1973 Ford Capri GT V6 Coupe

Description

Following on from the success of the Mustang in America, Ford’s European arm developed its own personal sports coupe in the late 1960s, unveiling the new Capri at the 1969 Brussels Motor Show.  Production began two months earlier, both in Cologne, Germany and Halewood in the UK, albeit with very different hearts; the German cars powered by a range of V-formation motors, while the English 1300 and 1600 counterparts were both of conventional in-line configuration.  Although the Capri was designed as a GT, it was developed into a successful rally car and ultimately a formidable track weapon.  The flagship of the Capri range was the powerful 3000GT model, made available to Australian buyers from February 1970.  Local 3.0 litre Capris were considerably dressed up with sidewinder stripes, ‘Super Roo’ decals lifted from the XW Falcon GT, bonnet locking pins and Rostyle pressed steel wheels.  A four-speed manual gearbox was standard equipment but, to broaden the Capri’s appeal, Ford also offered a Borg-Warner three-speed automatic.  Ford improved the Capri’s unsupportive front seats mid-way through production with high-backed buckets.  Regarded as one of the quickest cars available in the early 1970s and a competitor for Holden’s hottest Toranas, the V6 Capri did the 0-100 km/h dash in 10.2 seconds and the standing quarter-mile in 16.8 seconds.  Roughly 3,000 V6 Capris were sold in Australia between 1971 and 1973, all made from Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits assembled at Ford’s Homebush facility in Sydney but few remain in decent condition today, most having been driven into the ground long ago.