THE STORY

The Ford Capri retains a special place in the hearts of car fans. Originally designed as the European equivalent of the Ford Mustang, it was first unveiled to the public in 1969 and marketed as a cheap, fast and fun two-plus-two coupe. It was a highly successful model for Ford, remaining in production well into the 1980s and selling almost 1.9 million units across its 17-year production run.

Ford initially planned to name the car the “Colt” as a nod to its big brother, the Mustang. During the preliminary production run for the car, Ford spent time in court with Mitsubishi over the “Colt” moniker. In the end, Ford lost the case, which forced them to change the name to the “Capri” for its official debut at the 1969 Brussels Motor Show.

In 1978 Ford released its third generation of the Capri, equipped with redesigned quad-headlights, a pair of new wings, a new trademark ‘hooded’ bonnet, fresh bumpers and updated paint and interior options.

In 1981, increasingly stringent emission regulations saw Ford replace the existing 3.0-Litre Essex V6 Engine with a 2.8 fuel-injected V6. The reception to the engine change was good, with motoring journalists at the time noting that even though the Capri was priced to compete with the BMW 323i OR Alfa Romeo Alfretta 2000 GTV of the day, the engine was larger, cheaper to maintain, offered a more refined drive and was faster as well.

The Capri remained in production until 1986, and in addition to being the most popular sporting model in Britain for most of its production life, the third-generation was also one of the most stolen cars during the 1980s and early 1990s.

THE CAR

With only 51,604 kms on the clock, this example of the 1983 Ford Capri is in fantastic condition and is finished in striking Rapid Yellow in immaculate condition.

Originally a personal import from either the UK or NZ in July 1995, this car was purchased by its current owner from an older gentleman in Perth. The car had been in storage and received a high-quality restoration in 2007.

The car is light and agile, weighing in at only 1,188kg and is propelled along by a powerful fuel-injected 2.8 litre V6 engine coupled to a 5-speed manual gearbox. Handling is great and the engine bay is spotless.

The bonnet is pulled down over the quad headlamps to give the car a more aggressive look, and the interior boasts soft velour trim Recaro seats.

Other features include a rear spoiler in immaculate condition, a manual sunroof, window tinting and colour-coded side mirrors. The gauge-cluster and clock are in working order and a new fuel sender is being fitted. Pepper pot mag wheels with white letter tyres round out the package.

An excellent little car with loads of personality. These Mark III examples are fast reaching cult status and the fuel-injected cars V6 version was not originally available in Australia.