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There she is in all her 1980’s designed goodness. This is a
1992 Capri XR2 turbo sporting the nifty 15 inch wheels. The Capri’s slab-sided design
was based loosely on Ford’s Barchetta concept seen here. The Barchetta
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The Buddhists say that expectation is the ruin of
experience, or maybe it was the Baptists. Either way, there’s a lot of wisdom
in those six words. Expectation management has helped me keep that fake smile
plastered on through awkward social situations and wax philosophical about the
habitually poor decisions of certain relatives. It has also helped me enjoy an
often unloved and quirky car that has a very narrow place in a small niche of
the enthusiast car market.
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of the Mazda Miata. The MX-5
is the epitome of the British phrase, cheap and cheerful. The little Japanese
roadster is as fun to throw around as a dirty phrase and far less
offensive. Few will note or long
remember that the Miata’s success spawned many imitators.
Many MX-5 competitors, for better or for worse, are no
longer with us. The Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, and the Toyota MR-2 Spider
leap to mind. Not that there was anything glaringly wrong with any of these
cars, they all, however, missed the mark by just enough to doom them to
failure.
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| Toyota MR2 Spyder on the left the GM twins, Solstice and Sky, on the right. Good cars in their own right, they were just answering a question Mazda already had covered. |
The GM twins were stylish and could be optioned with 260
horse power, turbo-charged mills and even a very interesting targa-roofed
Solstice variant that is already gaining interest in the collector community.
The Sky and Solstice were just a little too big, a little too heavy, and a
little too detached to capture that Miata magic. The GM roadsters suffered an
identity crisis; trying to be both baby Corvette and ‘Merican Miata at the same
time. Add to that the Pontiac and Saturn brands were doomed by the General
Motors near bankruptcy and consequent restructuring that held no place for a
low volume small sports car occupying too narrow a slice of the car market.
Toyota answered the MX-5 challenge by trying to recapture
some of that original Mister Two magic that worked so well in the 1980’s. They
went for a mid-engine convertible that was a good sports car in its own right
but had one unforgivable flaw; zero luggage space. One would think that outside
of SUV’s and station wagons cargo hauling capability would hold no sway in the
sports car market, like typing ability being a non-consideration for mail order
brides. But if a sports car can’t even carry a weekend’s worth of luggage for
two, or a few groceries, you’ve just written off your daily driver customer and
Bed and Breakfast trekking couples in one fell swoop. I wonder, in the dark
watches of the night, if Toyota had made the new MR-2 a coupe would it have
stood a chance; probably not.
The upscale cars like the Mercedes SLK, BMW Z Roadster, and
the Porsche Boxster are still around but were never direct competitors to the
MX-5. The only association they had with the Japanese sports car is that they
let Mazda stick a toe in the small convertible water before they plunged in. These premium cars were always competing in
the exclusive section of the small roadster market while the Miata was enjoying
the game from the far more numerous and raucous cheap seats.
One Miata challenger, however, came from within its own
family; the often lamented 1991-1994 Mercury Capri. At the time the Capri was
launched Ford owned a controlling interest in Mazda and wanted in on some of
the halo effect the MX-5 was bringing into Mazda showrooms. The problem for
Ford was how to get in on the roadster action without too closely competing
with its own Mazda division.
Ford’s answer was a parts bin raid of Mazda mechanicals in a
half-baked and, initially, poorly executed front-wheel-drive small convertible
that would straddle the Miata in price and performance.
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| A 1991 non-turbo Capri (left) grazes alongside a 2000 Mazda MX-5 Miata. One shape timeless the other stuck firmly in the late 1980’s. |
OK, follow this family tree; the Capri was based on the
front-wheel-drive Mazda 323 platform, with a normally aspirated or turbo
charged version of the Miata’s 1.6 Liter, B-series engine. The Capri was styled
in Italy, built in Australia and sold as a Mercury here in the States. The base
Capri had a 100 horse power engine, 16 less than the Miata, and the turbo had
132 HP, about 16 more than the MX-5 and about 35 Ft/Lbs more torque. The Capri
was bigger and heavier than its Mazda cousin and had a backseat of sorts (perfect
for NOT picking up hitchhikers), and a much bigger, deeper trunk. The interior was far
less sporty but had more room in every direction.
