I've been looking at a few of them. Trying to figure out if this is something I should get. Anyone owned one? If so, what years, engines, etc...? Are they fun to drive?

Please let me know.

Thanks!

I have good memories of my 1970 Capri 2000 cc 4 spd. that I bought in 1972. It was pretty much stock except for Koni’s and Minilite wheels that I bought from team Spreen Racing in Hackensack NJ. It was relatively light and nimble for a 4 place two door sedan. Very comparable to a slightly up scale Cortina. They are pretty rare these days, seldom seen as a collector car. Finding parts might be a trick.

Regards,

Gary

One of my mother's in laws... (oy) had one with a hipo six. It was a sweet sleeper. My dad thought she was too. Oy. Yeah.... More stories at 10:00.

I had one 2......!!!!!!!!

Twas in 1984. That little sucker screamed. The only problem I remember with these engines were the rods were very weak. They would bend and eventually break if you kept it spun up for any long periods. Also the aluminum timing gear would loose proper lash. I think there was 2 different sixes available. Like a 2.4 and a 2.6 or something like that. I put headers on mine. Ran very dam well. I replaced the rods twice and sold the car.

I would bet parts are very hard to find. I think they were made by OPEL or something... hell... I don't really remember who made em. They were imported by FORD for the Mercury moniker.

Thats all I remember.

Cheers,

Clayton

Ummmm, Opel? Maybe not. Opel is, and has been for many decades, GM of Germany. They've never been all that much into building Fords, as least as far as I know ............... The Cap'n

Cool cars! Never driven one but always liked the styling. A friend had one when I was in high school (we worked at the same gas station) - and always talking trash about who'se car was faster - my 71 Celica or his 74(?) Capri. Likely his V6 was faster! He kept that car immaculate.

Like the racer versions the best!

I had a 2.0L 4 cyl for my late high school years. Wished I had the 6...but the 4 was very fun. I have many fond memories of it. I had my first off-road excursion in that car...that'll teach me not to lift! The brakes are adequate with small discs up front and drums in the rear. The cars were made in Germany.

More info, history, etc:
http://www.capriclub.com/grm/ccna15.html

Bought a 1972 Capri 2600 V6 4 speed...
Ran it in SCCA events in Ft. Wayne Region for years...
Had to stiffen up the rear suspension; solid rear axle, you know, but after that was done, I would regularly whip BMW 2002Tii's.
Also upgraded the carb from the wimpy original 2 barrel Weber to a small Holley on an adapter plate...
60K miles, and the rods never bent!, And I would that sucker plenty tight! You must have had one of those 2800 CC Ghias!
Couldn't kill it, so I finally traded it for a 1975 Porsche 911S... POS!!!
They were built by Ford of Germany... no relation to Opel.

I had a 72 2600 4 speed as well. Solid car. Great interior- especially the seats were very comfortable. I put 120 K miles on mine then (sad day) wife wanted to trade it for a

honda.

A neighbor of mine had one when I was growing up. He had 6' + frame and used it as his other daily driver. His normal daily driver a Sheriffs Cruiser.

I owned a 72' 2000cc and a 74' V6 Capri great cars!

Owned both a 2L 4 cylinder and a 2.6L V6. The 4 was fun and the V6 was an absolute blast. Had a Dodge Charger chase me for 10 miles to find out what was under the hood.

Only problem I ran into was the rear quarter windows. The latch was glued on in the early cars. You'd be driving down a street, the glue bond would break and after a bit the window would fall out. Later cars had a pinned, through the glass, latch.

Loved the V6 ................... know where I can buy one

My parents had a 2000cc inline 4. Great little car for its time. Handled great for a sedan of that era. Mechanically it was sound but it had lots of interior problems with seats, windows, etc

Like the 914 look for rust. I'd love to get my hands on an old Turbo RS Group 5 car from Europe

Twin OHC powerhouse ..... Sam Posey drove one of those AFAIK, but then I'm old and forget.

Yes, I had a 74 V-6. A screamer. Fun to drive.

fun cars... !!!!

if you get the V6, you might want to check the cam drive gears, stock was one all metal gear with the other one being metal with nylon teeth, the nylon teeth can shear...

here is a decent site to read about the cars....

http://www.capriclub.com/grm/ccna15.html

Man, I guess I am still young. I thought you were talking about a Chevy Capri (Classic) of which my mom had a 77 in 83 (boat).

