~ ~ The title of this review “The Car You Always Promised Yourself” was part of the Ford advertising campaign for the Ford Capri when it was first released back in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. It was designed to appeal to the hearts (and loins) of a motoring public at the time when the best affordable cars the motoring public were being offered in the UK were awful dogs of automobiles like the Austin 1100, Hillman Avenger, and Morris Marina. Indeed, my one and only Ford Capri replaced a bloody dreadful Austin 1100, which was about as much fun to drive as a three-wheeled bicycle!

~ ~ So just what was it about the Capri that made it such an instantaneous hit with motorists all over Europe, to such an extent that even today, nearly 20 years after the last Capri rolled off the production lines over in Germany, it still remains a much sought after “classic”? Well, the main ingredient of the Capri’s success had to be its design. Whatever about the performance, handling, comfort levels, etc, the Capri simply looked the part with its dramatic sports car appearance. Riding along the highway in a Capri it was easy to imagine yourself as a real “jack the lad”, and the car drew admiring glances wherever you went. For this reason it was the choice of successive generations of “boy racers”, and even in the design conscious 21st Century its design still holds up well against many modern alternatives. Who will ever forget “Del Boy’s” famous “pratmobile”, the Capri Ghia in the smash hit comedy “Only Fools And Horses”, or Body and Doyle dashing around the place in their souped-up Capri in the famous 70’s crime series “The Professionals”. (Both series are currently showing on UK Gold, the satellite channel)

~ ~ The Capri basically had a sports car body, with a couple of small extra seats tagged on at the back in order to ostensibly make it a “family car”. It was comfortable enough for the driver and front seat passenger, but I really wouldn’t have fancied travelling for any length of time cramped into the back seat. Later models of the Capri (from 1974 on) abandoned the boot in favour of the far more practical hatchback, which gave you a far better carrying capacity in the back for luggage. But my version only had a rather small and cramped boot, which caused me some problems at times when I was carrying a lot of samples or equipment. (I was a salesman at the time)

~ ~ As I have already mentioned, the 1298cc version of the Capri was never going to win you any races at the traffic lights, but it was comfortable enough to drive. The four-speed gearbox was adequate, and you never had any problem finding the gears, and the steering was tight and precise. Handling was again (at best) adequate, although with its rear wheel drive and somewhat soft suspension it had a disconcerting habit of allowing the back end to fishtail rather dramatically if you happened to go too fast into a corner, or accelerate too hard out of it. Fuel consumption was around the 30mpg mark, which for the time was about average.

~ ~ In later life (1980’s) I briefly had another Capri as a company car, the 2.8-litre JPS (John Player Special) model. Now compared with my early Capri 1300 this WAS a true sports car, with scintillating performance and comfort. (0 to 60mph in about 8 seconds, and a top speed of around 130mph!) But that’s another review! I will always remember my early Capri with affection, although if I was considering buying one today (they’re still readily available second hand) I would without a doubt go for one of the later performance versions.