name. And in the case of my Father’s, it was cool as hell, too. Jacked up, Wolfrace slots, no bumpers, white over red paint – perfection. And while I wasn’t yet born, I did see the pictures of it from a very early age.
But that wasn’t the only Capri exposure I had. You see, when I was in single digits, my parents had a Mk2 Capri. I don’t really remember that one, as I was so small. I’ll assume, however, that it had some sort of subconscious impact on me, as I have owned four Mk2 Capris. It was also stolen, only to be found by the Police and returned to my parents with a boot full of spares. Ahh, the ’80s. But I digress. The one I do remember is the blue Mk3 we had, on Ghia alloy wheels. This came after the Mk2, and I remember being in it, the smells, the noises and the look of it with that impossibly long bonnet. I loved it, and that love formed the bedrock of my need to own one when I was older. Ironically, this wasn’t great news for my Mum. That blue Mk3 actually burst into flames… with her in it. Needless to say, she never did take a spin in any of mine. However, my Dad always seemed interested in whatever relic I bought, which was a vicarious response I guess?”
One of Pollitt’s many, many Mk2sNow over to our talented staff writer, Dale Vinten. Who’s love for the Ford Capri runs deep. His Mk3 was his love, it was his life, it was his fault he didn’t leave it in the garage…
“As an impressionable schoolboy in the mid-eighties with a fledgling admiration for cars that would later blossom into full-on passion, I caught my first glimpse of a souped-up Mk III Ford Capri as it tore past going way quicker than it had any right to. It was an image that stuck with me, festering in the back of my mind until decades later when an opportunity presented itself to actually own one for a bargain price. How could I deny that little five-year old with eyes as large as dinner plates the car of his dreams? The decision to immediately buy it was one of the easiest I’ve ever made.”
Sadly though, the love was cut short in a bizarre, and upsetting twist of fate.
“Unfortunately this classic car fairly tale doesn’t have a happy ending. The car, after years of ups, downs and sideways (both literally and figuratively) was destroyed in a wanton act of vandalism. While the Capri is sadly no longer with me, the memories, skills and experiences I take away from that period of my life will remain invaluable and cherished no matter what other classic cars pass through my hands.”
And finally, we asked Car & Classic contributor and all-round good egg, Dan Bevis, why he had to buy a Ford Capri.
“I was increasingly becoming a huge Ford fan, devouring Classic Ford magazine every month and hankering after old blue ovals. Fast-forward to 2004 and, having owned a few interesting cars but never one that really fulfilled the ‘dream car’ brief, I spotted B210 XOT for sale on eBay. A Capri 2.8i that had been built by a company called SB Racing for a customer who then hadn’t paid his bill, and they wanted shot of it quick. It had just had a full bare-metal resto and been repainted metallic Cayman Blue. It was very low – like, proper South London low – over yellow Revolution wheels, and the engine had been blueprinted and was putting out 181bhp, making some incredible noises through its massive straight-through stainless exhausts. There was a custom stereo install, and a glorious Recaro half-leather interior in Shark Grey. I won the auction for £1,600. Sounds incredible now, doesn’t it? And when I collected it, the seller knocked a further fifty quid off the price.
It was the first rear-wheel-drive car I’d owned, and I picked it up late at night in torrential rain, which made for an entertaining journey home. And then I used it as my daily driver for about a year. I used it to commute to work; I lived in Herne Bay and was working on the far side of Canterbury, and had to add many miles to the journey every day, up the dual carriageway to Faversham and back down, because I couldn’t drive it through central Canterbury. Why? Speedbumps. It was so low, it simply couldn’t do speedbumps. I went to visit my sister in London and got beached on a speedbump outside her house, I had to rope in some passers-by to rock it off. My girlfriend at the time lived on a bumpy and rutted dirt road, and I once had to ask her to get out and walk so I could make it to the junction. That didn’t go down well.
It was a wonderful car. And aside from the thirst and occasional spot of overheating in traffic jams, it made for a perfect daily driver. Funnily enough, a week or so after I bought it, the latest issue of Classic Ford came out – and there was a full feature on B210 XOT, right there in my favourite mag. I’m so glad I owned it, and used it. And it will always have a spot on the growing list of ‘cars I wish I hadn’t sold’. If nothing else, it’d be worth a bloody fortune now…”
It’s safe to say, the Ford Capri is dear to a great many of us, of you and to the classic car community on the whole. It’s a fun, exciting machine that we all want a bit of, and rightly so. The support network of specialists and clubs is massive, parts availability is excellent and the ongoing popularity of it means they will be around for decades to come. So go on, buy a Ford Capri. After all, it is the car you always promised yourself…
