The many, MANY failed Ford Capri Reboots! 

Talk about selling the family jewels.

UK, till the 80th ish, Capri was, young guys, first job, no kids! The Mustang was cheaper than this Capri in the US !

I worked in a UK Ford dealership 1967-71. I can still remember the excitment at the launch of the Capri in February 1969. Our showroom was heaving with customers for a good fortnight afterwards; we could have sold countless more Capris than Ford could supply us.

@@terryjacob8169 Back then, Amsterdam, we made our own Mustang Wagon !! Ford Amsterdam ! no lefties we made, you did make them all in the UK !

@@terryjacob8169 Brilliant reply, thank you! I too remember the street buzz, were we just young back then or have new cars just become boring?

I can't see this being repeated again. We drooled over these first cars, in 1969. One in particular example was outside the garage I worked at. We were all gathered around it, It was a 2000 GT XLR if I remember right and one of the mechanics said there was even a bigger 3 litre on it's way. They were exciting, beautiful to the eye and special, like nothing we had seen before. It was a magical era that has long gone, I've never experienced such times since. Cars have changed so much in my opinion, over designed, overengineered, overplasticized, overcomplicated, over priced, unable to be fixed in the home drive which gives me no desire to want one.

I'm moving to Toyota too now I've seen the new EV SUV Blob Crapi

Is it true, Ford used to give a free book about the protocols, with every new car. if so, why did they stop?

Fun fact: The Ford Capri was the first car ever to be reviewed on Top Gear. The current/new MkII in 1977 by...Angela Rippon of all people! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bCLCmOIJLto.html

@@JamesSmith-qs4hx Not sure about Ford, but Rolls Royce did.

Are there different newer pumas? Ours wasn't a fiesta

Your right, the puma was a good coupe, my friend had one and it was a great little car with good handling.

Der puma 1 war super, ich hatte einen Import puma aus England mit 150 PS, der hat im Anzug fast alles verblassen, die rechts Lenkung war etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig, genau wie das schalten mit links🤣

@@janeblogs324yeah, the new puma is a crossover hatch, I imagine it’s only sold in Europe. It plagues the uk and I’m really not a fan of it lol. They use it in wrc and I’m still not sold on it lol

​@Joseph Robson I also hate it as a Romanian, as it's being produced here and with the price, you can imagine how common it is.

There were 2 Mercury Capris in my family, both were totalled after crashes. I thought they were a hoot to drive.

Good point about Toyota GT86 but with the Mustang now Ford's worldwide sports coupe, I don't think there'll ever be another Capri

The 86, BRZ, and Mazda MX-5 have really bad sales. I'm very suprised they are still in production. I guess thats why Mazda is letting the MX-5 get so old. Hard tk jsutify the costs of a new gen. People normally can only afford one car. They can't use a impractical sports coupe with a impractical trunk. Plus insurance costs on those are also higher. They need a one car does all. It makes a lot of sense why the segment is dying or pretty much dead.

The choice of new vehicles in the UK is getting more and more dull as time ticks on. The British consumer is a bit of a crowd following lemming all buying SUVs, now I have very little options for a large affordable estate car. Vauxhall and Ford no longer build vehicles for this segment, Honda no longer sell the excellent Accord in Europe, Mitsubushi canned the Gallant decades ago, the Nissan Primera/Bluebird was also consigned to the history books ages ago too. But these were honest affordable bread and butter family cars that I would still have. I know VW group, BMW and Mercedes all still build estate cars, but they are eye wateringly expensive and not that reliable, Volvo are lovely but again, I do not want a second mortgage to pay for. The Bitish public keep buying large SUVs, that actully have not much more cabin space than a large estate car, coupled with poor centre of gravity, crap aerodynamics and fuel consumption. I suppose the customer is king and the customer gets what the customer wants.

The problem is that it's a generational thing. Upmarket coupes such as the BMW 4 and 6 series or the Mercedes C and E class coupes tend to be bought by men suffering mid-life crisis who've got a bob or two to spare. Lower/mid market coupes are the preserve of the aspiring younger man with a decent job. Or at least they were when the model for the sporty GT coupe was the Ford Mustang which invented that market segment. With the appearance of the original Golf GTI in the late '70s though everything changed. Now that aspiring younger man with a decent job and a young family could kill two birds with one stone, i.e., a practical car that accommodated the wife, the kids and their luggage and something in which he could pretend to be competing in the Monte Carlo Rally on a stretch of twisty country road. The incentive for manufacturers to invest substantial money on what was fundamentally a niche body style shrivelled up. (It should be understood that the two or more car family only really existed in North America.) Since then things have gotten worse. Back when I was entering adulthood in the mid-'70s the first thing any young man entering the job market did was a) get a driving licence and b) go out and buy a used car. It was a rite of passage. By the 1980s girls were catching up with boys in doing the same thing. Over the last twenty years, however, the hassle and expense with car ownership plus the rise of the internet and the smart phone mean that the young are disinclined to spend money they probably haven't got to take a driving course, buy a car that they'll be lucky if they can afford to insure and which they have nowhere to park if they live in a city. Having said all of which, most of the car buying population wants roomy luxury and doesn't give a shit about sportiness because it's impractical and uncomfortable so they buy SUVs and crossovers. The Mustang still exists but these days it's a 5-door softroader available in an all-electric version. The only thing left of the original from 1964 is the badge.

