So, with a complete lack of drum roll or trumpeting, allow me to unveil today’s car. Introducing the no great shakes 1991 Mercury Capri. -To be fair, yesterday’s Alfa is a tough act to follow when we’re talking inexpensive summer fun rides. If I’m being completely honest, I should admit that I probably am being too rough on the Capri because of the contrast I’m seeing between the two cars. Since we’re all here anyway, we might as well go for a spin, though, eh? Let’s talk Capri.
Historically, The Mercury Capri never did gain a great foothold because throughout its three incarnations, it was three very different automobiles. This means that the only thing really linking this 3rd generation Capri to the second and the second to the first, or first to the third for that matter, is the fact that they all bear the same name.
The very first Capris were made in Cologne, Germany, named after an Italian island, and sold under an American name plate. So, it’s an import masquerading as a domestic car. This is something automakers like to do sometimes to try to toe-in to market areas where their brand lacks appeal otherwise. In the case of the 1970-1977 original Capri, that demographic involved folks who wanted sporty compacts for cheap but were more interested in European type handling than American straight line muscle. So it was, the first Capris were kind of like junior Mustangs built for twisty turning instead of white knuckle speed. They had kind of cute, stubby hatchback rear ends and were decent looking little cars that could be had for under $2,500.
The Second generation Capri spanned 1979-1986 and was pretty much a badge engineered fox body Mustang. In terms of performance and achievement, this era of Capri was the tops, accomplishing a fair amount of winning on the racing circuit. This stands to reason, because at this point in its evolution, the Capri was a straight up pony car. If you ever find yourself wanting a Capri, this is the one to get, and shoot for an ASC (American Sunroof Corporation) McLaren -a convertible if you can find one -incidentally, this same car lot where I found today’s Capri used to have one of the McLaren convertibles years ago before it was sold to the new owner (the convertible is actually quite uncommon and its creation was a very intensive process).
Well, no sense in dwelling on the Capri I wish I could have shown you today. Here at Automozeal, we get what we get, and we don’t pitch a fit (a mantra that my nephew’s preschool instills in their pupils). So, here’s what we get: a 3rd generation Capri. No longer a pony car, and quite far behind any of the European hot hatches and roadsters that its original generation sought to compete with. This Capri was dreamed up to complete with the Mazda Miata. Considering that this, the last generation Capri, only lasted from 1991-1994 and its mother brand isn't even in existence anymore, you can probably guess how well that battle went for Mercury. It didn't help that these Capris were front wheel drive, either. In fact, that’s probably the most important reason why they didn't succeed when we’re talking little cars without a lot of muscle that rely on handling characteristics to make or break them as vehicles worthy of being parked in a buyer’s garage stall.
This Capri does get back to its roots a little bit, though, insofar as it is once again pretty much a foreign car sold under an American name plate. The 3rd generation Capri is based on a Mazda 323 and was made by Ford’s Australian division. Word has it that the Capris the Australians built for their own market were far more durable and reliable that the ones that got sent state side. I don’t know what’s to account for the difference other than perhaps some lower standards on the part of the Aussies? Who knows?
The styling of the Capri leaves a bit to be desired if you ask me. Had it been offered for sale a decade prior (while the pony car Capris were still on the market), its visual appeal would have seemed cutting edge even though it's essentially a kind of flattened wedge shape with the edges smoothed down. As it sits, firmly planted in the 1990’s, the styling seems like a slightly aerodynamically rounded-out eighties idea of cool that was left just a bit too plain and planar to pull the aesthetic weight that a car like yesterday’s Alfa can, for example. It's not ugly, but there's definitely something lacking in its aesthetic offerings. It's hard to pinpoint a thing that's just not there, but something is missing. It could be as simple as a strake or angle to accentuate a planar shift, or an ever-so-slightly chiseled fender flare... it's hard to say for sure what would have been best, but there's a lack of definition in this body's form, and that makes it hard to find things to appreciate about it.
Some Capris were outfitted with a body kit that made the tail end look a bit like a Ferrari 308 and featured a speedster-like double-hump cover over the rear seating area of the car, so that Italian name isn’t totally wasted on the formerly German made, then American made, and most recently, Australian made car. Primarily, it seems, you’ll see these kits on Australian Capris, with a few making their way to the states. But it doesn’t seem like you should have to buy a kit to make a car look appealing, does it? After all, that’s what car designers are paid to do.
In 1991, the base level trim Capri featured a 1.6L dual overhead cam inline 4 cylinder engine with 100 HP and 95 lb-ft of torque. It could be had with a 5 speed manual or a 4 speed automatic. 100 HP isn’t a lot, but it’s more than enough to propel a car of this size, weighing in at 2,385 lbs. Bump it up a notch in trim levels, and you get the XR2 Capri, which features a turbocharged version of the 1.6 that’s good for 132 HP and 136 lb-ft of torque along with independent rear suspension. The XR2 could be had only with a 5 speed manual transmission for just over $15,500 in 1991 money.
In today’s money, more than 2 decades after today’s car left the showroom floor, this base model Capri with 115,000 miles ticked onto its odometer is listed for sale at a price of $1,995 at the car lot I spotted it in. To put things in perspective here; a 1991 base level Mazda Miata with similar miles sells for around twice as much in today’s dollars. A Capri XR2 model might fetch more, but it would really depend on what kind of running condition it was in.
Here’s what my plan would be if I was somehow forced to buy a 1991 Capri. For starters, it had better be the XR2, and it had better be priced around 2 grand or less (that's money I could have put in my hypothetical Alfa Romeo Spider Quadrifoglio fund, you know!). From there, I’d drop a few hundred dollars on the Clubsport body kit so I could stand to look at the silly little car sitting in my driveway. I’d take it out around town running errands and whatnot, and probably have a pretty good time, but I’d rather have the pony Capri or better yet, yesterday’s Alfa.
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