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| The Capri control room. Not a bad place to do business as it fits my 6’2” frame like a glove. It’s a sea of hard and often mismatched plastic, but no worse than other cars of the time. Evidence of leaky top seen on the driver's seat cover. |
The turbo charged version of the Capri was called the XR-2
adopting the sport nomenclature of European Fords, with the XR denoting the
sport version of a car and the numeral denoting the size. Remember the Merkur
XR-4 Ti, no? In Europe Ford had the Fiesta XR-2, Escort XR-3, and Sierra XR-4.
The Capri XR-2 had, in addition to the turbo mill, stiffer
suspension with bigger anti-roll bars, fog lights, rear spoiler, sportier tires
(after 1991 larger wheels), turbo boost gauge, and other bits and bobs I might
be forgetting.
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| Capri and Miata nose to nose. The Capri is sporting a dealer-installed rear spoiler from the turbo version and an optional hard top. The Miata is just hanging. |
In 1991 Car and Driver magazine featured a comparison test
of the Capri XR-2, the Miata, Honda Del Sol, and the Alfa Romeo Spider. They
said the Capri felt like the econo car on which it was based but admitted that
when the road got twisty the Capri walked away from the group leaving the other
divers checking to make sure they didn’t leave their handbrakes on. In the end
the Miata won that comparison by simply being the best sports car of the group
and pretending to nothing else. Article here.
Being a lover of unloved cars, I have owned three Capris,
two normally aspirated and one turbo XR2. I still own the XR2, and to hark back
to how I started this missive, let me say it’s a thoroughly enjoyable car; if
you manage your expectations.
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1991 Capri and 2000 Miata await the installation of the Max
Jax lift, making maintenance a zillion times easier. The Capri is the turbo
charged XR2 version, my third Capri, and the one I currently own.
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Many who have any familiarity with the Capri at all may well
remember that its first year the car sold quite well. But quality issues from
the Australian factory killed that momentum like a turd at a pool party. The
Capri’s pop up headlight sometimes wouldn’t, its oil pressure gauge would read
too low while its temperature gauge read too high, the top would sometimes get
stuck two thirds of the way down, the inside door handles would break off in
your hand, the top would tear at the bottom corners, and the power window
motors could go flaky. To be fair, every year the Capri was in production it
got better until 1994 when the car had a refresh and all the bugs were worked
out. By then, however, it was too late. Even though the turd in the pool turned
out to be a Baby Ruth the party was over for the Capri.
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The Capri back seat. Trying to get two adults back there is
as productive as naming your nipples; consider it a parcel shelf. Remember, manage your expectations.
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So why would I own such a car, asked no one. Because it makes
the perfect complement to my Miatas, and if you’re so inclined, you can
purchase a good used Miata and a Capri for $8,000 or less and have your own
depreciating car collection.
If you’re looking for the ultimate sports car, that’s not a
Capri. If you looking for a powerful GT, that’s not the Capri. But if you’re
looking for a sporty, unique little convertible that two people can pack with a
weekend’s worth of luggage and kick up swirling eddies of fall leaves as the
crisp breeze ruffles your hair then the Capri could be your car. It’s also
comfortable enough where your wife won’t groan at the prospect of taking it on
a wine tasting tour. Add to the virtues above, crisp handling, 30 MPG, and the
firm, mid-range shove of a turbo charged power plant.
My expectation management with my own Capri is to think of
it as a 1980’s/90’s hot hatch without the hatch and a convertible roof.
Driving the Capri XR2 is akin to the hatchbacks or yore. Think
Dodge Colt Turbo…anyone, hello? There’s
an initial dual cam, 16-valve rasp and lack of initial grunt but the small
turbo spools up quickly and torque steer wrestles you for control. The revs
build eagerly and the 5-speed, though longish in throw, is light and positive
like the clutch. It’s an easy car to drive, as evidenced by my 15-year-old
daughter stalling the car only once before she mastered smooth take-offs in one
of her first stick shift driving experiences.
The Capri has nicely weighted steering (a little firmer
would be better but would magnify torque steer) and it turns in crisply. The
XR2 will carve corners with aplomb, and it is enjoyable to drive, you’ll just
never have the tail out good times that only rear wheel drive can provide.