Buddy had one in high school ... it was a kick ..

Big contrast to the rest of us running muscle cars ... He was the only one who could afford a fill up ...

Only bad thing I remember, the shifter ripping off in his hand while we were blasting along ... It was made like a coil of flat steel wire brazed together .... Funny stuff ...

This is why I thought twice about posting here.

I am just looking right now. I hope to find one, but they are as rare as hen's teeth, so we'll see how it goes.

I was hoping to find a lead on one in SoCal, but that's ok. I am not in any hurry.

I love the 914, but I can only take one kid in it at a time (I have 3) so it's not too practical. I had been looking for a 2002, but parts for those are like 914 parts, so I kept looking for a pre-75 rear wheel drive coupe or sedan that wouldn't break the bank, got decent gas mileage, and was fun to drive. The capri seems like a good fit.

I had similar constraints, but I added need for A/C and 5 speed, which took most '02s out of the picture.
I chose a BMW 318is as my more than two occupants DD. A BLAST to drive. Cheap to buy. Pretty easy to work on, and really solid mechanicals.

I had a 1973 V6 she was red with a black interior. I really enjoyed that car. Only problem one winter the cold weather made the crank/cam gear shear it's plastic teeth. Other than that very reliable. Parts might be tough to find today.

My first car was a 73 V6 Capri. Had the decor group which consisted of molded bucketoid rear seats. Four speed. Was driving along once and the shift lever broke off in my hand. From what I remember, I drove it home by shifting into 3rd gear by pushing the gearing under the car (or something like that, it's fuzzy, it WAS the 70's after all!).

I rubbed through the paint polishing it too much on the sharply angled hood (I did better with my next car, the 71 914!) Had to have the hood repainted and we all know how hard it was to match metallic paint in those days.

It was a lot of fun, it had Pirelli CN36 tires which were cool.

My big modification was a compressor cutout switch near the driver's seat that allowed me to use the AC blower in the spring and fall without turning the AC on.

Sold it when it needed brakes (it was college, that was plenty reason enough). The map light on the passenger windshield pillar was really cool.

Paul

Had a 73 2.6, bought new. After about 30/35K miles the bushings would loosen up and it would shimmy. Replace them and get another 30/35 before it did it again. Front end seemed to get significantly lighter at 85 or 90.

Ok Kapt...did you find one yet? Sounds like the consensus is to grant you permission to stray...

Hmmm... I am allowed to get me some strange?

BTW: that doesn't happen in real life.

Anyway, finding one seems to be 3/4 of the battle. I will keep y'all posted.

Joe, my friend's 87' e30 325is coupe 5spd in black is just sitting at his place and he doesnt drive it anymore due to low mpg, but that car is a blast to drive! lemme see if i can find a picture of it. It was entirely black, we blacked out the stock bbs rims, the chrome trim, sorta back dated the early bumpers to look like the recessed bumpers like the one shown above, and the only other mod is a K&N cone filter. Also it has a stock LSD! I could ask him for you if he's willing to sell it, all he does now is drive a 96 civic.

i had a 73 with a v6/4 speed. it really was a fast car. there are stories though of the 2 peice drive shaft coming loose and flipping the car. the 2.6 v-6 was a solid lifters that need adjustment. (its not like us 914 owners never heard of that). it was the same engine that was used in the ford line of mustangs ect... it grew to 2.8 then 3.0 hydrolic lifter. the head design looked simular to the f.e. big block fords. the capri was a real sleeper and when i was out buying and destroying cheap hotrods in the late 70's/early 80's it was good bang for the buck. the water pump is a weak spot although real easy to r&r. the cooling system worked backwards as it pumped coolant up the radiator-bottom to top-. the v-6 models of the early 70's even had stock duel exhaust.

D-Lo,

Thanks bud, but I am looking for a pre-smog fun car. Thanks for looking out for me.

- Joe

My Dad traded in his 1970 Capri 2.0/4 for the LE. Was starting to buble up in all sorts of places. Also had problems w/ the back vent windows.

I'm afraid I snorted a beverage through my nose reading about the side windows just coming unglued and sailing out at inoportune times.....

Brought back flashbacks of one of my wifes friends who had one......... with the side windows rolling down the street,
the use of a piece of hacksaw blade to lock them back in,
the time she drove down the street and the steering wheel came off in her hand.... (RECALL!!!!)

nd how we switched the letters around on her car to suit it's temperment ..... CRAPI.....

Ken