BBC TV - 'The Car's the Star' - Ford Capri - 1997 (Old Top Gear)

Quentin Willson presents the story of the Ford Capri.

[@dcarbs2979]

I always liked the low class hooligan image of the Capri. Suited me quite well :-)

[@pswordsy]

Brilliant video thanks for sharing this info 👍👍👍

[@cw7422]

I had a 1976 Capri II S 2.8 in California. I removed the smog controls and took off the catalytic converters and put on straight pipes. It really moved then.

[@peterlangan1181]

I had a 1600GT Capri in the 70s. I would buy it again in a heartbeat. I loved that car!

[@pauldg837]

Bought my first Capri in Canada in 1976. Even as a second hand car (1972 model), for a 19 year old it was such a great car to drive. I still think it was one of the best styled car in the 70's. Wish I had kept mine.

[@MrTerryb1956]

capri my first car my first love

[@kevsterrobert1847]

They are Cool

[@petercorcoran7822]

Of the many cars I owned as a young man the mk2 3.0s capri & the mk3 2.8 capri where by far the best car for a pose

[@peterlangan1181]

I forgot to say also that it was really easy to work on. The engine was in a very roomy space.

[@ianmangham4570]

Wonderful music at the start

[@grahamsmith5768]

To buy a ford Capri today your wallet needs to be as big as a suitcase. Beautiful car , especially the MK3.

[@samuelbiskin3416]

I had a friend who let me drive his Capri around one day. Really fun to drive. I liked it a lot.

[@samuelbiskin3416]

AYE OK SURE ....ha. No she was in the car

[@scottbrown7415]

The Capri was spot on perfect. Just as with the Mustang, it was Whatever you wanted or could afford to make it into. I think that insurance companies went a long way toward making the Capri Unaffordable.

[@PenDragonsPig]

Classic....boy racer, bike killer- it and damn Volvos. Only Volvo owners were probably watching what they were doing.

[@Retrofordguy]

It pains me to look at capris now knowing I'll never have one prices have soared well out of my range

[@jerrysummers5971]

All the fords like that even saw a marina go for £7k ,the puma ok now but the price will be going up!

[@prokoerkoerfeuuififune8936]

@@jerrysummers5971 its a ford who cares

[@katana258]

I had the first 1071 in east coast on the road , blue/ black roof ..1300 motor blue inside .. ran it 3 years sold it for what I paid for it ... one super fine car

[@Retrofordguy]

Still the best looking car ford ever produced ford were silly for not returning to it's legacy I wasn't born back when the capri was new but my father had all shapes mk1 2 3 I can't afford one now as even rough ones fetch silly money I would love a modern capri I would buy in a heartbeat as long as it resembled the capri and was either rwd or 4wd

[@cartertanya1258]

Mk 1 only was the best , I owned a 2000 gxl . Sadly I sold it and regretted it ever since.

[@ianplayer3329]

Still a great looking car ❤

[@NoosaHeads]

Personal thing, of course but in my opinion, Quentin Wilson is the best motoring journalist that has ever been. My only complaint is that his presentations are too short. He seems to home in on exactly what I am thinking. His "The Classic Car Show" with Jodie Kidd was superb and I am still scratching my head wondering why it didn't achieve more fame. Someone has criticised Quentin for branding the Capri as a Barrow Boy car. I was a teenager when the Mk1 Capri cane out. It WAS a Barrow Boy car. It had champagne looks for beer money. So what? Quentin is just starting the obvious.

[@ianmangham4570]

My mate had a poster of the Tickford capri

[@JoeMischiefGXC]

@gud6y Hi. I don't suppose by any chance you have the orginal digital copy of this before KZbin add their compression etc?

[@Embracing01]

I wonder if those two blokes still own those Professionals Capri's? probably not I would suspect, know doubt they sold em years ago for next to nothing and have regretted doing so knowing they could've made a fortune.

[@SITRUUNAKAKKU-pl3jj]

I WISHD ID HAD SOME DAY CAPRI RED

[@jasonwilson1677]

Had a 71

[@franzchong5889]

not to be confused for the later laser mechanicals but mazda 323 based capris

[@williamhardes8081]

go very nicely with a 5 litre ford V8 in it, went for a ride in one and almost had skid marks. lol.

[@danielsellers8707]

My dad says the Capri was masculine but Ford replaced it with the Probe and it was girly... I think a modern version if Ford made one should hark back to the MK1 and look like a baby Mustang. I found out the Professionals Capri UOO 303T registration wasn't real and has never been issued... I know that the Japanese Toyota Supra launched in the UK around the time Capri (and Manta / Monza) production ended...

[@malcolmformosa1772]

My first car I brought in (1981) from Murray Bridge in South Australian was a (1971) Ford Capri GT V6 3000 litre manual 4speed colour was British Racing Green I sold it back in (1991) I looked back now and I regret selling it, they were a nice looking muscle car back in (1970) and (1971) they used to race Ford GT Capri V6 in Bathurst up in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales Australian race track YEAH Mate.🥇🇦🇺🦘⚜️👑⚜️

[@pjmbidge632000]

I had a '75 3.0 Ghia, white with black vinyl roof, handling was iffy, but it was pretty quick for it's day. swapped it for a Mk2 Mexico, much nicer car than the long nose Henry, they both pull silly money now.