So, Your Honor, I rest my case in defense of the beleaguered
Capri; a car as good as your well-managed expectations.
How to Own a Capri (if you must): An addendum.
If you read the missive above and decided to purchase a
Capri of your own allow me to proffer some advice to save you time, money, and aggravation.
The Capri was available for four model years, from 1991 to
1994. The 1991 Capris are the most plentiful but suffer from the most defects.
Every year the Capri was available the quality got better but the sales
declined; so the most desirable and most sorted cars, the 1994’s, are getting
very thin on the ground.
Fear not, however, even the 91 cars can provide an enjoyable
ownership experience if you manage your expectations and are willing to put in
a little wrench time and some lunch money. As with every old car; buy the best
one you can find, pay a little more now to save a lot later. Capris being
mostly unloved have suffered at the hands of indifferent, and sometimes,
hostile owners. Even the best example should not cost more than $5,000 and are often at $3500.
Think of a Capri like a donut; there is nothing more appetizing
than a fresh hot dounut rolling off that magic conveyor belt and there is
nothing more nauseating than a day old grocery store donut sitting on a fly
infested shelf behind scratchy plastic doors.
Capris are the same, when shiny and well cared for they look great and
you will tire from people saying, “Nice car, what is that?” When a Capri is unloved nothing looks sadder
and shabbier; any neglected convertible looks like a sad reminder of happier days
gone sour.
With that, here’s a list of common Capri problems and how to
solve them.
1.
Pop up headlights that don’t. If you buy a Capri look for a used headlight
motor on Ebay or in a junk yard. Take that motor apart and clean the copper
disk and the copper brushes, close the housing back up, and seal with silicon.
When one of your headlight motors goes out, take the used one off the shelf,
replace the bad one, clean the disk and brushes on the bad one and put that
on the shelf.
2.
Convertible tops that get stuck two-thirds of
the way down. If your top gets stuck
just before it’s about to drop into its little covered well, don’t force it!
Put the top back up and look up from inside the car. The middle frame bow
should be covered by a cloth loop, that loop is supposed to pull that top bow
backwards as the top folds down. If your top gets stuck, then that loop has
ripped at the seam and it no longer pulls the middle top bow down causing the
bow to bind, jamming the top mechanism. Either get the loop repaired or do what
most owners do; push the middle top bow backwards as you lower the top. You can
use this technique to amaze a used car dealer who has been trying to force the
top down, or don’t, and use the defect to get money off the price.
3.
Temperature gauge reads too high and oil
pressure reads too low. These two gauges might indicate a car running hot due
to oil starvation, but not necessarily on a Capri. This is a common fault that
most owners ignore if they know their cars are running well. You can either
replace the gauges and temperature sensor or, if you are 100% certain your car is in fine
fettle, accept the inaccurate readings as normal.
4.
RES (random expensive sensors). If you are test
driving a Capri and it has a hard starting problem or hesitates and stumbles at
idle, either walk away or get really good at electronic diagnosis and be handy
with a multi-meter. Many Capri owners have chucked hard to find and expensive
sensors at their cars hoping to fix a stumbling Capri. You can find yourself
like a gambler convinced the next role of the dice is the one as you continue to
replace sensors, plugs, plug wires, distributor cap, etc.
5.
Top leaking at the front corners. If your car drips at the front corners it is usually because the rubber molding running the
top length of the windshield has collapsed and lost its shape. Go to an auto parts
store and buy 6 foot of vacuum tubing and stuff the tubing under the windshield
molding which restores the molding to the proper shape and usually stops the
leak. Seek out the Capri owners group on Yahoo for the exact specifications of
the tubing as well as great advice and tips.
6.
Interior door handles break off. If your door
pulls haven’t broken yet, they will. Pry the door pull cover off the handles
and you will see two Phillip’s screws holding the handle to the door. The
handles break around the Phillip’s screw, usually the bottom one. Fix the
broken plastic with JB Weld and glue a metal washer to the screw holes on the
handle to reinforce them, even if your handles are fine do the washer reinforcement
as preventative maintenance.
There are other little things with
a Capri like the glove box handle breaking off but the above addresses the
major stuff. If you are looking at a well cared-for Capri, one garaged as a
Sunday driver, most of these problems have been rectified by a caring owner,
but ask about them.
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