1971 Capri MkI
— Made for: 
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Comments about this vehicle
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◊ 2007-01-10 12:19 |
I think this is a Ford Capri made for USA |
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◊ 2007-01-10 12:44 |
Which car is it on the picture? |
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◊ 2007-01-10 13:48 |
I don't see either body style of mercury Capri that was sold in the US in this pic |
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◊ 2007-01-10 14:03 |
i'm guessing it's the first green one....thought in another post of a similar car it was determined that these were sold just as Capri - not Ford or Mercury. /vehicle_76187-Capri.html |
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◊ 2007-01-10 15:10 |
yeah now i remember then this should just be listed as Capri MkI |
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◊ 2007-01-10 16:11 |
origin: Germany, made for USA, as the others are listed that way too... |
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◊ 2007-01-11 01:02 |
Is that true? Was it only German-built cars exported? Export cars (I understood) were British-built as they ran the Kent in-line engine not the German V4. Later export MK1's were the British-built Pinto-engined models along with V6 'Essex'? |
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◊ 2007-01-11 01:04 |
Wikipedia confirms the facts as I remember them for the US in 1970 (at one time I considered buying a Capri MkI from a Mercury dealer and remember them being 'German' cars). "Originally, the Cologne-built Capri 1600 was fitted with a British 1.6 L Kent engine." The cars were German built with engines sourced from England. For the other model Wikipedia states the following but I cannot confirm that this is also true. "The 1971 Capri 2000 featured the Cologne-built 2.0 L OHC engine for much-improved performance from 101 hp (75 kW). A Capri 2600 GT was offered in 1972 with a 2.6 L Cologne V6 which produced a substantial 120 hp (89 kW)." |
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◊ 2007-01-11 01:42 |
yes, but we know Wiki isn't a confirmed source - anyone can enter plenty of myth on there. But why would Ford crate-up engines from Dagenham or Halewood, re-train the staff, stop/start places on the the Cologne line, then put them onto a boat that was further away... Funny 70's politics I guess. Does anyone have one of these cars - can they check plastics pressings for origin?  |
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◊ 2007-01-11 16:20 |
I agree to be cautious about 'facts' found in Wikipedia but its not the only source that states the cars were assembled in Germany. From the "Ford Media" site http://media.ford.com/newsroom/feature_display.cfm?release=15319 '1971 Mercury (sic) Capri: The German-built Mercury Capri made its debut in 1970 as a 1971 model. Named the 1971 "Import of the Year," the Capri was an affordable, sexy little sports car. Given numerous options, consumers could custom-build their Capri and still enjoy an affordable price.' The decision about sourcing the engine and the assembly plant would have been taken in the US. The 1600cc crossflow Kent engine from the UK was federalized for US use. Concerns later about quality and labour relations (strikes) possibly caused Ford to use Germany for car assembly. The motoring press at the time only stated that the Cologne plant won on quality. Shipping engines and transmission between England and Germany both ways, I believe was becoming common at the time as Ford developed its European operations. |