@@baronvonjo1929 Interesting comment, that, but still I wonder: in the 1970s there were many sporty coupes, most of them following capris success: 400.000 of them were sold in the first 2 years. I'm assuming for many people back then, that also would have been their only car when they also had the option to choose a more practical saloon or estate car, even a few early hatchbacks. So there also seems to be a factor at play regarding the car that people think they need, especially as in lots of SUVs I see driving by, many people are sitting alone. I find it puzzling sometimes as a sporty car, coupe or saloon is generally a more handsome car to look at and if you're going to spend a lot of money on a car, why not on one that's more obviously a looker?

Cool I had one too.

Interesting that we never got the 2.3 in the UK

That’s how Ford got it so right at the time, they offered value for money, great style and reasonable reliability.

...got the cool looks, yes, but bad suspension!

Yeah totally an imagination inspiring combo

@@theblackhand6485 long ago two friends road rallied a mk1 1600 gt, fitted with Escort RS Mexico suspension. It was much better.

The 80s Mustangs were the worst of all.

Mad isn’t it?! Such good content.

@@joelwilliams767 yer, and you don’t have to be a car nut to enjoy it. Also, it’s great to see a channel that hasn’t been lured into -scripted, cringy and fake endorsements- advertising (manscaped, ridge wallet etc)

The next video has an endorsement. Sorry, but I didn't get paid for it. It's a Ukranian company that I'm happy to support.

@@BigCar2 I’m only joking, I understand content creators need to get paid - and rightly so. Love your work. Fair play for supporting the Ukrainian company. Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦

I agree. I think if one ever did appear it would be a struck on badge exercise on a mundane design. Best they don't do that. One look at how the MG image went from sports to stick on badges gives you an idea.

This man just predicted future

Haha, finally bought one after 40 years. You're right about the acceleration and consumption. But ya just can't help it when you hear the noise 😁

Had many 2.8s and 3 litres ghia's and S's. Had 6 or 7 at the same time for shows and daily use etc. I've never once seen the fuel gauge go down fast or had a "bag of sand or cement" in the back! They were and still are a fantastic car. The one I have now I fitted a chevrolet 5.7 litre V8 on a 5 speed gearbox...its a real piece of kit and still....the fuel gauge doesn't go down fast. They deserve all the classic status they get now and there have been so many misconceptions about them over the years. As a race car they won absolutely everything for many years too

@@LordFlashheart.11 well I booted it, maybe the acceleration moved the needle but no way were they economical when used to their capabilities. Besides which I’m talking about when the 2.8 first came out. They weren’t show cars then.

@@tridbant well we would never buy a Capri or any kind of muscle car if you're concerned about fyel economy. But they don't half put a smile on your face and to be honest give me one of them any day over anything false narrative following electric with no character. I sat in a Paris blue 2.8i in a local ford showroom in 1986, I remember the smell of leather. Always wanted one that colour but one never came up for sale. Of course now they are well and truly out of reach due to price so I'll keep my V8 powered one. Your so lucky to drive one new back in the day👍🏻

Couldn’t agree more. Everything is so ugly these days. Despite having the disposable income there are few cars that tempt me or are actually as enjoyable to drive. I prefer to leave my iPad at home ( to watch and rant on RU-vid 🤣) rather than use it to set the heater or open a glove box. Send the geeks back to their computer games and employ some good designers and engineers instead.

You know someone somewhere kept one perfect in a garage and wants a fortune for it.

c,mon only on a 2 second track would a capri come 1 second behind a modern caterham

It did not - the Cougar was done in the Cologne no reference to the rather excellent Bangle Fiat

In the United States there was a Mercury version of this car the Mercury Capri it was basically the same vehicle but left hand drive with some Mercury badges now it's kind of rare car to find though

I never made that connection but I definitely see some similarities.

Only in the Land of the Blind!

@@maddsheep only found one 2 years ago for sale in mint condition but the price was too high and it was made mainly of plastic the interior, the Puma was kind of a look a like but the fiesta chassi with a sporty body and a 1.7L engine (the first model)

Most like electric crossovers and maybe a 3 row large suv for the Granada

I guess one glimmer of hope to cling onto is that the way EVs are structured mechanically might bring development/engineering costs on a new coupe down to a level where it makes financial sense to build one for a relatively niche audience once again.

And then you look at the Probe and think "Really?" The Capri had the same problem as the Mustang, at least in Europe. You couldn't slap the badge on just anything. Personally, I think the second-gen Probe had the most Capri-like look, but a true Capri is rear-drive. When Ford was making rear-drive small cars, easy enough. Once they went front-drive on everything, not so simple. Now that the Mustang is essentially its own platform (always previously based on sedan platforms), Ford has to sell it everywhere it can to cover development costs.

