Ford ‘to relaunch the classic Capri’: Iconic 1970s ‘working man’s Porsche’ still loved by celebrities to get eco makeover as it returns after 40 years costing £40,000 and doing 0-60 in 6.4 seconds
- The new 300 horsepower version will still have the classic four headlights
- Will also have digital touch screen, wireless charging point and massaging seats
The classic Ford Capri is set to be relaunched with an eco-friendly makeover for the first time in 40 years.
The iconic 1970s car – commonly referred to as the ‘working man’s Porsche’ due to its affordability – is expected to cost roughly £40,000.
It will be re-marketed as an electric sports crossover capable of reaching 0 to 62mph in about 6.4 seconds, according to a motoring expert for the Sun.
The new 300 horsepower version will boast rear-wheel drive and the classic four headlights like the original version.
Unlike the gas-guzzling 1970s Capri, this will be fitted with a digital touch screen, wireless phone charging point and massaging seats.
A Ford spokesman revealed that while they don’t want to speculate on future cars, Ford is ‘on a mission to make electric iconic’.
Ford sold almost 1.9million units of the Capri in total across its 17-year production
The new model is expected to be an electric crossover and have a digital touch screen, wireless phone charging point and massaging seats
How does the old Ford Capri stack up to the new?
Ford Capri 1300 (1969-1973)
Cost: £890
Horsepower: 57
0-60mph: Over 11 secs
Headlights: Four
Rear wheel drive
The new electric sports crossover Ford Capri
Cost: £40,000
Horsepower: 300
0-62mph: 6.4 secs
Headlights: Four
Rear wheel drive
First unveiled to the public in January 1969 at the Brussels motor show, the Ford Capri was marketed as a cheap, fast and fun coupe.
Production for the car actually started two months earlier at the Halewood plant in Liverpool to ensure every UK dealer would have at least one Capri on its forecourt by the time sales started.
Prices for the Capri started from £890 in 1969, which equates to around £14,000 today.
Overall, it was a hugely successful model for Ford selling a staggering 400,000 units in its first two years.
It also remained in production well into the eighties and across its 17-year production run Ford sold almost 1.9million units in total.
Designed by a team led by American automotive designer Philip T. Clark, the Ford Capri was originally intended to be named the Ford ‘Colt’ – a reference to the famous Ford Mustang.
Ford hoped that the Capri would mirror the American success of the Mustang and largely, it did.
The Capri gained popularity across Europe as one of the most affordable and popular sports cars.
Jamie Oliver’s MK1 Ford Capri
Jamie Oliver’s Mk1 Capri featured in TV shows with him and Jimmy Doherty
The Capri also made an appearance on Minder
Goes in more than One Direction – and fast: Harry Styles is among the fans of the iconic Capri
Capri craze: This 1978 Capri 3.0 S that featured in cult TV show The Professionals sold at the auction for a world-record fee of £55,000 on Wednesday
Lewis Collins (pictured) drove the car in the second series of The Professionals. The previous owner said money raised by the auction would be donated to Cancer Research in memory of the actor who lost his battle with the disease in 2013
This 1977 Ford Capri that featured in the hit series Minder was also up for sale at the auction
The life and times of the classic Ford Capri
Ford’s famous advertising slogan for the Capri – ‘The Car You Always Promised Yourself’ – perfectly encapsulated its appeal for those who couldn’t afford the likes of a Porsche or Alfa Romeo.
In 1970 nearly 250,000 Capris were sold, which meant one in every four Fords sold in Europe was a Capri, and it soon made its appearance on the silver screen.
The Capri appeared in the cult 1970s TV series The Professionals, which recently sold at auction for £48,000.
In the 1975 Brannigan John Wayne famously jumped a Ford Capri across Tower Bridge in a spectacular car chase.
The car’s appeal did then slowly start to evaporate over time, appearing as the wheels of choice for Derek Trotter in Only Fools and Horses in the 1980s.