[@liverpoolscottish6430]

You mean the road holding was 'iffy.' Handling and road holding are two completely different things. Handling relates to the dynamics of the car- does it understeer/oversteer? Does it roll in the corners? How does the steering feel? How does it turn in? A car with poor handling is a PIG to drive. The Capri is a car which handles very well, it just has compromised wet weather road holding ie mechanical grip at the rear end. It's no different from any other RWD car in that respect. Capris don't tolerate hamfisted driver's with no feel ;)

[@liverpoolscottish6430]

Handling is NOT the same as ROADHOLDING. Nothing wrong at all with the way the Capri handles- ie it's driving dynamics. It can have interesting ROADHOLDING characteristics in the wet with a hamfist behind the wheel.

[@VinnyDaQ]

It's always seemed strange to me that the same car was sold in the U.K. as a Ford and the U.S.A. as a Mercury.

[@ianfindlay865]

Ever heard of marketing? The Ford Sierra XR4Ti was sold as a Merkur in the US -- which nobody could ever pronounce correctly. Just as they can't pronounce Jagwar.

[@VinnyDaQ]

Americans call them "Jagwires". : P

VinnyDaQ Not remotely the "same" vehicle. Not even close.

[@ianmangham4570]

My mk3 was a wonderful blue

[@anthonyperkins7556]

As good as the Capri was, by the eighties it couldn't compete with cooler hot hatches that were literally beating it in the sales charts, a three door coupe hatchback against much better 16v and GTi rivals which were attracting better sales figures? It's obvious where the smart money went.....

[@honestcommenterseany441]

Oh had loads ov capris best one a Mk3 1.6 laser

[@AJ-Bruno]

Captain Smug.

[@DansModelBench]

How you presented back then.

[@mebeasensei]

The next guy Jeremy has a similar style - a little sarcastic. It's entertaining if not patronizing .

[@liverpoolscottish6430]

This documentary was a real disappointment and a wasted opportunity in my humble opinion. QW couldn't resist focusing on the old stereotypes- boy racers, traffic light GP's, Bodie and Doyle, Terry McCann, and a reference to the car being, "Low rent," along with a reference to, " Chips, beer and tattoo's." No mention whatsoever about the Capri's superb racing competition heritage. No mention of the brilliant work of SVE and Rod Mansfield on the 2.8i Capri- which was a totally different beast to other Capris. The motoring press were ardent fans of the 2.8i. Capris were not purely owned by Essex boys either, it was a car which had a really wide appeal and people from all sorts of economic/social backgrounds bought them. Eg I met a bloke at a classic show displaying a concours Aston DB5 in Bond silver birch. I got chatting with him and he divulged that he also owned a concours E-Type, Austin Healey 3000..............and a 2.8i Special Capri. Which car did he most enjoy driving? THE CAPRI! His background? He was a barrister and far from being an Essex boy. QW would have you believe that most owners are plastered in tattoo's and reside in Essex.

[@PenDragonsPig]

I left in '89- what's a Puma (except for a big pussy cat and a medium helicopter).

[@TheYorkMan]

3000GXL with alloy wheels….. Methinks not!

[@Tiffany.1970]

Still underpowered the 2.8 injection when Ford was fitting 390 gt engines into a mustang....fastbacks Ford could have fitted small block chevys 5.7 way better n sound better

[@dcarbs2979]

One of the most powerful cars in Europe at the time. The only things up to 1989 with significantly more power than the Tickford were Ferraris and the like. In fact, with 205hp, the top 1984 Capri could match the entry level Ferrari Mondial for power.

[@W42PZ]

Chip shop geezers.

[@TheShepster80]

Sexist ad? Lol

The MIA Mercury version was a MUCH better car.

[@domzig138]

Doesnt the 86 ford capri 3.0 do 0-60 in like 8 seconds?? Thats as slow as a ford explorer

[@Pmjs]

I've watched Wheeler Dealer's US when Ant worked on a 1976 Mercury Capri in Black with 2.8 Cologne V6. It didn't seem any better than the GB Capri.

@@Pmjs I had a 3.8 sport model which was a fantastic sleeper. The 5.0l were monsters.

[@branon6565]

*Mercury Capri.....

[@austingreen6042]

When i think of the Professionals i think of the MKII RS2000 sorry Crapi owner/lovers.

[@vikingraiders4138]

Gary Glitter a hero....

[@knoxyish]

sorry muhahahahahahahha ford capri?? really i remmember lots of axel tramp an the first jag would blo yu off¬!!!

[@knoxyish]

oh an not forgetting my mums sl90 viva!!!

[@Shane-zx4ps]

Heaps of rusty slow crap, it’s nostalgia that’s all it is.

[@brianknowles1727]

It may be all those things you describe, but that didn't matter it made up in heaps for the way it made you feel,I bought a brand new 2.0 s in 1983 absolutely fantastic.