My second car was a turquoise Consul Capri with grey and silver inside , I went into the local Ford main dealer, for a gearbox support.and they denied the car existed , loved the car and so did all the local kids

You can still get the Corgi model of that.

There was also a Lincoln capri in the mid 50’s

I Pardon me, is it true, Ford used to give a free book about the protocols, with every new car. if so, why did they stop?

The first one was the Ford Consul Capri around 1961. It was a two door with the four door called Consul Classic.

celica supra not celica & supra, the Opel manta mkI ,i kept one that belonged to my father it had a litle manta made of iron on the side front panels next to the door, but later opel released a kind of coupé/sport car with a new name but it looked good later my father bought the late 80´s senator with irmsher parts ,big sedan but very nice to drive and the size of the original steering wheel was much litle compared to the 70´s model

@@RUfromthe40s Erm. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Celica and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Supra . Sorry Rui but they were two different cars.

The person who I bought my Capri from had replaced it with an A60 Celica (only sold as a liftback in the U.K.) That was the only car I spent a long time wanting but when I went to test drive one it didn't have enough headroom for me, which was also a problem in the later / more upmarket Capris with sunroofs.

Im in vegas and want to know seriously if you want to sell it?

@@RUfromthe40s huh? Toyota Celica and the Toyota Supra are seperate and distinct vehicles.

Glad you enjoyed it

It was a coupe.

Me too. The Ford Capri was the car which caught my imagination when I was young but I never was able to afford one where I live here in South Asia. However one of my uncles owned a Capri 1300 for a short period in the 70's before loosing it due to some legal entanglements.

My first car was a two door MK1 Ford Escort which was full of rust when it was nine years old. After three years I upgraded to a Capri. I was rather surprised when about ten years ago, chatting to the owner of a nice Capri he said that the car he had really wanted was a MK1 Escort but he couldn't afford one so settled on a Capri. The Capri was supposed to be the car Escort owners promised themselves, especially if said Escort was an 1100 like mine.

My first car was a mk1capri for £120 .I now have a renault clio. We never know where life will bring us

Design, engendering you meant !! Cheap hatchback art ? ugly family cars...

A problem Fiat has with the 500 (again).

I own an 82 Capri RS 5.0 since new (40yrs) and because of the differences you mentioned plus the big hood scoop, it was sportier than the Mustang.

i saw a ford capri mkI in los angeles in 1977 ,a litle beaten up

@@RUfromthe40s That is how I remember them in the 80s--they were all beaten up a bit, lol.

I've driven a Monteo and a Tempo. Which was weird as they were similar jelly moulds, but rwd or fwd ...

Raising the altitude raises the price. I like those trapezoids and boxes. Put fins on em. I wish this "bloated bean on wagon wheels" style would disappear.

It wasn't meant to be a series, it's just sort of turned into one!

Starting to drive in the 80s and being more interested in cars, I don't recall too many leftover 1970s Capris in the US, but I am fairly certain the few I saw that were still on the roads were not badged with 'Mercury' badging. Shame they weren't prevelant because there were so many Pintos running around, the Pintos would have made for great engine swaps. Even back then, people were starting to realize the power potential of the various Pinto engines, and I recall a few hot-rodded Pintos, and swapping Pinto engines into Capris would have kept them interesting (and on the road).

With out the lovely people like you the younger generation will never apriciate our era, keep up the good work 👌

Ford knew they where better, thats why they went twin headlight on the mk3

I light the old glass lights. Because they used to be $7 and you never had a yellowing plastic housing... or a glass lens and rusted out reflector bucket

The RS2600and RS3100 race homologation specials got the twin round headlight setup. The later hatchback (mk3) Capri got them too but with the edge of the hood slightly drooping over them.

all european cars with big head lights in the front ,In the U.S. they made them with two round ones with a frame ,normally chromed filling the space left

the mercedes w114 and w115 were the ones who get their look destroyd by the one round light and a turn signal bellow ,all the rest filled with chromed aluminium the original front lights gave a better shape to the car ,the reverse happened with the S from the early 60´s till 73, they looked better with the two round lights than the one giant glass optics

Glad you like them Justin.

Oldsmobile did use the Firenza badge, first as a trim option on the Starfire subcompact and then as Oldsmobile's version of the GM J-car, also known as Cavalier MkII and Opel Ascona C.

Eh? It had terrible suspension... just a leaf sprung live axle at the rear all the way to the end of the Mk3. The pushrod V6s were gutless boat anchors too - only the Cosworth GAA was any good.

@@richardharrold9736 / We had a 4 cylinder manual transmission and was amazed what performance I could squeeze out of it. It was low tech, with low expectations, but it worked and was surprisingly fun. No comparison to our Porsche Turbo whale tail, of course.