Ford Capri Mk.2

Ford Capri Mk.2


Ford Capri MKII
1974 - 1978
Country:
Engine:	4 or 6 Cylinder
Capacity:	1593 - 3994cc
Power:	88 - 138bhp
Transmission:	Manual or Auto
Top Speed:	170-196 kmh
Collectability:

Ford Capri MKII
Reviewed by Unique Cars and Parts
Our Rating: 3

Introduction

Praised for its styling, the Capri had become one of Ford's best-sellers since its introduction in 1968 and would possibly have sold many more had practicality not been sacrificed for styling.

No such criticism could be levelled at the new Capri Mk II, announced at the end of February, 1974. After 1.2 million cars had been sold, and with the 1973 oil crisis, Ford chose to make the new car more suited to everyday driving, with a shorter bonnet, larger cabin and the adoption of a hatchback rear door. An all-new body-shell was developed to ensure the third door integrated into the design perfectly.

Mechanically the range retained the same well-known package with one or two modifications. The basic shape was pretty well the same as the old model too, though every panel was different. It replaced all the Mk I Capri variations except the RS 3100, announced late in 1973, which remained in production with the old body shell at Halewood of necessity for competition homologation purposes.

The passenger area remained unchanged, which meant that rear seat access through the two doors was still difficult and even medium height rear seat passengers needed to adopt a permanent stoop to afford themselves sufficient headroom.

It was the luggage arrangement which helped the Capri remain a top seller: the complete flat section of the tail down to waist level, incorporating the rear window (heated in the case of all except the cheapest models) hinged upwards and was self-supporting with the aid of Maxi-type hydraulic arms. Capacity was claimed to be 8.1 cu. ft. with the rear seats up, when luggage could be piled higher than in the old self-contained boot, and a useful 22.6 cu. ft. when the rear seats were folded.

"Seats" is used in the plural, because in the more expensive versions separate back-rests were fitted (a la Scimitar), allowing one passenger to be carried while the other seat was folded flat for extra stowage. In common with true station wagons, the Capri had the drawback of leaving all luggage exposed to people with light-fingered tendencies. The adoption of the Reliant luggage compartment cover would have been a simple fix.

Electric windscreen wiper and washer were provided for the rear screen, another commenndable crib from the GTE. Ford offered the usual confusing selection of L, XL and GT options, but one blessing was that the top of the range Mk I models, the GXL and E had been combined into one model, the Ghia. Engine options started with the 1300 pushrod, available in L guise only, the 1600 overhead camshaft engine with one Ford single-choke carburetter and 72 bhp in L and XL form, the same engine with improved camshaft and twin-choke downdraught Weber carburetter and 88 bhp din form only, the 2000 overhead camshaft engine offering 98 bhp in GT and Ghia form and the 3-litre 138 bhp V6, likewise as a GT or Ghia. The 2-litre V 4 engine disappeared from the Capri range into the relative obscurity of Transit vans - which was a great shame.

All models had disc front brakes with servo-assistance all round on all except the 1300 which had 9.5 in discs as against 9.625 on the 1600s and 2000S and 9.75 on the 3000s. Rear drum sizes were 8 in x 1.45 inch on the 1300, 9 in x 1.70 inch on the middle range and 9 in x 2.29 inch on the 3000.

Dual brake line systems were fitted for all markets. McPherson strut front suspension and leaf-sprung live axle were retained. Modifications were restricted to softening the springs to give a better ride and replacing the subsequently lost roll stiffness by adding a rear anti-roll bar, similar thinking to that applied to the Cortinas.

Many car reviews of the time resulted in a general feeling that the standard 1600 was fairly gutless, a good case for fitting only the GT engine into this model, without the ID tag to frighten the insurance companies. It handled well with less inclination to arrive at oversteer on the limit than the old model, but the rear suspension was prone to gave a peculiar lurch as it approached the transitional point.

The 3-litre, now with a separate exhaust on each side of its tail, but no more power, remained very fast, even in automatic guise. Steering was not unexpectedly fairly heavy, understeer remained on high speed corners, but was not excessive and along with the excellent roadholding of the latest Pirelli radials, kept most owners out of trouble.

In order to keep the sporty appeal of the car, Ford introduced the JPS limited edition in March 1975, but in May 1976, and with sales decreasing, the intermediate GT models disappeared to give way for the upscale S designation. In October 1976, production was limited to Saarlouis factory only, and the following year the Capri left the American market, after 513,500 models had been sold.

