PICK OF THE DAY: Tidy Original MK I Capri

The story of the Ford Capri is one not so much of invention as reinvention. With the immense success of the Mustang in the US, Ford identified that a pony car market could exist on foreign shores, namely Europe. Its project name was in fact Colt. Using the already sporty Cortina as a mechanical basis, Ford wrapped it in a handsome fastback coupé body. By the time of its introduction in 1969, the Mustang had grown into something closer resembling a draft horse than a pony. When the Capri went on sale in the US through Lincoln-Mercury dealers, the marketing boffins labeled it “The Sexy European.”  This virtually insured that rather than recapture the spirit of the pony car of the mid-‘60s, it would instead be forevermore labeled a chick car. Having been established prior to the fuel crisis, it wasn’t until a few years later, when the Mustang II would replace its goliath predecessor (and itself be one of history’s chickiest of chick cars), that the Capri would be seen as a viable alternative to its European contemporaries from BMW, Fiat and even Alfa Romeo. Its dealer/service network was a huge bonus, but aside from that, it was a decent performer and a favorite or weekend autocrossers and gymkhanists. The US-version 2.8-liter motor was one of the most balanced, revvy, dependable V6s of the time. With a relatively-good-for-its-day 90-hp output, the smoothness of its delivery made the car feel much more powerful. The first-gen Capris would go on to sell reasonably well and merged seamlessly into their second reinvention as a more refined, cavalier (read: chick-y) twin to the Fox-bodied Mustang. The Capri name took a brief hiatus in the late 80s before being reinvented one last time as a front-drive roadster (befittingly, reclaiming its chick car badge) built by Ford Australia. Plagued by perceived quality and safety issues, the Capri finally came to rest in 1994. Today, however, we return to perhaps its most masculine iteration, the Mk I. And we do so in a good way, with a 62,700-mile example that has been remarkably preserved where others have literally crumbled from rust and neglect. Its àpropos ‘70s Copper paint has held up well, though there is a fair amount of oxidation on the leading edge of the hood. Inside, upholstery and dash look to be in nice shape with only some small tears in the driver‘s seat. Seller discloses some other issues need to be addressed, but the mere fact that one of these still exists in captivity, much less one that is original down to the clock, radio and window sticker, is undoubtedly worth a look. Find it here on Craigslist in Pennsburg PA for a reasonable $5,000.