Was the Capri Mk II simply a case of Ford mass-producing their own version of a Reliant Scimitar GTE? There is little doubt that many of the design elements were used, but the Capri needed to be good enough to have a broad market appeal and resultant sales to justify the development. It was, and to this day remains a very popular collectable classic.

MkII Capri JPS 1600GT - 1974-1978

Engine: 4-Cylinder in line
Crankshaft Five main bearings
Bore x Stroke 87.67mm x 66mm (3.45in x 2.60in)
Capacity 1593cc (97.2 cu in)
Valves Overhead camshaft
Compression ratio 9.2 : 1
Fuel system Webber 32/36 DGV twin-choke carburettor
Maximum power 88bhp at 5700rpm
Maximum torque 92 lb ft (12.7kgm) at 4000rpm
Transmission Four speed manual gearbox, fully synchronised. Optional Ford C3 three-speed automatic
Gear Ratios 4th 1.00, 3rd 1.40, 2nd 2.01, 1st 3.58, rev 3.32
Final drive 3.750
Top gear speed 18mph (28.9kmh) per 1000rpm
Brakes Front disc / rear drum, standard servo
Wheels / Tyres Steel disc wheels (5 x 13in), 165/13 tyres(5.5in Alloy on S models)
Length 168.8in (4288mm)
Wheelbase 100.8in (2559mm)
Width 66.9in (1698mm)
Height 51.1in (1298mm)
Front Track 53.3in (1353mm)
Rear Track 54.5in (1384mm)
Unladen weight 2326lb (1055kg)
Top speed 106 mph (170kmh)
0-60mph 13.5 secs (15.0 secs automatic)

MkII Capri JPS 2000GT - 1974-1978

Engine: 4-Cylinder In line
Crankshaft Five main bearings
Bore x Stroke 90.8mm x 76.9mm (3.57in x 3.03in)
Capacity 1993cc (121.6 cu in)
Valves Overhead camshaft
Compression ratio 9.2 : 1
Fuel system Webber 32/36 DGV twin-choke carburettor
Maximum power 98bhp at 5200rpm
Maximum torque 112 lb ft (15.5kgm) at 3500rpm
Transmission Four speed manual gearbox, fully synchronised. (Optional Ford C3 three-speed automatic)
Gear Ratios 4th 1.00, 3rd 1.37, 2nd 1.97, 1st 3.65, rev 3.16
Final drive 3.440
Top gear speed 19.5mph (31.4kmh) per 1000rpm
Brakes Front disc / rear drum, optional servo
Wheels / Tyres Steel disc wheels (5 x 13in), 165/13 tyres (5.5in alloy wheels on Ghia and S models)
Length 168.8in (4288mm)
Wheelbase 100.8in (2559mm)
Width 66.9in (1698mm)
Height 51.1in (1298mm)
Front Track 53.3in (1353mm)
Rear Track 54.5in (1384mm)
Unladen weight 2194lb (995kg)
Top speed 108 mph (173kmh)
0-60mph 11.1 secs

MkII Capri JPS 3000GT - 1974-1978

Engine six cylinder vee formation at 60 degrees
Crankshaft Four main bearings
Bore x Stroke 93.66mm x 72.44mm (3.69in x 2.85in)
Capacity 2994cc (182.7 cu in)
Valves Overhead camshaft
Compression ratio 9.0 : 1
Fuel system Webber 40 DFAV twin-choke carburettor (later Webber 38/38 EGAS carburettor
Maximum power 138bhp at 5100rpm
Maximum torque 174 lb ft (24.1.5kgm) at 3000rpm
Transmission Four speed manual gearbox, fully synchronised. (Optional Ford C3 three-speed automatic - standard on Ghia from 1976)
Gear Ratios 4th 1.00, 3rd 1.412, 2nd 1.94, 1st 3.16, rev 3.346
Final drive 3.090
Top gear speed 21.9mph (35.2kmh) per 1000rpm
Brakes Front disc / rear drum, standard servo
Wheels / Tyres 5.5in wide rims (later 6in) and 185/70 13 tyres
Length 168.8in (4288mm)
Wheelbase 100.8in (2559mm)
Width 66.9in (1698mm)
Height 51.1in (1298mm)
Front Track 53.3in (1353mm)
Rear Track 54.5in (1384mm)
Unladen weight 2580lb (1170kg)
Top speed 122 mph (196kmh) or 118mph (190kmh) automatic
0-60mph 9.0 secs (10.5 secs automatic)